Goin' To the Chapel: The Rehearsal

After the whirlwind decorating session at the Elk's Club on Friday afternoon, my family and Ian and I stopped at The Pump Station in Boalsburg for some "lunch": aka scones and coffee. An acceptable lunch in the Saylor life.

Time was ticking away, so we hurried home so we could freshen up (read: I could wipe away the layers of sweat from the humid summer day and make myself look presentable) and I could finally put on my rehearsal dress that I had bought in San Antonio over spring break. 

I came downstairs as the out of town family members were starting to arrive, and when I caught a glimpse of Ian all dazzled up, I got a wave of excitement. Dang, he was handsome. And I got to marry him.

All photos are courtesy of the lovely Kasey Cannon, the only one who remembered to bring a camera.

We had told everyone to arrive at the church at 5:45 sharp so we could start at 6. And then we arrived around 6 and were the last ones there--whoops. However, there was nothing like walking into the church, looking around at all of our closest friends, some that we hadn't seen in months and just realizing over and over that this was for our wedding! This was for us! 

And we looked thrilled.

We all lined up and got into place and off we went!

The musicians played our walk out song - How Sweet it Is (to be Loved by You) - and we practiced recessing. And then it was a run through from the beginning!

But first--I had to don the bridal shower attire crafted by the bridesmaids. It really enhanced the look, I think.

Me and my daddy walked down the aisle...

and left me with my man.

We practiced our ring-putting-on skills...

And then we were married! Just like that. Not really though.

Surprisingly, the whole thing went incredibly smoothly and everyone felt good about their places for the next day!

So where did we have our rehearsal dinner? A fancy country club? A stuffy sit-down restaurant? 

Aw hell no. It was time for a Mexican fiesta at Rey Azteca.

We ate, drank, laughed, and cried, and it was perfect. Especially when our parents made speeches...

I won't lie--after we decided to have the rehearsal dinner here, I saw the Mexican restaurant scene in Bridesmaids and was a little wary.

But all was well and everyone made it to the next day.

THE BIG DAY!

Invitations from the Wedding Sweatshop

Greetings from the apartment sauna.

As I sit here with my third cup of coffee, awake much earlier than I have ever had to be thanks to my one and only 8:00am class I've been blessed with my entire college career (which my major so nicely forces us to take our last semester), I figured now would be a great time to blog about my very first wedding DIY project that took place this weekend!

My goal for the last week of winter break was to get my invitations done. Yes, that meant MAKE them, no easy task when I decided that the invitations I had designed over Thanksgiving break were not at all what I wanted. I sat at the computer for hours, pouring over other people's invitations I found on Google for inspiration. I knew I wanted ours to be unique, not your typical cursive font on white paper with a bow tied around it. I tried to recreate the ones I liked on Microsoft Publisher to no avail, all the while wondering if I should just suck it up and pay a professional to do it. But this crafty gal was not to be defeated.

I finally found an invitation template I loved in this book, one of my Christmas presents, and set to work to create one myself to see if it could be done. I made a quick excursion to Michael's, where I picked up some blank invitations, cardstock, and an eleven dollar rubber stamp--kind of a splurge for me. While I tried to follow the step-by-step instructions, I found my own creativity taking over until in the end, I had created something that was nothing like the picture in the book. But you know what? I loved it.

Step 2: Time to make 150 of them. Enter some crafty, beautiful bridesmaids.

With the aid of mimosas, egg and sausage casserole, and chocolate chip scones, these lovely ladies helped mass produce these homemade wonders. In the apartment sweatshop...that right there is true dedication.

A couple hours later?

And they are staying far, far away from the makeshift humidifier.