Wedding Weekend!

I had a great couple of days in Oregon, as you saw, and it was fun to catch up with friends and family while I was there.  I will confess though that the main reason I was in the NW was to see my bestie Lauren get married in Seattle!

Lauren and I have known each other pretty much our whole lives and she was in my wedding, too! I was so excited and honored to be a part of her big day.

This are some more pictures of Lauren at our wedding with her now husband, Garrett (and her sister, Michelle).  I love these two. A lot.

We had a great couple of days getting ready for the wedding.  I feel like we drove around Seattle a lot, but it was some good sightseeing for me.

Space needle - still standing.

Pike Place Market.  Still in business.

Note also, the sky is still perpetually gray.  This takes us to our next stop - the umbrella store! Oh my god I loved this store!

Of course we had to take some time to pamper.  One day, Lauren and I got pedicures.  If I was rich, I would get a pedicure a week, I love them so.

Another day, we met up with the other bridesmaids (and one of Lauren's friends from college) and got manicures.  Your hands have to look good when you get new jewelry.  It's a rule.

Kiersten - bridesmaid 

Danielle and Caitlin - Lauren's college friends.  Danielle was also another bridesmaid

Somewhere in there we also had a rehearsal dinner at a pizza place.  Genius rehearsal dinner location! Sadly I did not get any photos.  We had a complete blast though.

Finally, it was time for the big day!! Saturday morning we met up at Lauren's parents's house (two doors down from the house I grew up in!) to get ready.  I heard it was all Lauren's dad's idea and it was brilliant.  We were so comfortable and relaxed!

Getting pretty.  Cool as a cucumber!

Here's my after.  Be glad I did not show you the before.  Why can I never make my eyebrows look like this when I do my own makeup?  Fabulous.

Eventually we all hopped into our dresses.  Here's Kiersten and Danielle looking marvelous!

And the bride's sister, Michelle, who I have literally known her entire life (I think I met Lauren when she was three, so I've only known her most of her life), and her boyfriend Harrison.  These two are too good looking for their own good.  I mean it.

All the best stuff was hanging out in the house for me to take pictures of! The dress (I love a lace wedding dress!)

The flowers hanging out on the porch with the pumpkins.  I was tasked with making sure the squirrels didn't eat them which is not a job that is typically in the bridesmaid's handbook, but I did a good job winging it.

I wish you could smell them.  They smelled incredible.

After the family took pictures on the deck, it was time to go! (I didn't get any great pictures of the whole "getting in the dress" process and the posed photos because they paid people to do that for them and I didn't want to interfere with the photographers, so you get random candids.  Luckily, Lauren looked amazing from any angle, so I literally have no bad pictures of her from the whole day.  Fact).

We headed first to King Street Station in downtown Seattle to get some good outdoor photos.  It was FUH-REEZING, but a beautiful day. (Again, no pictures, I was busy being photographed and staying out of the way).

Then the whole bridal party hopped into a party bus to go to the venue!  Here's the bride and groom! ADORABLE!

The venue, the Georgetown Ballroom, was amazing.  Tons of funky details so additional decorations weren't even necessary.

ceremony site and dance floor

Dining room

We set up a candy table, which was brilliant (and dangerous).

I got a shot of the cake, which I hear was delicious, but I was too busy dancing my butt off during the reception to eat any.  Shoot!

We mostly hung out while everyone got the final preparations done.

The wedding ceremony was short, sweet, heartfelt and perfect.  Then we got to party!

My other bestie and partner in crime, Megan, came up from Portland with her new boyfriend Anthony. Andy and he got along very well.  Too well, maybe. If we lived closer to each other I think those two would be partners in crime.

Lauren with my parents:

Listening to speeches.

CAKE!

FIRST DANCE!

They did the anniversary dance where couples who have been married the longest are the last ones standing.  I believe my parents were among the final three couples - 43 years this year.  This is what happens when you get married when you're twelve (just kidding, they were fourteen).

The party was incredible.  Megan and I danced the whole night long and shut the place down!

At the end of the night, Lauren and Garrett hopped into a sweet Cadillac and drove off into married life. It was a perfect night and again, I was so happy to be a part of it! CONGRATULATIONS!