I’m still waiting for the official pictures to come back from our photographers (although they have given us a sneak peek!) so I thought I’d tell you all a little about our rehearsal “dinner”.

When it came to planning the rehearsal dinner, I was a bit stumped. I was trying to organize so many other details that it wasn’t a big priority for me. I thought I might like to have something outdoors (a BBQ maybe), since our wedding was going to be entirely indoors,  but when I looked into the details of renting a space and getting all the food out and our guests out to a park, plus plates and cups and napkins etc., I got overwhelmed and figured we’d just make a reservation at an interesting restaurant and be done with it.

Then we hired our wedding planner, Danielle, and once we told her that most of our guests were from out of town, she had a great idea. Why not take them on one of Boston’s famous Duck Tours? Since we hadn’t been on one either but had heard great things, we were all for it. She also thought of having a caterer set up in a public park and suggested Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront, which is one of my favorite parks in Boston.

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I knew I would be giving gifts during our rehearsal dinner, but I did not I would be receiving gifts, too!

While we were waiting for our food to arrive, my soon-to-be father-in-law gave a touching toast. He even choked up a bit when he acknowledged that his “baby boy” was getting married.

He then turned it over to my soon-to-be mother-in-law, who surprised me with a sweet little speech. She explained that when she moved from the east coast to the west coast, Nick’s sister gave her a Tiffany’s heart necklace and said that they would always be close in heart. Mother-in-law later gifted the same heart necklace to her daughter and daughters-in-law. And now it was time to welcome a new woman into the family! I’m privileged to join a family with such strong and devoted women. And what a sweet tradition!

(Side note: When Nick was shopping for a necklace to give to me on our first Christmas together, his sister told him he was not allowed to get the heart necklace. You know what that means … she suspected we may end up together even way back then!)

Next it was our turn. Nick and I presented gifts to everyone playing a part in our big day.

I already told you about the ruby red earrings (I chose The Peach Tree) and the clutches I got for my girls. They loved both! I also slipped chapstick and tic-tacs into each clutch because I didn’t think they should be empty.

In addition to the awesome frames that Nick assembled for the guys, he also had mugs engraved with their initials. After the boys unwrapped them, we collected them back to bring to the reception the following night. Also, our dads got mugs that said “Father of the Bride” and “Father of the Groom” with the date. And we couldn’t leave the bride and groom without sweet drinking vessels. Ours said “Mr.” and “Mrs.,” of course.

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What a picturesque evening we had on Thursday, the night before our wedding. There was a slight breeze and a pleasant orange glow as the sun set over the River. (I was reminded of why we chose this location.)

We were greeted in the garden by our coordinator, Betsy, who instructed us where to put the mason jars, the bird cage, the signs, the water bottles, and the galvanized tubs. She offered to store all of the paper products — the table names, the escort cards, and the favors — in her car until the following day. Yeah, she’s awesome.

Slowly, our Bridesmaids and Groomsmen arrived. There was such excitement in everyone’s faces. And they all looked so lovely. Betsy got right to work lining us up around the fountain.

Nick and I decided to have our Maid of Honor and Best Man stand on either side of us at the bottom of the stairs and complete the circle with the rest of our wedding party. Our guitarist, the sweet Susan Savia, set up between the guys and the girls. And our officiants (yes, we had two … more about that to come) stood a few steps above us. Guests would sit to the left and right of us. Not a traditional arrangement, but it works beautifully in this setting.

(All photos from my personal collection.)

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We have had our rehearsal dinner venue booked since February….our wedding is next June…16 months in advance if you do the math.  In fact…I had it booked probably a week or two after we officially booked our ceremony/reception site.  You wanna know why??  Well when this girl knows what she wants….she KNOWS what she wants….and I just so happen to love fresh locally brewed beer.  Yep I said it…I love beer.

just a sampling of the different brewpubs Utah has to offer…pic by me!

I have always (well since I’ve been 21 anyways) had a thing for micro-brews.  Seriously, when I get to the micro-brew part of the beer aisle I’m like a kid in a candy store…picking between a Wheat or a Pale Ale is such a hard decision for me!  So once Lance and I started dating he really had no choice but to go along with my beer snobbery.  Even now, whenever we go somewhere new or are on a trip, we make it a point to eat at whatever local brewpubs we can find!

So once we knew for sure we would be having our wedding in Lincoln, I instantly suggested Lazlo’s for the rehearsal dinner!  While in college Lazlo’s was by far my favorite place to grab a bite to eat and a delicious beer!

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You’ve already seen lots of details of the Welcome Party, but there were just a few photos that I couldn’t resist posting before I move on…

First, perhaps my favorite photo of Scott and I from the whole vow renewal shebang.  We are in the Turner Field bullpen, people.  That is the Braves bullpen phone behind us.  Oh yes, this photo rocks.

{Jessica Claire}

I am loving this photo on the warning track too:

{Jessica Claire}

I don’t think you guys got to see too many pics from while we were on the field during the tour - but I particularly love this one of Bekah…

{Jessica Claire}

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This post is not about the dress, or the bridesmaids dresses … It’s about my attire for the other wedding festivities.

While Nick and the guys are in the Outer Banks this weekend getting into bachelor party trouble (!!), I’ll be shopping with my mother and sister.

The bridal shower location and itinerary is a surprise, but my sister said something like one of these would be appropriate:

{credit J.Crew}

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Let me just tell you how unbelievably thrilled I was when Jessica emailed to let me know that her partners in crime for our vow renewal were going to be Michael Norwood and Mark Brooke. We’ve always admired both of them (we’ve even featured Michael’s work on EAD!) and so naturally, I did what any “bride” would do when I heard the news - I squealed a little and immediately told A. and anyone else who would listen.

Here is our night at Turner Field told from Michael’s perspective! First up, my favorites:

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Planning this party was SO much fun! I threw as many Braves and baseball details in there as I could. You’ve already seen the centerpieces and seating chart - but we also had Braves wine adorning the bar (Chipper Chardonnay and McCann Merlot, natch), vintage Braves caps as decor, a Smoltz jersey for our “guest book”, and dessert was, of course, ice cream sundaes in mini Braves helmets. Braves highlight reels were playing on the 755 Club screens throughout the evening.

{Jessica Claire}

At each guest’s chair was a small gift bag with Braves goodies. I purchased the gift bags, curling ribbon, and tissue from Nashville Wraps and then dressed it up with Braves logos on good old-fashioned Shrinky Dinks.

{Jessica Claire}

All credit for the Shrinky Dink inspiration goes to the fabulous Nicole of Making it Lovely. Her detailed Shrinky Dink tutorial is here. I used the clear Shrinky Dink paper, which didn’t exactly come out clear but wasn’t opaque either and it worked perfectly. I would definitely recommend purchasing a convection toaster oven - way easier than the embossing tool.

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Before the Welcome Party, we had free reign of Turner Field to take portraits.  You guys have to understand how cool this was, Turner Field is mecca to us and although we have both been there countless times, it’s always a joy and a thrill.

Jessica, as always, did a phenomenal job capturing all of the moments.  Mark and Michael were there too and now of course I’m dying to see their pics. 

Here’s my favorite - in our jerseys in one of the best portrait spots in Turner Field (I have many a family picture standing right here):

Love love love this next one - great light.

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The official Braves bus (which I am still sad I didn’t get to ride!) dropped our guests off at the front gates of Turner Field, the site of our Welcome Party. All of the guests were instructed to wear red, white, and navy (and preferably Braves gear!).

{Image via Feisty Tourist}

We got SO lucky with the weather - the day we arrived, it was cloudy with drizzles, and the day we left town, it was raining, but during the three days of our event, Atlanta had the most fabulous weather! The night of the Welcome Party was 60 and sunny.

{Image via Jenna}

Walking into the 755 Club, guests were greeted with one of my favorite things from the whole event - my lineup card seating chart created by Laura Hooper. Let me just tell you how nervous I was writing in the guests’ names to the lineup card - I would have been so upset if I ruined her gorgeousness. :)

{Image via Feisty Tourist}

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These super-cute rehearsal dinner invitations were designed in Photoshop by crafty groom Mike of Lauren and Mike fame!

OPA!

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” - Aaron Siskind.

That Mr. Siskind was a smart man! It’s true, the photos and the memories are the only parts of the big day that stick around after the candles burn out and the wine bottles are emptied. And most brides will agree; photography is a number one priority when it comes to the wedding day.

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