Molly and Mark's Wedding Part 1: Getting Ready and Ceremony

The first weekend in July we attended our third wedding of the year (5 more to go!) and I really wish I could go back and do it all over again. This wedding will always hold a special place in my heart for many reasons.For one, Molly was my "link student" my sophomore year of college. I was assigned to her as an incoming freshman to help ease her way into college and we became fast friends.

The day after her wedding last week, Chris turned to me and said "your little girl is married now!" It was so cute, and true. Molly's always been a friend, and though she's really only one year younger than me, there is this part of me that has always felt very protective over her, like a sister, and there was a great sense of pride as I watched my friend/"little link student" walk down the aisle. I was also there at the very beginning of her and Mark's relationship and remember very clearly the nights she spent talking about him, and the parties we tried to go to knowing he would be there...ah memories.

Moving on, here are the facts of her and Mark's wedding day:  It was the hottest weekend of the entire year. Temperatures reached over 100 and her reception was outdoors. As we were being served dinner a terrible thunderstorm rolled through and the party had to be temporarily shut down (lights/music) while it passed through. But in the end, these were the things that made it extremely memorable and just so...perfect. Once the storm passed, it was a LOT cooler and everyone was much more relaxed and ready to literally dance the night away. The rain made for some GREAT pictures, too!

We arrived at the salon bright and early Saturday morning to get our hair done. We all opted for up-do's since it was going to be so hot that day. The salon even had mimosas and pastries set out for us!

The salon owners have 8 rescue dogs that hang out at the salon, they were so cute!

For the most part...they were very well behaved and only asked for treats a few times :).

Working on the girl's hair

After the salon, we went back to Molly's house to do our makeup and have some lunch before we headed over to the church, where we would get dressed for the ceremony.
Molly, with bridesmaids Sara and Amanda just before getting into their dresses!

Molly had already given us some pretty fabulous gifts: She gave us homemade granola, and a flower button with a book called How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew, which gives great advice on just about anything. She also covered the cost of our hairstyles! But when we arrived at the church to change into our dresses, Molly had one more thing to add: These vintage typewriter initial charms to add to each of our bouquets! (This now lives on my keychain.)

 Adding the charms to the bouquets:

Adding fresh flowers to Molly's hair

Molly's dress required her to wear a Hoop skirt! It was the neatest thing!

Molly's dress is the same wedding dress her mom wore 30 years ago! They had it altered from a poofy-sleeved dress fit for the 80's, to this equally gorgeous dress for Molly.

I had to get at least one picture with the bride before she became a married lady!

Molly pins the corsage to her mom's dress:

Then it was time to walk down the aisle!

Mark waits patiently at the end of the aisle for his bride

And we wait anxiously to see her, too!

Here comes the bride!

First Kiss!

Introducing husband and wife!

Maid of Honor and Best Man

And just like that the ceremony was done! Next up: We Party at Burnside Plantation!

Mike and Kerry's Wedding Recap: Getting Ready and the Ceremony

Congratulations to Kate V for winning my Crown Card Giveaway from last week! Yes, Kate happens to be a good friend of mine...but I swear this wasn't rigged for her, and as a loyal follower, she has very fairly been trying to win one of my giveaways for quite some time now! So congrats Kate! Normally, this is where I tell you to send me your address...but I'll just give them to you at one of our lunch dates! Thanks to all who entered...I have some more giveaways lined up in the coming weeks!

Now for the real task at hand: The morning of Mike and Kerry's wedding started around 8:00 for us girls. We got up, had breakfast downstairs, and our hair lady arrived at 9:00am. Remember Terry and Sandra from my wedding day? These fabulous ladies were back again for Kerry's wedding!
Sister to the Groom, Julie, started it off by getting her hair done first.

Kerry put together a great basket of munchies for us to snack on while getting ready, complete with honey and jams from the Queens County Farm!

Also in this basket, and in all the out of town bags were these door hangers, ordered from non other than Laura at Thoughtfully Designed!

Sandra arrived to start on make-up at 10:00am and Dana was first to get started!

Our premmade up faces!

 Kerry gets all beautified!

 Alyssa gets her hair done

 Lindsay is all smiles!

Kate gets her makeup done

Kerry and Dana

DanaS

Kerry's look coming together!

Kerry's gorgeous Headband was ordered from The Novelist on Etsy! If you are remotely looking for a wedding day headband, you MUST check out this shop!

 Finishing touches on makeup:

Our mimosa drinking straws!! (These will also appear later at cocktail hour!)

Kerry ordered the straws from Party Fairy on Etsy, and made the tags herself using Word. With the help of a few bridesmaids, they cut them out individually, used continuous glue line, and adhered them to the barbershop straw.

Kerry

Kerry also ordered this beautiful personalized marriage certificate from Two Cardinal Day on Etsy. It was officially signed by the Maid of Honor and Best Man and is a beautiful and official reminder of their wedding day. Right now, this is beautifully placed in their living room!

Before she got in her dress, Kerry was given a gift bag that Mike had given to the MOH the night before. Inside were two fragrances: Fendi and Marc Jacobs: Oh, Lola!

Then it was time to get in her gorgeous J. Crew dress....yes, those are pockets!

 Her mother (doesn't she look gorgeous??!!) helps her with her pearls:

Kerry's Dad comes in to see her for the first time, so cute!

Kerry's parents presented her with a ring before heading off to the church. The ring was her grandmother's  engagement diamond in the center with Kerry's mother's diamond earrings on the side. Together, these diamonds made a three-stone ring in a filigree setting for Kerry to treasure forever. It was such a gorgeous and personal addition to her wedding day attire, and perfect for her "something old".

 

Of course, I've got to sneak a picture in here of me with the bride! Kerry chose this gorgeous green color dress from J. Crew. There were three different dress styles that we had to chose from. We also were each gifted with matching J. Crew earrings and bracelets from the Bride!

The dresses combined with these vibrant, bright, bridesmaid bouquets was an amazing combo! When it came to flowers: Kerry was a girl who knew what she wanted, conveyed what she wanted perfectly, and got exactly what she asked for. I should have brought her with me to my flower consultations!!

 And here's the Bride's gorgeous bouquet:

Then we all piled into the limousine to head off to the church!

DanaS

DanaS

DanaS

 We arrived at the church for the ceremony with about 10 minutes to spare. 

We ushered Kerry into the church, blocking her from view of everyone else before she made her grand entrance and the ceremony began:

DanaS

DanaS

 

After the ceremony: married and all smiles!

DanaS

Me and the Hubs - it was so fun to both be in the wedding party!

 These boys have been friends since Elementary school!

Chris, Mike, and Chris

She's a married Lady!

 And he's a happy, married man!!

 The couple is whisked out of the church for some pictures before we head off to the reception!!

AMAZING picture:

DennN

 Next up: Cocktail Hour and Reception at the Queens County Farm!