Wedding Talk: Preparations

I want to do two things in this post. (1) I want to show some of the fun details from getting ready on the wedding day and (2) I want to say thank you to the amazing people who did so much to make my wedding day so wonderful.

My lovely ladies getting ready. I don't have any pictures of me getting ready because I went to my regular hair lady that morning and it takes me about 3.5 seconds to apply make-up...so....

Would you look at all those flowers! My amazing friend Tabitha (in the blue) did the flowers, and she did a FANTASTIC job. Her mom, Beth, and her friend, Jill, helped her get the arrangements together as well. I really can't tell you in words how much I loved the flowers at our wedding. I gave Tab a lot of inspiration to look at, which I'm sure was kind of hard to decipher, so the fact that she did everything even better than I could have imagined is pretty awesome. One thing I knew was that I wanted A LOT of lavender. I have always loved the smell and look of lavender (and now the taste too), so of course I had to use it. Before the bar-b-que arrived in the barn, the whole place smelled like lavender and it was absolutely heavenly. I wish I could just make my house smell that good all the time!

Rhett and I wrote each other notes just as a little something to give each other. I wrote mine that morning on the balcony. Looking back, I wish I'd thought to wear something cute instead of bumming around in a Goodwill sweater :) haha

My bridesmaids...my sweet, amazing, lovely bridesmaids. They were so helpful throughout the entire planning process! My matron of honor, Emily (cutting the dress), was there helping me sew table runners, cut fabric, and a million other things. I was kind of a do-it-myself planner, but I really relied on them to keep things together on the day of. I wasn't paying attention to anything, so it was great to have them helping out. They put together a curtain to cover a storage area, helped get the ceremony curtain hung, and helped a TON cleaning up. I really couldn't be more grateful to have them as friends.

Ok this picture is just for fun :) Once the dress was zipped, it was dandy, but getting it zipped was scary. I was terrified it was going to split at the zipper! Not that I gained any weight, it was just super duper fitted. Obviously, Emily had faith that it would be fine but me and mom were FREAKING OUT.

Ok I hope I can remember everyone that helped me. Here's a quick run-down. This gives you an idea of how many amazing people I know.

• Heather. She took my photos! Heather took me on as a sort of intern when I was still in school, and I worked with her for several years. I have grown the most as a photographer during the time I was working with her. She's a great friend and photographer! 
• Alanna. Shot video for me. I haven't had a chance to look at the clips yet, but I am so grateful to have footage of the day! Alanna is one of my dearest friends, and we always have a blast when we hang out. 
• My aunts, Judy and Tonya. They did the catering for us. They helped me plan out our meal and got everything together. It turned out amazing! The meat was cooked by my step-dad's coworker, Kent. I can't even tell you how delicious it was...everything was homemade, slaw, beans, drinks, etc. I made the lavender lemonade myself and I could have drank it all!
• My step-dad's students + my family members. I had so many people putting chairs out, setting up tables, and then cleaning their little hearts out afterwards. It was amazing how many people chipped in! It would be impossible to name them all. 
• My cousin Cade. He brought his golf cart and transported people from the barn to the ceremony site. It got a little hectic because of the rain (everybody had to be moved at once), but it was SO helpful to have him there. 
• The Abshers. They let us use their property, which was beyond perfect! It can't imagine a better place to have our wedding. It was wonderful, and Keith and Beverly were wonderful to work with.
• Mary, my good friend Stephanie's mom. She made three cakes for me. I didn't want one big cake, I wanted a few smaller cakes in different flavors for people to choose from. She was so sweet to make them for me and they were DELICIOUS! The rest of the dessert were individual serving pies that I got from a local baker and friend, Lisa Garner. I still have sweet dreams about that apple pie. 

I'm sure there are tons more people, because really I feel like everyone there was helping. My parents and other family helped a lot the day or two before in cleaning up the barn and whatnot. If I forgot anyone, I do apologize. Hopefully you all know how thankful I am anyway :) It wouldn't have been such a great day without all that wonderful help!