friday may 11
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| volare italian restaurant in brenham, texas |
so after we finished up the rehearsal, we left the antique rose emporium and headed over to the rehearsal dinner location, volare. it was italian food, and olivers parents had pre-set the menu and had my amazing wedding designer and paper goods expert, lauren cunningham of the creative parasol, design the invitations. the food was amazing and consisted of:
-chicken with mushrooms
-lasagna
-steak with mashed potatoes
-house salad with dressing
-homemade breads with butter
-cheesecake
-chocolate cake
-wine and beer
we had a back semi-private room at the restaurant, and the wait staff had set up 6 long tables for us. i didn't know that oliver's mom sheila had called my florist missy from moosefeathers and ordered flower arrangements that went along with the wedding theme to be set up at the dinner. when we got there, it was so pretty in the room that it took my breath away.
the invite list consisted of the bridesmaids, groomsmen and their wives/dates, my family and my parents very close friends and our small extended family, and olivers extended family. it ended up being about 30 people. after everyone had their plates and were eating, cacey, calyn, and oliver's uncle greg put on the slideshow they had made honoring oliver and i. it is VERY large, or else i would try to upload it here, but it was very professionally done and made me cry. it started out with pictures from me as a baby and then growing up to the song "constantly" by cross canadian ragweed. then it switched over to oliver as a baby and growing up to the song "wagon wheel" by old crow medicine show. after that, it showed us throughout our dating history. finally, it ended with oliver and i getting engaged and showed pictures of that, along with our formal engagement photos by katie lamb, all set to our song "wicked twisted road" by reckless kelly. they did SUCH an amazing job documenting our lives leading up to finding each other and then throughout our relationship.
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| photo by katie lamb photography, www.katielambphotography.com |
the video lasted about 20 minutes, and then it was time to give some of the gifts out. we started with giving out mothers day gifts to his mom, my mom, his grandma on his dad's side, and his grandma on his moms side. mothers day was that upcoming sunday, and i didn't want to ignore the fact that they had given up a special weekend for our wedding. we gave them all a candle from target and a picture frame with one of our engagement pictures in it.
then, we gave our little flower girls their gifts. each one got a pink robe with a hood that had their name embroidered on it and a necklace with a small pink rose bud. the robes were from personalizationmall.com, and they all wore them to the salon the next morning, so i am pretty sure they were a hit!
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| amelia and her robe |
next up were the groomsmen gifts. we gave each of them a white beer/ice tub with a personalized branding iron for steaks (for travis d, his was a big D), a personalized belt buckle, and some BBQ rub and stuff for cooking out. they also got some weber grill tools. they all wore their belt buckles for the wedding the next day--but oliver is sad that he can't find his anymore!
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| groomsmens gifts ready to go! |
lastly, we gave our parents each two engraved frames apiece, one that had our names at the top, Kristin & Oliver, and our wedding date at the bottom, May 12, 2012, and a picture of us in it. The other frame had a picture of our parents on or near their wedding date, and said their names at the top and their wedding dates at the bottom. My parents got married in 1980 so they don't have any pictures out from their wedding, so i think it meant a lot to them to have this. they now have it out on their bar.
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| my parents |
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| his parents |
after the gifts were all given, gloria, annie, and ian all made a speech. i don't remember what each one of them said, but i know they were awesome and really meaningful to us. then oliver and i stood up and thanked everyone for being there--it really was an amazing night with friends and family.
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| pretty bridesmaids |
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| oliver thanking everyone |
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| girls being silly |
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| more pretty bridesmaids! |
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| excited! |
after the rehearsal dinner, we all went outside to the parking lot, where oliver and i said our goodbyes for the night. we had planned to not see each other again until we walked down the aisle, so he went out with the groomsmen and i went back to the brenham house b&b with my bridesmaids, mom, and sister. we all changed into our comfy clothes, and then it was time to give them all their gifts. each of the bridesmaids got a big, pretty box from michaels with various stuff in it that matched my theme of antique pink roses. each box contained: a light pink wraparound robe with the girl's initial, pink rosebud earrings, a pink rose makeup bag with lollia perfume, lip gloss, rose makeup wipes, and a pink rose nail file, a flowered sunglasses case, a scent sachel (lavender) and other small odds and ends. they also had a card (matching) that went with the box. the cool thing about their boxes was that since i had wrapped them a long time before the wedding, the lavender scent permeated the boxes and smelled really good! i also gave hope (jr bridesmaid) her gift of a robe and pink rosebud necklace. cacey and calyn (hostesses) each got a darker pink robe with their name embroidered and a lingere bag with their names on them.
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| girls in their robes! |
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| cacey and calyn |
i also gave the mothers of the bride and groom a canvas tote bag with their name on it, along with a necklace set from swarovski, similar to this one but not exactly, since they don't have the one i bought them anymore:
then the bridesmaids and hostesses gave me gifts. they started with a box that had a gorgeous lace garter in it and a toss garter. i hadn't planned on a garter, so it was fabulous to get one and add it to the wedding events! and oliver loved it. they also got me a white makeup bag set with my initials on it and a white jewelry box with my initials on it. i was so excited to see my new initials!
then i recieved a basket full of wines from them, each with a saying about what night you are supposed to drink them and a poem along with it.
Wedding Night
The night you have dreamed of is finally hereThe future surrounds you with hope and yet fear
You’ve wanted so long to find your perfect mate
Sip this wine and toast this perfect date
The night is meant for you to share
Enjoy each other – a perfect pair!!
First Fight
When fights occur and tempers get hotPour a glass and be thankful for what you’ve got
If you always agreed it would certainly be a bore
And by asking for Krissy’s hand Bernie is surely
in for more!
First Anniversary
Been married a year, where did the time go?No longer newlyweds, now you are pros
Hope the days found you in good health and
good spirit
Keep saying I love you –
one always needs to hear it!
Now toast this first date, it’s certainly not the last
And as you build your future don’t ever forget
the past!
First Dinner Party
Open your home to entertain and eatCatch up with old friends and new ones to meet
When the night is over share this bottle of wine
But don’t sit down yet – it’s clean up time!!
Christmas Eve
A wise man said wine is better than beerAnd now is the season for lots of holiday cheer
So pop the cork and relax a bit,
And when the night is through,
Kiss goodnight, close your eyes
And Santa will be good to you!
First Baby
The news that a baby will soon share your lifewill make you a mother, not only a wife
You’ll see it through good times and sometimes
through bad
______ the loving mother
and _____ the dearest dad
Sadly _____ (groom) must drink this one alone, and _____(bride) with an empty glass
Sit back and relax – nine months will quickly pass!
it was super cute, but in our house, wine just doesn't last that long. i think we had finished them all by about 2 months after the wedding! :) whoops.
the last thing they gave me, which is now one of my most cherished possessions, was a small photo book with each 'event' invitation leading up to my wedding in it. it had my two engagement party invites, all of my shower invites, and my wedding and rehearsal dinner invites, along with pictures from each event along the way. it also featured a letter from each bridesmaid, hostess, my sister, and my mom, which they took turns reading aloud to me. we ALL cried like babies and it was such an amazing way to wrap up the night. i have been so so blessed with the most amazing friends and that night just proved it a million times over. THANK YOU GIRLS!!
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| baskets of goodies from the besties |
next up, getting ready on the wedding day!
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