i still remember how you looked that afternoon

Labor Day weekend was a weekend we had been looking forward to for a long time – it was finally Kari and Brett’s wedding weekend! I had been pretty busy leading up to the weekend finishing a couple things I had the honor of making for the big day – some table number cards and a photo slideshow that we played at the rehearsal dinner. Drew and I were so honored to play a part in their wedding – we were both in the wedding party and even got to walk down the aisle together!

First things first, us girls had to get our nails done! Grandma and the Mother-of-the-Bride joined the bride and a couple of the bridesmaids for mani/pedi’s.

Wait. Is that Grandma double-fisting the mimosas? ‘Atta girl Milly!

Later that day, the girls finished up the placecards and then Barb (the MOTB) hosted a dinner at her house. It was a relaxing visit before the craziness of the wedding day!

Mother-of-the-Bride and Mother-of-the-Groom

Pre-wedding jitters for the bride and groom? Nah. These kiddos were ready.

The next morning the girls and mothers (and Father-of-the-Groom) headed out to a wildflower field to pick flowers for the centerpieces. We got a good truckload of flowers and Kari’s aunt and her mom’s friend put them together later that day using canning jars from Grandma.

That afternoon, it was rehearsal time! We all gathered at the pavilion where the reception was to be held and all walked together up the hill to the ceremony location. It was a wide grassy hill with a great view over the pavilion – with some hay bales thrown in for visual interest. It was a perfect, picturesque spot for a ceremony.

Rehearsing the hand-off

After the rehearsal, we gathered for the rehearsal dinner, where the Father-of-the-Groom gave a funny, yet touching speech and the Bride and Groom introduced the wedding party and thanked everyone.

Then it was time for the slideshow. No matter how many times I had watched it while I put it together, I still got goosebumps watching it that night. Those videos always get me.

After dinner, we snapped a photo of all the girls and then headed to a nearby bar to visit with all the family and friends that were in town.

At the end of the night, the bride and groom parted ways, both hoping for a good night’s sleep. And the rest of us (or maybe just me) were too excited to sleep!

See the rest of my pre-wedding and rehearsal pictures on Flickr.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “I Still Remember” by Bloc Party

start spreading the news

At the end of August my husband and I, along with my mom, went to New York to visit with Lisa and Branden. We planned an engagement party for them and it was also my sister’s 30th birthday. I know – 30? Geez! I can’t believe my sister is 30.

First we spent a little time walking around Brooklyn and looking at the venues they’ve chosen for their wedding. We stopped by the Brooklyn Historical Society where they’ll have their ceremony in the library. Very fitting for my sister who works in publishing and loves books. The library has beautiful wooden shelves and an open balcony surrounding the study tables (which is where the ceremony will be set up.)

We also stopped by Bubby’s, a local restaurant where they’ll have their reception. Both the Brooklyn Historical Society and Bubby’s are in their neighborhood. Bubby’s is where Lisa and Branden go for brunch quite often and they love their photobooth (which will be fun for the guests during the reception.) What’s probably best about Bubby’s (besides their mimosas) is the view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges through the large windows. It will be a beautiful view that night.

We walked through Brooklyn Bridge Park, which is where we’ll probably have a lot of wedding pictures taken. I’ve walked around this area everytime I’ve visited the past few years and I think I have enough pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge by now, but I can’t stop myself from taking more. The city has turned a few of the piers on the Brooklyn side into green parks and playgrounds.

Brooklyn Bridge Park is actually where Branden proposed to Lisa back in May. Lisa showed us exactly where he took her – some steps overlooking the Manhattan skyline. What a backdrop huh? Who could say no? 😉

Later we went to the Brooklyn Art Museum where we saw Abdi Farah’s exhibit from Work of Art/Next Great Artist and Warhol’s art from his last decade. This is perhaps my favorite Warhol – a piece from the “Yarn” collection.

That night, Lisa opened her birthday gifts and we watched a little photo slideshow I made in honor of her birthday.

Lisa and Branden’s engagement party was a fun way to cap off our trip. We met for dinner at City Winery in Manhattan, not too far from where Lisa works. It’s a big, open restaurant and winery – sort of looks like it used to be a warehouse. She had a lot of friends come out for drinks that night. We had fun meeting everyone and watching Lisa and Branden enjoy time with their friends.

We’re really looking forward to their wedding next May. Until then, I’ll be busy designing their website (brandenandlisa.com) and doing some arts & crafts for the wedding!

See the rest of my pictures from our weekend in New York and Lisa and Branden’s engagement party.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra

missouri loves company

In mid-August, I made my second trek to Kansas City (a weekend after visiting there for my sister-in-law’s bachelorette party) for Aaron and Chrissy’s wedding (Aaron is Drew’s cousin.) It was nice to see a bit more of the city, but boy was it hot! We stayed at the Argosy hotel and casino where the reception was held. The ceremony was at a beautiful church in downtown KC. It went down as another fun family wedding!

Almost everyone from Drew’s mom’s side of the family came – perfect opportunity for another family picture. Each year, the photographer has to get on a taller ladder to fit us all in. In the ten years since I’ve known Drew, 18 people have joined the family! And it just keeps growing!

The bride and groom, Chrissy and Aaron

Grandma with her sister and granddaughters

Grandpa and Grandma with some of their great-grandkids

The live band really knew how to throw down

See the rest of my pictures from Aaron and Chrissy’s wedding on Flickr.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “Missouri Loves Company” by Ringo Starr

shower the people you love with love

Back in July, we attended a wedding shower for Kari & Brett hosted by their friend’s parents, the Polakowski’s. The hosts have known Kari and Brett for a long time – Mr. Polakowski was their math teacher in high school. They had a lot of local friends and old high school friends there. It was expertly hosted – wonderful food, lovely weather to sit outside, and a yummy cake.

As Kari & Brett opened each gift, some advice from the gift-giver was read to them. They were sent home with a nice heap of goodies.

After gifts, they spent some time visiting and even played a little stick ball before it was time for them and their friends to do a quick change and head to the suburbs for a wedding reception for another friend.

It was a great way to end July. Things were about to get crazy. August was our busiest month EVER!

See the rest of my pictures from the shower on Flickr.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “Shower the People” by James Taylor