Rehearsal Rehash: One Year Later

One year ago today was our rehearsal dinner for our wedding. A full YEAR. It's amazing to me how time has flown.

My parents put together this sign for us :)

One year ago today I got to walk into my wedding venue and see family and friends who had driven and flown in from all over America. Some I hadn't seen in nearly a year. I'll never forget coming up the stairs flanked by my best friends and husband-to-be and seeing a cluster of my nearest and dearest waiting for me.

Rehearsed and as ready as we were ever gonna be..!

We had a small GPS crisis that day too when married bridesmaid-groomsman duo Brett and Mellisa,who flew in from halfway across the country, were steered to our dinner location instead of rehearsal by their rental car GPS. Mel, I'll never forget your hysterics and how funny it was to me and devastating for you. I'm a horrible friend... But I still think it's funny.

After an incredible dinner, 'maids and 'men spontaneously piled into cars and headed for a nearby watering hole to play pool and chat. We admitted to each other after we'd been there a while that none of us really wanted to come - we were all so tired - but in the end were all glad we did.

Dinner at Smuggler's Cove sitting with Brett & Melly

It was perfect. And I can't get over the fact that it was a whole 365 days ago. Cheers to our first anniversary weekend!

Rehearsal Rehash

We had our rehearsal on the Thursday before the wedding (April 5th), and what a kickoff it was.

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Highlight Reel :

*Heading north to Lord Hill Farms with Emily and Kyle (groomsman) in the backseat trading barbs and keeping us in stitches. Stopping for beer at their behest at a drugstore on the way since we were early. ...For the record, I had water. With no hops or barley involved.

*Walking upstairs to the ceremony space to the sounds of thundering kid feet racing up and down the aisle above my head. All of my extended family had arrived when we walked in, and it made my heart so happy to walk in and see them all live and in person!

*Waiting and waiting for 'Maid Melissa and her hubs, groomsman Brett to arrive. Finally deciding to start and after a couple run-throughs getting a phone call from poor, sobbing Melly saying they had punched in the rehearsal DINNER address into the GPS from the airport, and were half an hour away in a different town completely. I found this pretty funny, Melissa not so much. All was soothed with wine and a waterfront view at the restaurant, and we met them there once rehearsal wrapped.

*INCREDIBLE food at our rehearsal dinner. French chef - as in, from France, not just trained in, - plentiful wine and beer, and a room full of love. I call that perfection.

*Capping the night with 'Maids and 'Men at the Mukilteo Lodge, a local cabin-chic sports bar. Pool, jukebox tunes, drinks and laughs. Everyone was tired, but ended up being glad we rallied and spent some more time together that night. Inside jokes were solidified, and referenced throughout the weekend. Love me some bridal party!