Meet the Wedding Party

....well, the girls, anyway!

This post was inspired by a dream I had last night--I woke up panicked this morning because I dreamt that Andy and I got married and after it was over, I realized that we forgot to do our vows during the wedding! We did all of the other parts of the ceremony except for the vows--ahhh! Thankfully it was just a dream.

Now, let's meet those ladies, shall we?

Andrea
First up, we have my gorgeous sister! She is going to be my Matron of Honor since she just got hitched last January. It's hard to believe they've already been married almost a year! Although we didn't always get along as kids (I was the nerdy ballet dancer and she was the rough and tumble tomboy), our relationship has gotten so much better and we have become really good friends. As my only sister, I am really blessed to have her in my life. After all, she is my big little sister!

Allie
Next in line is a friend who is so dear to my heart. Allie and I have been friends since I was in 8th or 9th grade and our friendship has only continued to grow. Allie is on a mission to become a dolphin trainer and therefore, our friendship has been long distance many times as she has lived in Hawaii, Florida, and Mexico for many months at a time. She's back in town for awhile and I'm so excited to have her in my wedding. This is the woman who I can goof around with, has strengthened my faith, and shown me a true example of what it means to have Christ in your heart.

Kaaren
God brought Kaaren into my life for an exact purpose at the perfect time. We met by chance about a year ago at a church event and ended up in the same small group together. It was her goofy sense of humor and take on life that interested me and I love spending time with her. She's been through a lot of things that I'm going through right now, so it has been nice to have someone who understands and can offer advice. Our relationship is sometimes serious, but most of the time it's spent goofing around and talking in accents. What a fun gal!

Jen
As I approach our upcoming wedding, I am so excited to gain a sister-in-law. Andy's sister Jen is such a sweet woman and I love spending time with her and the rest of his family. I look forward to continuing to get to know her in the upcoming years.

Marissa
When I was younger, my sister and I didn't have any cousins. Family get togethers were fun because we both received a lot of the attention, but at the same time--we always wished that there were more kids around to play with. I was so excited when I was in 3rd grade and got the news from my aunt that she was expecting! Fast forward 9 months later, at 10 years old--I gained my first cousin. I loved spending time with her, babysitting her, and playing with her. Time really flies, though, because she will be 13 next month! She is such a pretty girl and I love hanging out with her and watching her grow up.

Karlie
After a few years, my aunt had another baby, Karlie! Karlie is a bundle of energy and so much fun to be around. She's always on the go and usually has a great story to share with you every time you see her. I was so excited when Karlie was born--now I had two cousins--double the fun! She's almost 10 years old and as cute as can be! I love heading down to her house to spend the day with her whenever I can! Her silly attitude is contagious and it is so fun to see her grow from a little girl to a charming young lady.





I am so blessed to have these amazing women/girls in my life and honored to have them stand up next to me during my wedding next month.

Photo Challenge Day 3: Clouds
(Click here for previous days)

This picture never ceases to fascinate me. I captured this shot while on a trip to Italy with my school's Art + Design Department during my sophomore year of college. The sky is so dark and eerie, yet the sliver of blue in the center offers a glimpse of hope even on the darkest of days.

"...the LORD's delight is in those who fear him,
 

those who put their HOPE in his unfailing LOVE."

Psalm 147:11

Alright, kiddos--have a great Saturday! I'm off to the gym for some circuit training before Andrea arrives to help set up for the party! Catch ya tomorrow!

Who did you have as your maid of honor? If you aren't married, who would you choose as yours?

How many bridesmaids would you like to have in your wedding?

Ever been a bridesmaid?

A Beautiful Bridal Brunch

Hello there!

This past Saturday was my first bridal shower! Attending this event definitely made the "oh my gosh I'm getting married" feeling much stronger! Now that we're getting closer to the date, things are starting to feel more real; for awhile, it felt like our wedding was so far away but now it is just around the corner!

After brunching, we moved to the living room for a fun dice game! We passed plates of dice around the circle, and if you rolled doubles, you grabbed a small gift from the middle. After all of the gifts were gone, if someone rolled doubles, they could snatch a gift from someone else. It got pretty intense rather quickly! 

After that game, we played another one in which everyone was given a sheet of paper with questions about Andy and I. My mom and sister both tied for first place (go figure! They're a little biased...) but my Aunt came in pretty close!

Next, gifts were opened! We received so many great things from our registries and we can not wait to use them! One of my favorite gifts that wasn't on a registry was this neat bike that one of the guests gave us. She also included a little poem about how riding a tandem bike can be related to our relationship with God. It was such a unique idea! I am looking forward to displaying this bike in our new home! 

I was so excited to receive such useful gifts! It will be so fun to have guest over and be able to use all of these new kitchen gadgets and serving dishes. Plus, I'm sure that many of them will make their grand appearance on the blog, as well! :D

My grandma assembled a cookbook for us with all kinds of great recipes all categorized and organized into a neat little book! This will be great for meal ideas! 

A Vera Bradley bag from my aunt! A new Kitchen Aid toaster was hiding inside! 

Lots of cards! 

The whole group that came to celebrate with me! I am so thankful to have all of these wonderful women in my life! 

Relatives from my mom's side of the family. Left to right: 

My cousin, myself, my other cousin, my mom, my sister, grandma, and my aunt!

2 of my bridesmaids and my personal attendant! 

Andy's sister Jen, myself, Andrea, and Krystine! You might recognize Krystine from a previous post since we are coworkers now! 

My two moms! Andy's mother is on my left, and my mom is on my right!

The wonderful ladies that thew the shower for me! Aren't they adorable?! My mom has such great friends--they threw a shower for my sister last winter too.

They had decorated the house both inside and out! I was so touched by their generosity and thoughtfulness!

After the shower, I headed back to my parent's house and chowed down a bowl of cereal since I hadn't eaten since earlier that morning! My sister and I sat down to plan my bachelorette party before my mom and I headed out to run a few wedding errands. Our first round wasn't too successful on the wedding front since my mom purchased a dress and a purse, and I came out with a pair of khakis and some new jeans. Oh, and a pretzel from the shop in the mall was also bought and consumed as well. 

After  the mall, we headed to another store and finally crossed some items off our our list! I found my bridesmaids gifts and I can't wait to give them to my bridesmaids for being a part of my special day. We also ran into one of my mom's neighbors at the store and it was so great to catch up with them! 

The next day, Andy and I met with our musicians to choose our ceremony music! Things are really coming together! I am so excited for the song that will be played when I walk down the aisle with my dad. Rather than doing the traditional route of canon in D, I chose "Interlude" by Shane and Shane after hearing it at a friend's wedding last Fall. I loved that we added this twist to our ceremony music and that we were able to incorporate an artist that has a special meaning to the two of us since we attended a Shane and Shane concert when we first started dating. 

After choosing our ceremony music, we went out to lunch with Andy's parents before checking out another place to live! We even got root beer floats--I haven't had one of those in so long! It definitely hit the spot as summer comes to an end.

Andy was so sweet and scanned in all of my pictures for me so that I can start working on our wedding slideshow! I can't wait to start on this project--it will be fun to watch us grow up on the video! Okay, and just to prove that I wasn't that strange as a kid, here's a normal one:

Those were the days!

Time to go blow dry my hair and head into work! Have a super day!

What special songs did you have in your wedding? Or, what songs would you like to have in your wedding?

Do you remember what your favorite age was? I'd have to say 7 or 8 was mine!

Best/worst bridal shower game you've played?