This gorgeous rehearsal dinner, designed by Hillary Yeager of Nashville’s Brocade Designs, makes me excited for fall which (considering how much I adore summer) really takes a lot!  Inspired by the rolling hills of Tuscany, the rich gold, currant, and rust hues work so beautifully with the wooden and crochet details.  I’m a sucker for fruit in centerpieces, and absolutely adore the grapes and apples …

The day of our rehearsal (April Fools Day) was an incredibly hot day! It was the first day of the year to hit 100…this was incredibly worrisome for our wedding the very next day. Our coordinator and fill-in officiant were great though and kept things moving quickly.

After running through rehearsal, everyone headed over to Tia Rosa’s restaurant in Gilbert for …

Prior to the week of the wedding, I worked on 30 hotel gift boxes for our family and friends who booked within the accommodation block we had recommended at our wedding website. The top of the box had a card stock label with our names and the date of our wedding wrapped by a ribbon around …

A few months ago, I saw a tweet from Ami about a coffee filter flower tutorial on Design Sponge. I was so happy to come across this link, because these paper flowers are perfect for the Mexican fiesta theme of our rehearsal dinner! I was also so excited about it because it led me to this great DIY website, Aunt Peaches.

After seeing the …

It came. It went. I barely remember any of it. However, from what other married folk have told me… that’s completely normal. Here begins a multi-part recap, which I will attempt to present in chronological order!

First, the rehearsal: We gathered the family and bridal party for 2 quick run-throughs of the aisle-walk, the musical accompaniment, and the timing. Easy peasy.

However…unless …

With most of our guests coming from up North (Iowa and Michigan) we wanted a very Texan rehearsal dinner, so we chose Mattitos Tex Mex! The Arboretum allows weddings on Fridays, so they prefer you to have your rehearsal on Thursday. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. It allows you an extra day with your …

Yes, it’s true… another venue  checked off for the wedding weekend! In order to get my fiance involved in the wedding planning that he was so desperately seeking {yes, he REALLY does want to help as much as I will let him} I gave him the task of researching rehearsal dinner venues in and around Nashville.

After some initial strategizing, we made sure …

After my father totaled our car (more on that later) we all were in need of a couple pints! The celebrations began at Quealy’s located in the central square of Dungarvan. This bistro-style pub was the perfect place for our rehearsal dinner.

We gathered our closest family and friends for a night out before the …

I have been SOO busy lately. I have so much LOVE going on in my life right now; I feel so blessed. Out of my huge 11 woman bridal party, three of them are getting married in the next month, and I’m honored to be a bridesmaid in two of them! The first is my sister Mary who got …

Most people thought I was crazy. Actually, I thought I was crazy at times too… but having a welcome party at our house instead of a traditional rehearsal dinner was one of the best ideas about the whole wedding weekend.

Before I get into the party itself, I want to quickly tell you about the week leading up to it. I’ve …

Guess what EAD friends?  It’s recap time! What better place to begin than the night before the Big Day!

If you recall, we booked Lazlo’s as our rehearsal dinner spot way in advance…and for many reasons!  If you don’t remember, go refresh yourself quick!

But before I get into the nitty gritty of our rehearsal-ish dinner… I want to show you …

After reading all your helpful comments, I took your advice, and let my in-laws-to-be plan the Rehearsal Dinner. I stayed out of it completely and low and behold – YOU were all right.  Not only did my in-laws choose an amazing venue but they have completely taken ownership of the event and planned some very special surprises. Knowing how …