a cousin’s wedding in nashville

A few weeks ago we met most of my immediate and extended family in Nashville for my cousin Kelley’s wedding. It was the first time my extended family got to meet Harper and my sister’s daughter Avery.

Our first stop was the Nashville zoo where we met my Aunt Lynn and cousin Sara and her kids. The girls loved it! Such a pretty and natural zoo.

Me and my cousin Sara are both due a few weeks apart!

My sister and her husband and daughter, Avery.

The girls are checking out the giraffes!

My dad and brother

Me and my niece

Grandpa and his granddaughters!

Checking out the camels

Needless to say, the girls were tuckered out!

The girls played on the playground for a while before we went to the rehearsal dinner.

The next day we walked around Centennial Park with the girls in matching shirts – oh the cuteness!

The girls with Gramoo Julie!

Later that evening we put on our dresses and went to the wedding! The girls had fun and were pretty well behaved – luckily the ceremony was short!

The gorgeous bride and her father (Uncle Jim)!

Then we took a few more pics before heading to the reception.

Harper was so excited to get dolled up in her dress, bracelet, necklace and sparkly shoes!

Lisa and her mini-me!

Then the real fun began – the girls tore up the dance floor!

We did some spinning and Avery and her daddy did some dancing too!

Where’s Avie?

Here I am!

OMG I’m having so much fun!!

The girls got to meet Great-Grandmother for the first time!

Here’s my dad with his six siblings and parents – the whole crew!

Cutting the cake

The next morning the whole family met for breakfast.

Grandpa and Gramoo graciously offered to rush through their dinner so they could take the girls back to the hotel for bed so we could stay and enjoy the reception. And when we left, we got back to the hotel and I realized I left my phone at the reception! I blame the pregnancy brain! Luckily, my Uncle Jim grabbed it and brought it to me the next morning!

It was a fantastic weekend seeing family I hadn’t seen in years! We had a late flight back that night and got home around 1am. The next day was Harper’s 2nd birthday! So we took the day off and had a fun family day – stay tuned for pictures!

for you, the sun will be shining

Yay! Finally, the wedding day has arrived! After a year of planning, Lisa and Branden were ready to tie the knot!

After a fitful night’s sleep (what bride doesn’t experience that?), the bride and her entourage arrived at the hotel. We had a stylist come to my hotel room to do our hair, and she did a great job.

After we finished our hair and makeup, we hung out and had a little lunch. Meanwhile, the boys were at Lisa and Branden’s apartment playing video games and eating pizza.

The robes that Lisa gave us were perfect to wear that morning as we were getting ready.

And then the flowers arrived! They were beyond gorgeous. Straight out of a magazine.

Lisa booked a big yellow school bus to transport us to and from the wedding and she called one last time to confirm.

Time to get in the dress! All ready to go! Quite beautiful if I do say so myself!

The flower in her hair and her necklace were great Etsy finds.

As planned, the school bus was waiting for us in front of the hotel to take us to Lisa and Branden’s apartment where they would see each other for the first time on their rooftop deck overlooking the Manhattan skyline. What better place for a first look?

Luckily, the rain held off! The cloudy overcast was better for pictures and it was still clear enough to see across to Manhattan.

The boys were positioned on the rooftop deck. Branden was standing on the far end, awaiting his bride. The photographers were poised and ready. Family was anxiously standing to the side. Time for the girls to bring in the bride! We walked ahead of Lisa as she prepared for her big moment.

And the moment was wonderfully special. Lisa was much calmer after seeing Branden. She finally started to relax.

Time for pictures!

And a toast!

Then we all loaded onto the bus and headed to the Brooklyn Historical Society. Unfortunately I was too busy being a Matron of Honor to get any pictures of the ceremony. But Lisa’s friend took some good ones. The ceremony was personal and lovely. The venue was the perfect setting – the dark wood bookshelves added drama, but made it cozy. I can’t wait to see the pictures from the photographers.

After the ceremony, I had the honor of signing their marriage license as a witness. We spent some time at the library taking pictures and then headed to the cocktail hour to eat some yummy hors d’oeuvres and mingle with guests.

Once guests took their seats, the wedding party was introduced to Phoenix’s “1901” – which made my husband very happy.

The couple went right into their first dance to “Songbird” sung by Rosie Thomas

Time for the Best Man and Matron of Honor speeches.

I hope mine went over ok. I don’t really remember much, except that I was nervous.

The tables at Bubby’s turned out great – with flowers from the florist and table # flags made by yours truly.

The menu was delicious (designed by me) – and the food was pretty good too! Actually the food was spectacular! I had the fried chicken.

Instead of wedding cake, Lisa and Branden had wedding pies – Apple pie and Peanut Butter pie (Bubby’s is known for its pies after all.) They had cupcakes too!

The bride definitely enjoyed her fried chicken. I love that she stuck her napkin in her dress! Ha!

The beers were served in wide mouth Ball jars. And I think my brother quite enjoyed them.

Because this is what happened. He broke out his “Tom Haverford” face.

After dinner, Lisa danced with our Dad to “She’s Got a Way” by Billy Joel.

And Branden danced with his mom to “In My Life” by The Beatles.

Then the dance party could really begin. Branden’s nephew Joe really brought the moves. He was hilarious.

The girls tore it up to Katy Perry’s “Firework”!

The end of the party came way too quickly, so we headed to an afterparty at a nearby bar.

Brothers-in-law… Weird.

Of course the boys couldn’t end the night without taking a shot of something.

The night was absolutely fabulous and quite memorable. It flew by for me, so I can imagine it was quite a whirlwind for Lisa and Branden. At least they got to relive the memories on their honeymoon in Turks and Caicos. And Drew and I had plenty of time to relive it as well, while we dealt with flight issues the following day. But we made it home!

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

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac

going to the chapel and we’re gonna get married

On the way to New York for the 4th time since August, it occurred to me that my entire immediate family was going to be in the same city for the first time since my wedding 4 years ago – and that’s pretty special to me. Not only was my sister getting married, but I got to see my mom, dad and brother all in the same weekend. AND a few of my aunts, uncles and a cousin whom I rarely see!!

I had looked forward to this weekend for so long, and after some delays at the airport in Austin we arrived in NY late, missing dinner with the bride and groom. 😦

We kicked off the festivities with a little girl time at the nail salon and then the rehearsal at the Brooklyn Historical Society.

Lisa gathered and instructed the troops.

The men were very attentive to the bride.

The girls needed little direction.

All lined up!

Practicing the official hand-off

The bride is all business

Done! Easy! We walked through everything twice – that’s all it took. Off to dinner at Bacchus Bistro!

Here’s a close-up of the rehearsal bouquet Lisa’s friend Carey made out of the ribbons from her shower gifts. Carey made the ribbons INTO flowers! AND she made the base in papier-mâché out of the leftover wrapping paper! I’ve never seen such a perfectly arranged ribbon bouquet!

My dad and brother

Me and the bride

My dad and his fiancée, Julie

The bride and her mother (and my mother!)

Me and the hubs

Branden and his family visiting

Everyone is mesmerized by the bride

The happy couple, in anticipation…

The bride and her bridesmaid, Jessica

The best man and his fiancée Leslie

The bride with her bridesmaid, Katie

My dad giving a very heartfelt and touching speech

After dinner, the bride and groom presented their wedding party with presents. The girls got lovely robes and the boys got jerseys for their favorite teams.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and visited with more family. We were hoping the rain would hold out for the big day…

See all of my pictures from the rehearsal on Flickr.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “Going To The Chapel” by the Crystals

you can stand under my umbrella

Just a short week after uprooting my life in Chicago and moving to Austin, I had to hop a plane to New York for Lisa’s bachelorette party. This party has been planned for a long time and it is sort of amazing to me how much my life has changed in between the last time I was there (March) and now. In just one month. What a whirlwind.

I’ve been to New York many times in the last 8+ years since my sister has lived there, but this was my shortest trip. Arrived Friday afternoon, left Sunday morning.

On Saturday, the weather was crummy. Totally not reflective of a fun party day, but we’d rather get rain now than on the wedding day! We started the day with her bestie Katie at a spa where we got pedicures and facials. Then Katie graciously hosted a few of us at her apartment for some wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres.

Katie’s apartment, on 42nd street, has a fantastic view of Manhattan – even on a cloudy, rainy day.

Lisa’s ready to party!

Lisa and her friends Allison, Jess, and Katie.

Then we headed to Koreatown for karaoke! A bunch more joined us in our private room and Lisa kicked off the night with Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. Belt it out Lisa!

Good thing the receiver was labeled.

There was some Lady Gaga…

A rockin’ Bohemian Rhapsody…

Umbrella…ella…ella… Very appropriate for the night’s weather.

Of course, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun…

And a very “touching” solo from the Bride…

Most songs ended up as a group singing effort.

Then Lisa and Katie took a trip down memory lane and performed a rousing duet to Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion’s duet “Tell Him.”

I don’t know who was Barbra and who was Celine. But it was entertaining.

Then the sisters did a Sonny and Cher number. I got you babe.

The night ended with a few of us jumping over to a bar in Manhattan – I have no idea where or what it was called, but it was cool. Then we dashed for a cab in the POURING rain and before I knew it, I was on a plane back to Texas! Now I’m gearing up for the BIG DANCE – the wedding is on May 14!!!

See the rest of my pictures from the bachelorette party on Flickr.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson

you’re just a product of loveliness

As my sister’s Matron of Honor, I had the wonderful privilege of planning her bridal shower. Luckily, I could assume I would be her Matron of Honor before she even asked because the minute I found out that BK popped the big question, I immediately started plans for the shower. I just couldn’t help myself.

The idea for a theme came to me instantly and it was perfect. When you have a perfect theme in mind, it’s hard not to get too themey, so hopefully I didn’t go overboard.

The shower was in Brooklyn, where ALL of their wedding planning has been based. Her bridesmaid Jess graciously hosted us at her home and it was the perfect setting. I think all the girls enjoyed themselves, and I know Lisa did. But I don’t know if they had as much fun attending as I had planning the whole thing!

My planning all started with the theme: Pride and Prejudice

This theme was perfect in multiple ways. The book is Lisa’s favorite and is published by Penguin – her employer since she’s lived in New York. Lisa’s always loved books and works with them everyday, so why not have a book theme? PLUS Jane Austen is classic feminine, romantic literature, and you gotta have LOVE center stage when it comes to weddings. Pride and Prejudice is beautiful, yet smart—just like my sister.

First, I started with designing and mailing the invitations.

I also had a little fun in Photoshop turning a picture of Lisa into a Jane Austen book cover. It provided for a few good laughs at the shower.

Here are some of the details of the decor and gifts. (Etsy was very helpful in this department.)

The letterpress card I gave Lisa (from Pearl & Marmalade):

A Christmas ornament to adorn her gift (from Brookish Handmade Goods):

Another card that all the girls signed as a guestbook (A Jane Austen quote AND bunting!) from A Darling Day:

And as part of the centerpiece, a framed print of a Pride and Prejudice quote (also from Brookish):

I printed a bunch of pictures of Lisa and BK, mixed in some pictures from the movie and some quotes from the book, and strung them on a clothesline across Jess’s fireplace and above her sofa.

My mom took care of the food and put together a lovely spread of roasted shrimp, bruschetta, arugula salad, fruit salad, and two types of quiches.

The gorgeous coconut cake was courtesy of Katie, one of Lisa’s bridesmaids and long-time friend.

After mingling and eating, it was time for a game! I put together a little quiz about Lisa with some movie quotes mixed in for fun. The movie quotes ended up being a bit harder than I thought!

Katie was the winner of the prize – a copy of Pride and Prejudice, a mug bearing a P&P quote (from Caffe Tempo), and some English tea.

Then it was time for some gifts!

As Lisa opened each gift, her friend would ask her a question that BK had to answer and she had to guess what BK’s answer was. Some were quite funny.

Part of my gift to Lisa was a personalized copy of Pride and Prejudice. Penguin.com lets you upload a picture and customize a note to be added inside the front cover of some of their classic books.

We ended the day with Katie’s coconut cake and a group shot.

I had so much fun putting everything together and spending the day with Lisa and her friends. It was a quick trip to New York, but I’ll be back again in a few weeks for Lisa’s bachelorette party, and then a few weeks after that for the wedding! It’s coming fast!

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

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson

well i’m shameless when it comes to loving you

Wedding day!!! It was a gorgeous September day for Kari and Brett to tie the knot.

The bridesmaids started the day by gathering in the bridal apartment to get all dolled up.

The bridal apartment was pretty sweet. It had every amenity imaginable. We had a great time hanging out and getting ready together.

It wouldn’t be a wedding day without a tiny hiccup. And Kari’s came in the form of an unraveled hem at the bottom of her dress. No worries! The Mother of the Bride quickly hemmed it up and it was smooth sailing from then on.

We walked up to the main Bed & Breakfast and took some pictures and waited for the Father of the Bride to greet his daughter. It was a very sweet moment.

After a few more pictures and some anxious waiting, we made our way up to the hill for the ceremony. This is where I had to set my camera down and get in place to walk up the aisle and witness the lovely ceremony!

After the ceremony, the bridal party stayed up on the hill for more pictures, including a few around the hay bales and in the orchard while the wedding guests enjoyed the cocktail hour. When we first arrived at the reception I quickly snapped some shots of some of the details.

The table number cards were labeled with different seasons and years that were significant in Kari and Brett’s relationship. I made them!

The bride hand-stamped each and every placecard.

The centerpieces were made up of wildflowers that we picked the day before.

Kari gave each of the bridesmaids beautiful pearl earrings and necklaces to wear and cute little clutch purses. For her wedding favors, she had many friends and family make homemade candies and chocolates and gave each guest a bag to fill.

Then it was time for introductions! Drew and I did the Carlton dance. It was a last minute decision, but we didn’t look awkward at all… It just, you know, didn’t get photographed. But the bride and groom entered to a boisterous applause!

Then Steve gave a touching speech to kick off the evening.

The bride and groom cut the cake and were very polite about it.

I was lucky enough to sit at the head table with the Bride and Groom, Best Man, Matron of Honor, and these two serious gentlemen.

The Best Man gave a pretty hilarious speech. Although it seemed to embarrass the bride just a bit.

And Annie’s (the Matron of Honor) speech was heartfelt and showed how close she and Kari are as cousins and how many memories they have together.

The Bride and Groom danced their first dance to “Shameless” by Garth Brooks – a song the two have enjoyed together since they were teenagers.

Steve danced with his daugther to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. And yes, I did have to look up the proper spelling his name.

The groom danced with his mom to Rascal Flatt’s “My Wish”.

Later in the evening, we felt it was appropriate to take a few “sexy face” shots. It only took a few tries, but I think we nailed it.

Lots of dancing followed. And Drew got a chance to dance with his sister.

We ended the night by circling around the newlyweds and belting out “Friends in Low Places” as they danced and high-fived everyone.

To cap off a perfect evening, the groom ran and slid across the dance floor on his knees. But not to be outdone by her new husband, Kari kicked off her shoes and did a knee-slide of her own. In her dress. On a dance floor of spilled beer. It was awesome. Unfortunately, I didn’t react fast enough to get it on camera. So it will just have to live on in our minds along with the other great memories we made that night.

Bright and early the next morning, the newlyweds were off to Peru to hike the Inca Trail!

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

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “Shameless” by Garth Brooks

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

you take me the way i am

My sister and her boyfriend got engaged! We’re so excited! Lisa and Branden met three and a half years ago in Brooklyn. They’re planning a New York wedding next spring. She asked me to be Matron of Honor of course. And as part of my job, I’m going to design her a wedding website.

Between my sister-in-law getting married in September and my sister next year – we’re going to have a busy year. It’s going to be very memorable and I’ll love every minute!

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson