Wedding Flashback: Gettin' Pretty

**Warning: Lots of photos today!

Exactly two months ago at this time, I was headed to Bliss Salon in Lemont, PA with the gals to get pretty for the day's events.

We arrived to receive the princess treatment--champagne, strawberries, coffee, donuts...they really took care of us.

After the hair was in place, we headed back to my house as the other gals and their moms started arriving and breakfast casseroles were coming out of the oven.

It was all so surreal. Here we were, like it could have been any other Saturday morning, eating brunch and talking about our usual things. Except our hair looked really nice. And there were flowers all over the place.

Because not everyone had read the article in that morning's paper yet, Katy (whose mom wrote it!) read it aloud for everyone as we finished up our food. Pretty soon, everyone was in tears.

And then the photographer arrived! It was time to get busy.

(And the quality of photos from here on out are way, way better-- they are all by Meagan Jepson Photography.) 

First, the makeup, done by lovely bridesmaid Shannon.

Everything was almost in place. The living room had turned into a sea of purple-clad babes.

I looked up at all of them and they looked back at me and I think I started crying again, because that's when it all hit me: I was getting married.

We assembled in the yard for some photos.

And even though he had kind of snuck a peek inside, we recreated my dad seeing me for the first time outside on the deck.

At this point, there were still no butterflies or nervousness--just the most intense excitement I have ever felt to get the church and see Ian already! I knew that the next three hours were going to be the longest of my life...