After Katie got her dress on, and we were all set to go, it was professional picture time! Which means I had to put my phone away and my personal photos came to a stand still until after the ceremony.

But this is when Nick arrived (yay!) and snapped a couple for me during the ceremony.

Oh did I mention it was POURING?! Yes raining cats and dogs. And it made for the most memorable and special little wedding I have ever been to. The couple shared that large umbrella in the center. And that’s me with the awkward hot pink one!

With the entire wedding party standing under our umbrellas, I can only imagine the fun professional photos that will come from this rainy ceremony!

It was so magical because everyone in the crowd was standing around the quaint little garden under their own umbrellas. And what a great story! “Yes, it was raining, but we braved the weather with our umbrellas and recited our vows on top of the little waterfall in the garden with our family and friends by our sides…”   So romantic! And yes, I started crying when Katie was reciting her vows. It happens every time!

The ceremony was over within 10 minutes flat, we took a few photos (since the rain was letting up a bit!), and then headed inside to the reception to dry out and warm up!

Happy to be inside! And also happy that my beautiful bouquet made it through the rain. Nick liked my bouquet too…

HA! Weirdo.. And her centerpieces turned out really cute! Except they wouldn’t let us light the candles. Boo. So we got little battery operated ones in silent protest…

Anyways, we were lucky and got seats right next to the buffet line and the cake table!

It was beautiful and tasted amazing. The cake was white and buttery with real strawberries between each layer. Yes, I ate LOTS of cake. And their custom toppers were so cute!

It’s hard to see in my pic, but it has Mr. & Mrs. Jones in a pretty script. And the grooms cake had fun toppers as well!

This cake was chocolate, which complimented all the vanilla/strawberry cake I ate very well. 🙂

The buffet consisted of heavy appetizers, like veggies, meatballs, and some yummy orangey chicken stuff. I filled up my plate twice but scarfed it down too quickly to photograph. I was cold, wet, and hungry – no judgment.

We definitely filled up the space to capacity! It was so cozy and fun to have so many guests stay for Katie & Jesse’s special day.

So let’s back up… the bride and groom were announced!

And then they cut into the beautiful cakes… aka, my favorite part.

No smeared frosting on the face here!  Just the way I would want it too. 🙂

And then I ate TONS of gummy bears from the candy station. They had cute bags made to fill up with your candy!

And lastly, they danced…

It was just an all-around precious and memorable day. I’m so happy for my best friend and her new hubby! They arrived in Mexico today for their honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort. Yes, I’m jealous. But more than anything, I’m happy for her…promise! 🙂

Soooo that’s Katie & Jesse’s wedding in a nutshell. I can’t wait to see the professional photos! Congrats you two!

Happy Sunday Evening! Hope your weekend has been a good one! Mine was full of wedding goodness. 🙂

Katie’s Wedding, Part I

Saturday started bright and early with a Jazzercise class before I headed off to get my hair styled for Katie’s big day.

Ohhhhh, fancy! My stylist is amazing, and she was aware of the rainy weather that was on the way, so she pulled the front back into a chic braid to hold it all out of my face! I loved it!

This updo took about 45 pins and 1.5 hours. But it held up all day – even through the pouring rain!

Mac loved it to, but he was sad that mommy was leaving for the day.

I ate a quick lunch at home before heading to the park to meet the gals. We met up at 1 PM to get our makeup and dresses on before the photos started at 2.

We had a private room with a bathroom at the park center. We took over rather quickly.

I was mostly ready minus my dress, so I kinda just helped everyone else and took photos of the bride.

So pretty! Katie was glowing all day. And it just made my heart swell to see my best friend so happy!

I loved my dress. They were comfy and my alternations were done so nicely that I had no issues all day!

And then it was time for the bride to get into her gown with a little help from her momma.

Her gown was vintage, classic, and sexy all at the same time. The back was open from the top down to her waist. Love love loved it!

But that’s enough for tonight. I started today with a 7 mile run (my longest yet!) and I’m exhausted! Part II is coming tomorrow with the ceremony and reception. Here’s a sneak peek…

Have a great night!