Let the Games Begin!

It has been far too long since my last post. I blame it primarily on the wedding. You wouldn't (or I guess I wouldn't) think that a November wedding would be consuming tons of my time during the summer, but I have learned that is far from the case. There are so many decisions to be made and I find myself working on something for the wedding almost everyday. I decided to create this blog to document our engagement, so here we go again! First, here are 4 of my 6 bridesmaids and hostesses of my bridal shower:

Left to Right: Brianna, Katie, me, Melissa, Janna

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. Yes, I'm aware that is a very bold statement, but it absolutely was. I spent the day lounging by the pool, soaking up the sun with my bridesmaids, my mom and future mother-in-law. We indulged in Summer Shandy and buffalo chicken dip. After catching some rays, I went home to change and the others got the house ready for a fabulous bridal shower. Let me preface this by saying that I knew the shower would be wonderful. My bridesmaids are fun, creative and incredibly thoughtful. However, the shower TOTALLY exceeded my expectations. Not only was the shower absolutely gorgeous, but it was also one of the most fun nights I've ever had. Let's start with the invitations.

The theme was "Wine and Dine" complete with cork and a wine glass seal on the back. I know, I have brilliant, creative bridesmaids, right?!? I pull up to the house, and there are pink and purple balloons tied to the mailbox. I knew that if they were meticulous enough to think about balloons, they had gone all out....and that was definitely the case. I was floored as soon as I walked in the door. The shower was so detailed and so beautiful. I've added pictures below but they really don't do their time, effort, and beautiful results the proper justice.

Adorable name tags! The wine bottle was a gift from the hostesses, they made a wine label from the invite. Also, note the lighted fish bowl (there were several incorporated with the docor) it was an addition from my futuer mother-in-law, so cute!!

They had several gorgeous flowers in wine bottles, SO cute. My bridesmaids are DIY queens :)

 

A few of the centerpeices that I brought home! So pretty!

You can see the delicious Sangria on the left, luckily they bought 25 bottles of wine for 23 people so rest assured we had plenty! Also, delicious cheese, grapes (wine and dine!), hummus, pretzels....just for the appetizers. Everyone wore pink, purple, or red (wine colors).

Note that the cheeses are indicated by wine corks, so creative!

The wonderful meal! They prepared an elaborate Italian dinner complete with caesar salad, fettucini alfredo, pasta marinara, homemade mac and cheese, caprese salad and garlic bread. It was DELICIOUS! (And some how I didn't spill any of it on my white dress!)

Beautiful outdoor setup! Reine even had the pool fountain going!

Gift Table before everyone got there :)

The first hour we spent chatting and everyone was able to get acquainted. Then we had the fantastic dinner then made our way inside for gifts.

My cousin Mary and I

Cousins! Maggie and Amy, my  twin :)

The MOB (Mother of the Bride)

Everyone brought such sweet and thoughtful gifts! Here a few unique gifts:

Trish and Maureen brought these adorable personalized towels. Love the monogram!!

Lindsey got us a personalized beverage tub with outdoor wine glasses, so cute! 

So the shower was so beautiful and it was clear that my bridesmaids had put so much time and effort in. But, their gift was the icing on the cake. Not only was it fitting with the theme, but it was SO thoughtful. They gave Tyler and I 6 bottles of wine for all of our "'firsts". The card read:

"Like fine wine, our friendship only gets better with time! We are looking forward to seeing you through your 'firsts' in your new married life!"

The baskets included:

1. First New Years - "La Jolie" Champagne
2. First Dinner Party - "Foodie" Cabernet Sauvignon
3. First Fight - "Clean Slate" Riesling
4. First Anniversary - "Barefoot Bubbly" Champagne
5. First Christmas Eve - "Kris" Pinot Grigio
6. First Baby - Sparkling Grape Juice :)

Each bottle has a very sweet note that goes along with it. The gift means SO much to Tyler and me, and I love that my best friends will be a very special part of our "firsts" as a married couple.

Thank you guys so much! I LOVE the gift!!

After gifts, we played a cute game that the girls came up with. They asked Tyler several questions, and I had to guess his corresponding answers. If I answered a question incorrectly, I had to take a sip of Sangria, but if I got it right, everyone else had to take a sip. Each received a different question, my bridesmaids also put a lot of thought into who got what question. For example, my cousin with curly hair had the question about how I think Tyler likes me to wear my hair. While my cousin with 2 kids, had a question about how many kids Tyler said that he wanted. Tyler's answers were well thought out and so funny! Here are a few examples:

 Question: Which movie did Tyler say you would watch if you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life?

My Answer: Meet me in St. Louis.

His Answer: Does my high school football highlight film count?? If not, she would either watch the
Holiday or Meet me in St. Louis.

Question: We asked Tyler what your favorite color of shoe is. What did he say?

My Answer: 90% of my shoes are tan or nude, so definitely tan

His Answer: Really??? I have no idea. Leopard Print?? (Needless to say I had to take a drink on that one)

Question: Tyler was asked to pick what kind of animal you would be. What did he say?

My Answer: A Chipmunk. He always says that if I was an animal, that's what I would be.

His Answer: A Chipmunk.

Question: Tyler was asked to pick what kind of animal he would be. What did he say? Why?

My Answer: He always says that he'd be some kind of Jungle cat.

His Answer: I would also be a chipmunk because tigers and chipmunks cannot get married.

It was such a cute game and Tyler's witty answers made it extra entertaining. Janna pointed out that I answered the question, "When is the first time you and Tyler said, 'I love you'" incorrectly, but I was able to list off the animals we would both be without any hesitation, haha. It was such a cute idea and made me laugh and cry (tears of joy, mind you).

That concluded the fabulous shower, and were ready to head out on the town! They gave me beads, "Bride to Be" glasses, and a BRIDE goblet to bring out. However my mom and Melissa (my maid of honor) had a surprise. My mom brought the veil from her wedding (that I lovingly refer to as a yamaka - see picture below) to wear out. We were heading out the door, when I saw the last surprise. Reine (my future mother-in-law) had arranged for a trolley to pick us up and take us out. The ride down was an absolute blast! It was such a fun surprise! We went to the Levee in Westport, danced the night away, and ended the night with the whole group singing Happy Hanukkah by Adam Sandler (an ode to the yamaka veil). Party Pics below :)

Party Trolley to the Levee...with a few unexpected stops :)

Hilarious...

Complete with the yamaka veil!

I'm so grateful for such wonderful family and friends. I can't say enough good things about my bridesmaids and I'm so appreciative of all of their time and effort that they put into the shower. It was absolutely perfect and it is definitely a night I will never forget!!