Mr. & Mrs. !!!!!! - Part 1 - Rehearsal Dinner

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since our wedding! Even more, I can't believe I haven't blogged about it yet!

On May 28, 2011, I married Brandon, the most perfect man for me, on the most perfect day, with the most perfect ceremony & reception. Maybe I used the word perfect one too many times, but to me....everything about our wedding day was just that - perfect!

I'm breaking the "Wedding Re-Cap" into 5 separate posts - Rehearsal Dinner, Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony, Reception & Honeymoon."

To keep the posts a little shorter (since we all know I'm a detailed long-post blogger) I'm picking only a few some favorite pictures from each category to post.

So.....here's the Rehearsal/Dinner:

There we are, practicing to be a Groom and Bride!  My Matrons of Honor and my niece put together my practice bouquet for me (my neice also had a mini-version).

One of my favorite parts of the evening was before the rehearsal started.  Everyone was mingling around as folks arrived.  Some folks hadn't seen each other in a long time and were catching up and most of 'my people' didn't know 'Brandon's people' (everyone is from a different place!) so they kind of went around and introduced themselves and said how they knew me and Brandon.  It was fun to hear all the stories and memories.

LtoR is Alisha (Matron of Honor),  Mike (Shannon's hubby/awesome picture taker for the weekend) and Shannon (Matron of Honor)

LtoR is Tyler (reader during the ceremony), Brandon, Barrett (our musician for the ceremony), Mark (Best Man) and Brian (Groomsman).

Brian and his wife Emily, brought their two older kiddos, while the baby stayed back in Ohio with family.  I think the kids were a little shy.

Time for rehearsal!  We had staked out a location in the open field where the wedding would be held, but the chairs wouldn't be delivered until the next day, so we just all huddled around the field and used our imaginations.

One thing that helped us envision the 'aisle' was that there was a wedding there the weekend before ours - and they made a line of corn down the aisle (which you can sort of see in the picture below) - we thought their placement was pretty good, so we used the same orientation and all for our chairs too.

Brandon's parents, Beverley & Jimmy were first to go down the 'aisle'. 

Then mine, Robert & Cindy

The kiddos did great - my two nieces and one of my nephews were the Flower Girls & Ring Bearer

Although it was late May, the weather that evening was pretty chilly.  We really weren't expecting it and not too many folks were dressed for it - including the kids - poor Goose was a popsicle!

This shows the layout of the ceremony minus the decorations (a gazebo, etc...).....although my brother was standing in as our minister, Kerry, who was at home very sick.  Brad (my bro) is a pastor and did a great job of improvising for our rehearsal.  Kerry was feeling better the next day and was able to make it for the wedding, but as of this moment, we weren't sure if it would be him or Brad actually performing the ceremony.

My crazy Dad - when we got to the part of 'Who gives this woman' he shot his hand up and said enthusiastically "I DO!."  What a ham.

Kimberlee (in the red below), is a friend of mine who coordinates weddings (among other things) at the church where I grew up.  We had her coordinate our ceremony.  But it was comical because Brad was standing in for Kerry, but he also had a role in the wedding.  So, Kimberlee would say to everyone, well if Brad does the wedding, it will be like this.....but if Kerry does the wedding, it will be like that....   And on top of that, the crazier thing is that Kimberlee wasn't going to be at the actual wedding (she had a death in the family and the funeral was the same time as the wedding) and so the Best Man's wife, Anne, was filling in for her the next day, so Kimberlee was having to 'train' her about the coordinating stuff, on top of the fact that we weren't sure who would be performing the ceremony the next day and who would really end up doing what!  Everything turned out great in the end, but was definitely a little hairy the night of the rehearsal.

 The kiddos couldn't take any more of the cold and wrapped up in blankets for the second run-thru!

On our way to the dinner

We got pizzas & pasta and had our rehearsal dinner in a meeting room back at the hotel where everyone was staying (the wedding was out of town for everyone in it - including us!).  Pizza is a favorite for Brandon and I.  Plus many of our mid-week dates (when he would drive in to see me on Wednesdays) involved take & bake pizzas.  Also, we got engaged in Chicago after a night out at the pizza parlor, so needless to say, pizza holds a special place in our hearts and was the perfect choice for our rehearsal dinner!

Brandon's mom, Beverley, did such a great job decorating at the rehearsal dinner, using our wedding colors and making it all so fancy!

We said a few thank you's and gave some gifts out to our wedding party.

I also gave Brandon a gift.  I had gotten a t-shirt made for him.  Throughout our dating, Brandon slept on many a couch - my parents house, friends houses, even on trips we took, like Chicago. We joked that he was taking a 'Couch Tour' so the t-shirt said just that and the back listed every single place he had slept on a couch while visiting me or visiting somewhere with me - and let me tell you, the list was very long!!  Nearly every weekend for an entire year, Brandon was on a couch somewhere.  As a matter of fact, he kept his sleeping bag in the trunk of his car!!

I'm truly thankful for his dedication, willingness and generosity for not only all the visits he made (since we were long-distance) but the couches he chose to sleep on.....just to spend time with me.  He is such a unique and extraordinary individual and I can't even describe how blessed I am to know him, much less marry him!!!

After the rehearsal, Brandon and I found a couch in a secluded part of the hotel lobby and sat for a few minutes before heading to our rooms.  That special moment is priceless to me.  We just sat snuggling, being so in love, savoring the evening and feeling giddy about the next day - Our Wedding Day!!