wedding series # 3 : rehearsal dinner

friday may 11



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. 

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!

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!

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.   



my parents  



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. 

pretty bridesmaids

oliver thanking everyone

girls being silly

more pretty bridesmaids!

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. 

girls in their robes!

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:

http://www.swarovski.com/Web_US/en/1092465/product/Born_Set,_gold-plated.html?CatalogCategoryName=0113

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 here
The 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 hot
Pour 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 eat
Catch 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 beer
And 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 life
will 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!! 

baskets of goodies from the besties

next up, getting ready on the wedding day!

Kristin

wedding series #2 : rehearsal

friday, may 11--driving to brenahm and rehearsal

on friday morning, we all woke up at annie's house and started gathering our stuff.  i had slept in annie's childhood room and by my bed was a wine glass with a straw in it (i slept in my white strips).  classy bride! 

we got everything together and then went back down to my parents house to start loading the cars.  my mom drove us bridesmaids and i in the excursion, which was packed TO THE MAX.  we had all of the decorations in there, all of the bridesmaids stuff, all my my moms stuff, and all of my stuff.  we also had a cooler of beers and wine (and maybe a couple of waters), and all of the gifts from me to other people.  needless to say, we had a full load. 





matron of honor and i in the car on the way to brenham!



after we had everything packed up, we began the drive to brenham.  we went straight to the brenham house bed and breakfast, checked in for the night, and then started getting ready for the rehearsal.  i had booked the brenham house b&b as a gift to the bridesmaids, hostesses, my sisters, hope and mason, and oliver and my mom's for my last night as a single lady.  i thought it would be fun for us all to stay together that night and wake up to a fabulous breakfast in the morning.

the house was just amazing.  there were 5 rooms, each with a different theme...and you know i love themes!  the house had two bedrooms downstairs and three up. the people that stayed at the house were: cacey and calyn (hostesses), gloria, melissa, annie, lyndee, and courtney (bridesmaids), my mom, my sister bry, hope and mason (jr bridesmaid and ring bearer), and me!  i don't remember where everyone slept, but i do know i slept in the robins nest room with courtney.

welcome to the brenham house!
but...whos lacey??  ;)

brenham house wine break!



bride and bridesmaids on the staircase



after we got ready for the rehearsal and the dinner, we drove out to the antique rose emporium to start setting up some stuff for the wedding the next day and to have the rehearsal.  as i mentioned in my last post, gloria and i had already organized and labeled a bunch of totes for the decor items, so once we unloaded them, we put them into piles according to where they would be at the wedding.  my wedding planner, reema from something planned, met us at the rehearsal and helped us get organzied with the decor and random items i had brought. 

then, it was time for the rehearsal!  the groomsmen and oliver showed up, along with the groomsmen's wives.  one of them, amber, had BUILT our lemonade & popcorn stand from scratch and was putting the finishing touches on it as we did the rehearsal.  it was SO precious and absolutely a great personal touch for our wedding....thanks again amber!

we completed the rehearsal, me walking down the aisle with a bouquet of ribbons that my bridesmaids had saved and made from all of my showers.  all of the girls ended up wearing similar jewel tones, which went very nicely together, and i wore a cream dress and blue-green belt from anthropologie. 



ready to go!





matron of honor gloria and i







 

MOH annie, courtney, melissa, me, MOH gloria, lyndee





dad walking his baby girl down the aisle



aren't they gorgeous??



  

me and flower girls avery and paige

me and flower girl amelia

next up, the rehearsal dinner!

kristin

wedding series #1 : two days before wedding

wednesday, may 9

tuesday, may 8 was my last day of work for a week and a half, so on wednesday i had planned to get stuff together, get organized, pack, etc.  well, i 'forgot' that i had basically every single decor item for the wedding, and on wednesday night i started having a slight panic attack at the amount of things that i needed to pack and organize.  gloria, my matron of honor, came over that night (thank GOODNESS) and helped me organize.  we put all of the decor items for the wedding in labeled totes according to where they would be put at the wedding: lemonade stand, brides house, sign in table/gift table, chapel, dessert bar, dancing area, or thank you table.  it was a TON of stuff and took both my car and olivers truck full to get all of it to my parents house.

thursday, may 10

on thursday morning, i woke up and started finishing up my packing. since we were going from our house in pearland to my parents house in cypress, then out to brenham for the wedding, and THEN straight to the airport for our honeymoon, i had to pack and bring everything i thought i would need.  i packed a bag of wedding stuff i needed, ie, makeup, hair stuff, all my clothes, jewelry, etc.  then i had a DAY OF bag that had the underwear i wanted, my veil, shoes, wedding jewelry, and all that.  it had to be very organized to get everything there that i needed.

after i finished packing and loading my car, i headed over to my moms house to meet up with her and my cousin pam in from italy, along with my sister jennifer, for pre-wedding mani-pedi.  we went to a place over in cypress by my moms house, and although its not the nicest salon ever, they are convienently located next to a mexican food place where you can get margaritas and chips and salsa to go.  jennifer walked down for me and got me some while i got pampered.  it was fabulous.

at the salon, gloria came and met us also.  my mom and pam had to get to the airport to pick up my uncle jim and mohamed from the airport, so gloria stayed with me and we finished up our nails.  i got solar nails with shellac OVER them, and shellac on my toes also.  (i tend to pick off my nailpolish, so i needed them to be sturdy!)

that night, all the bridesmaids started to trickle in to my parents house and my dad made a big pot of food.  i cant remember what it was!  then we just hung out with my cousin pam from italy, my uncles jim and mohamed from tunisia, my sister jennifer, my mom and dad, and bridesmaids annie, gloria, courtney, melissa, and lyndee (from lubbock).  since we had so many people staying at the house, my dad brought their trailer in and parked it in our driveway.  not going to lie, it kind of looked a little like MTV was taping engaged and underage at our house!  (ie, trashy...) but we had a great time.  jennifer and gloria tried to spray tan me in the garage, but of COURSE that was the night that the spray tan machine chose to break.  my dad even tried to fix it for me, to no avail.

later on that night, the bridesmaids and i decided that we didnt want to all sleep on the couch, so we tromped down the street to annie's parents house to sleep over there.  gloria conked out but i woke her up and made her spray tan me in the bathtub with the over the counter spray tanning stuff.



once we all finally fell asleep (there were some shennanigans that don't need to be talked about here), it was time to get up and get ready for rehearsal dinner friday! 

until next time,

kristin