Their wedding was everything you would want a wedding to be! Family and friends came together to witness this wonderful couple become husband and wife and I am so glad I was able to be a part of their special day.
Early on Saturday morning, my friend and fellow bridesmaid Leah and I drove out to the mother of the bride’s house to meet up with Laurel and her sisters to get ready for the day. (Remember Leah’s wedding in October?) Leah and I both met Laurel in college through our sorority. Laurel and I lived together our sophomore through senior years and she was basically the best roommate ever! Laurel’s three sisters were her other bridesmaids and Leah and I agreed that the whole day felt like a family affair. I loved it!
The atmosphere in Laurel’s mom’s house was calm for most of the day up until the last hour. Isn’t that how weddings always seem to be!?
Though we all did our own makeup, a woman came to the house to do our hair and I ended up going with option three pushed off to the side (which really looked more like option five). I was pleased with it because it stayed in all night and didn’t fall out even during hours of dancing at the reception!
While we each took turns getting our hair done, Laurel gave us bridesmaid gifts that included silky pink robes!
After the photographer arrived, it was time to slip into our dresses. That is when something funny happened!
I started to freak out a little bit because when I put on my dress, it was way too short. We cut my dress with fabric scissors earlier that morning to make it shorter because it was too long, so I assumed we measured incorrectly and something was way off. When I put on my four-inch heels and the dress only reached my ankles, it looked absolutely ridiculous. I spoke with one of Laurel’s sister’s about my dilemma and we quietly scrambled to find a pair of flat sliver sandals in her bedroom that I could wear. When I went to slip them on, I realized that the hem of the dress was different! I was wearing Leah’s dress and she was wearing mine. Thank goodness!
We switched dresses and 30 seconds later walked out the door and headed to the church.
For those of you who asked about our bridesmaid dresses when I posted the above picture on Instagram, Laurel found them on Etsy for $80! They are convertible dresses by VanelDesign that you can tie in many different ways. Laurel gave us the option to tie them three different ways which was great and gave us a little flexibility to choose a style that made us feel a little more comfortable. (Just in case you are interested in this dress, I must warn you that the fabric is rather thin, so you’ll likely want to wear some kind of shape wear underneath.)
After a short drive, we made it to the church and hurried inside so no one would see the bride!
Our bouquets were waiting for us in a small room off to the side of the church. They were gorgeous!
We didn’t have much time to spare before the ceremony started and quickly snapped a couple of pictures before it was time to walk down the aisle.
The ceremony was lovely and when I saw John start to tear up as Laurel walked down the aisle with her mom, I couldn’t help but cry!
Before we knew it, Laurel and John were officially husband and wife!
After the ceremony and a few brief pictures at the church, I had the chance to meet up with my groom for a few minutes!
Right before Ryan and I attended our first wedding together after we got married, I remember my mom saying how every wedding she attended with my dad after they got married reminded her of her vows and that special day in her life. I totally agree! I loved watching my best friend marry the love of her life and remembering why I married mine.
(There’s an explanation behind that photo, I promise. Ha!)
While wedding guests headed to the mother of the bride’s house for light refreshments, the bridal party and the bride and groom’s immediate family drove out to the reception site for pictures before cocktail hour began.
Laurel and John’s reception took place at the Tuscawilla Country Club (the same place where my mom and sister hosted my bridal shower) and kicked off at 5:30 p.m.
We enjoyed wine and beer while Laurel and John took more pictures together and I loved hanging out with some of my closest friends.
My friend Merri (in the green dress) is getting married in October and we’re all excited for her bachelorette party and wedding festivities soon!
Eventually it was time for everyone to take their seats in the main dining room. Once the bridal party was introduced, Laurel and John found their way to the center of the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.
They looked so happy and in love!
Then it was time for us to join our dates for a delicious dinner that included a salad, fish and filet and wedding cake made by Laurel’s mom!
Doesn’t her cake look incredible!? I still cannot believe her mom made it! It tasted fantastic, too!
After dinner, it was time to dance and we made sure to dance our faces off for the rest of the night!
Before the night was over, everyone headed outside with sparklers to send off the bride and groom!
It was the perfect way to end the night!
Congratulations to Laurel and John!
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Love how everything came together!!! Such happy colors. I shoot weddings occassionally so I can’t help but to notice all the cute details she had, and how beautiful it all was!!! That bridesmaid dresss is pretty rockin too…pretty neat that you could tie them however you wanted, and maybe you could wear it again a different way?? Everytime I look at weddings it makes me want to have my own wedding all over again! AH such a sap. I’m going to go tear up and cry happy tears now!
I totally understand the dress mix up! A couple years ago my mom and I were both bridesmaids in her cousin’s wedding (a true family gathering). We were all supposed to meet up at the church but I had stayed with my grandma the night before and my parents at a hotel so we got dressed in different places. We had ended up switching dresses so when mom arrived at the church she was wearing my size 2 dress (and hating it!!!) and I had realized the mix up when I put on her size 6 and it fell off. She was soooo happy we had switched and she hadn’t gained weight. We still laugh about it today!
I love the color of the bridesmaids dresses – so pretty!
I used convertible dresses like that for my wedding! I LOVED them and my girls looked amaze (just like you guys!)
Rebecca, do you mind telling me where you found your convertible dresses? I’m currently planning a wedding and looking for bridesmaid dresses. Thanks!
They were from Coralie Beatrix on Etsy! She’s fabulous to work with and my girls all looked like rockstars!
That’s exactly who I bought my bridesmaid dress from for my friend’s wedding this past April!!! BEST dress ever. And I love that with so many different ways to wear the dress, it’s like you’re paying less than $5 for each dress. Amazing!
Thanks for posting the info on the dresses. I’ve seen those before but MUCH more expensive. I love how you all tied them differently. Looks like a beautiful wedding 🙂
-AJ
FitTravelerAJ.com
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previously. Many thanks
I can’t find the comment where you posted info about the dress. I’m getting married in October and we are looking at dresses this weekend, I’d love to know where those came from! They looked awesome, beautiful wedding!!
Loved the recap!
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I just love weddings, now that I am engaged I love them even more! I adore the dresses that you wore, my friend is looking for long dresses for her bridesmaids so I am definitely sending this her way!
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