Saturday morning started bright and early for me. My mom was my assistant for the day; she helped me decorate at the reception site. We loaded up her car with aaaaalll the decorations and we were on the road by 8:30 am. We had some work to do! We worked like busy bees all morning long. We strung lights, laid out the table runners and overlays, moved tables around, laid out all the sparklers.
We also filled our apple bowls with moss,
and then added the apples.
The apples were cored so that candles could fit in them. See?
We built pyramids out of the favor boxes.
And we folded over LOTS of bags to make luminaries. Some got ribbons, some didn't. They all got sand and candles.
We arranged cute chalkboard signs outside so the guests would know which way to go.
Back inside, we arranged all of our apple centerpieces on half of the tables. (Check out that runner and "poof!")
The other half of the tables had flower arrangements on them, complete with apples in the bottom of the vase.
The bakers arrived with the delicious cake and got to setting it up.
And the DJ got his system plugged in and all of his lights going. It was show time!
(Special shout-out to my mom for her help, and for Doc and Allison for helping me finish all the decorations that afternoon. You guys rock!)
We headed over to the church and guess who we ran into downstairs? The beautiful bride!
She was ready for her walk down the aisle! We hurried upstairs to get seated.
Jenny and Darrin - they're next!
Chris and Allison - I'm sorry this picture is blurry, but look! They match! You know I can appreciate that.
And Kendra and Antonio - they're next summer!
It was a wonderful ceremony - great music, gorgeous bride, handsome groom, good scripture and vows.
I think immediately following the ceremony was the most stressful time for me. Pictures needed to be taken but I also needed to get the flower arrangements and bouquets to the reception site. It's not easy getting big branchy arrangements into your car and then carrying them into a crowded room (thanks Chris and Doc!) but we got everything there and in place. I was tense during that transition period and felt very unorganized and behind, but as soon as the last two arrangements were placed in their vases, I looked around and took a big sigh of relief. Everything looked good. And the guests looked happy. And the wedding party had arrived and were lined up and ready to be introduced. We made it! Time to party!
Me and my handsome date for the evening:
And some of our friends:
Me and the bride!
And some more of our friends that were there:
A few minutes into the ceremony and we had a small incident with a busted bustle. We searched for safety pins - thank goodness for men's suits and their dry cleaning tags! - and headed to the bathroom to pin the bustle.
Meanwhile, the groom got things going on the dance floor.
Some more details from the reception:
There were more toasts given to the bride and groom and we all cheered and clinked our champagne glasses.
The groom spoke and thanked everyone for coming - check out that new ring on his hand!
Remember those brown bag luminaries that my mom and I worked on to line the sidewalk? I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about them. Would they look right? Or would they look too homemade? They definitely could've been a big fire hazard and I could picture myself stomping out flames later in the evening. But, I'm pleased to say they looked great! Way better than I expected! And of course, I had no idea what kind of setting to put my camera on to get a good shot of these, so here's a blurry pic. You get the idea.
It was the groomsmen/friends of the groom that enjoyed stomping them all out at the end of the evening. Fine by me - that was just one less thing I had to do!
After a few more rounds of dancing,
some poses at the bar,
a tired junior groomsman,
and empty bottles of liquor,
it was time to wrap up the party! We bid farewell to the newlyweds with lots of sparklers, and they drove off into the night on their decorated golf cart.
And then I immediately walked to my car to do this:
Tip: the night you are trying to make sure a reception runs smoothly should NOT be the same night you try to break in a new pair of shoes.
It was a great day...perfect couple, beautiful wedding, and a great party. Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Heimke!