As you may have read from this morning’s post, I had the honor of being Kaylene’s Maid of Honor for her wedding this past weekend! Being a Maid of Honor comes a lot of responsibility… planning a bridal shower was one of the responsibilities that I was super excited about! Fortunately, Kaylene has an amazing group of girls surrounding her, so her shower was certainly a group effort!
We were so excited about her Fun In the Sun backyard shower that we thought we would share some of the details and photos with you! Kaylene is not one who is a big fan of the traditional bridal shower games (Thank Goodness, because I can’t say that I am either! ;) ), so we decided to have just a few activities instead of the standard games! Mad libs, secret message popsicle making for Kaylene and Matt, and recipe sharing were all part of the fun! Our cousin Jenna made the most amazing cupcakes and cake balls to enjoy in the afternoon along with some fruit and popsicles before we opened up to the guys for an evening cookout! Dessert before dinner… why not, right?! ;) Our afternoon of fun in the sun was the perfect way to celebrate our sweet bride! Enjoy the details!
During Kaylene’s bachelorette party weekend, we took some time to craft! While enjoying wine from our DIY chalkboard glasses, we whipped up those cute Cupcake PomPom toppers and tied up the utensils. Everything you see here was DIY… and so easy and fun! Our inspirations came from Kaylene’s Bridal Shower Pinterest Board that we created for the shower! Most of the DIY projects can be found in there, but if you have specific questions about how we did anything- you let us know! We are more than happy to share!
When my cousin, Kaylene, called to ask me to be her Maid of Honor, I was blown away! I was so excited for Kaylene and Matt that happy tears streamed down my face and I could not wait to be a part of their special day! As I hung up the phone and cleared my eyes, the planner in me (and ok, maybe the Type A side of me) automatically had my head thinking about all of my responsibilities and how I could be the best Maid of Honor ever! ;) Believe me, we see a lot of bridal parties, and I know they can have a big impact on the atmosphere of the day! It was certainly my goal to bring nothing but happiness to Kaylene and Matt’s day.
Last Saturday was the big day! Kaylene and Matt’s wedding day was nothing short of beautiful… In fact, every moment was quite gorgeous! ;) Part of me was a little bit envious of Ryan and Brendon because they were photographing this gorgeous celebration and it just so happens that it was taking place in one of the most beautiful barns we have ever seen!!! (Ahhh, seriously, it was like a dream!) But I quickly remembered that the photography was in good hands and it was my job to focus on Kaylene. It could have been the fact that every time I saw Matt over the last few months he would remind me that I was the MOH and NOT the photographer! ;), or maybe it was the fact that I was really nervous to give my toast (mostly because I knew it was going to be hard to get through it without being a blubbery mess! ;) ), but I think the real reason it was so easy to just focus on Kaylene was that I would have done anything to make her day as special as can be and I knew that standing by her side was exactly where I needed to be.
My day in the life of a MOH was pretty magical! Kaylene and I started the day with a good cry… ;). All of the lovely ladies in Kaylene’s bridal party got ourselves all done up and made our way to the Barn where Kaylene was putting on her dress. We had ourselves another good cry as we sat in the car and the moments became very real! We walked into the barn and saw Kaylene’s beautiful dress hanging next to her daughter, Audree’s, beautiful dress and we cried some more. Once we got ourselves together (I know I was supposed to be the supportive one- but it is in our genes to cry, so I am pretty sure Kaylene was expecting it! ;) ), we helped Kaylene into her dress and added the lucky penny she found earlier that day to her shoe. We took a moment to soak in Kaylene’s gorgeousness… and then it was time for the First Look.
Matt had arrived and was in place. All of a sudden it became very real for me. It was at that moment that I knew I was handing Kaylene off into incredible hands. I knew from that moment on that Matt was there to dry those tears and bring that smile to her face! As we shared a few words (more tears of course), I told Kaylene how proud I am of her because I knew I was just not going to be able to get those words out later in my toast. It was the time. We made our way outside of the barn and took a moment to soak in the fact that PopPop was definitely shining down on us because it was amazingly sunny with bright white puffy clouds and the forecast the day before called for rain showers all day. We were in good hands! ;)
I grabbed my camera (for the only time on Saturday!) and observed these magical moments of their First Look from afar. Kaylene was now in amazing hands and all I could do was capture it so that they can always be reminded of those moments and their amazing love that they share.
The day continued with some time for just Kaylene and Matt together, formal photos, and then the ceremony in such a beautiful location that was SO PERFECT for Kaylene and Matt! (Can’t wait for you all to see it in the photos soon!) I thought I was going to cry the entire time, but I found myself feeling incredibly relaxed and just excited! ;) There was one point in the ceremony, as Kaylene and Matt exchanged vows and Matt’s brother Eric and I stood next to them that I realized I kind of had an important job. Lol. As the witness of their love and commitment, we have a role that extends much further beyond that ceremony! (Yes, I was realizing this in the middle of the ceremony and of course the tears started flowing again! ;) ). The ceremony was perfect and it was finally official, Kaylene and Matt are married!
Although I was still a bit nervous about not being a bubbery mess during my toast, I felt a sense of confidence as we danced our way into the reception that everything I was going to say was going to come from my heart and whatever came out was going to be exactly what needed to be said. Of course the tears still flowed, but as I pictured Ryan behind the camera sticking his tongue out at me, I held it together! ;) I did not say everything I had planned to say, but I knew Kaylene and Matt heard every single word that was in my heart. That was all that mattered.
And the rest of the night, we danced! ;)
Whew… what an amazing day!!! My day in the life of a MOH was certainly emotional, but at the end of the day, I feel nothing but excitement for Kaylene and Matt and honor to have been by their side!
It is always our goal to turn our engagement sessions into a little date night for our couples. We want to provide an excuse to escape the everyday craziness and do something that is fun and enjoyable! When we found out that one of Casey and Joe’s favorite things to do together is play tennis… we knew we had to incorporate tennis in some way!
Thankfully, Casey and Joe did not think we were crazy and they went with the idea. After a friendly match and a bet that resulted in Casey buying Joe some yogurt at the end of the evening, I think we can all say that their engagement session was nothing short of fun and enjoyable!
Casey and Joe have this way of being together that is so calm and comfortable. We LOVED loved loved how they were able to forget about everyone else in the park and enjoy the time together to soak each other in!
Casey and Joe… thanks for such an enjoyable evening in the Park! You two are amazing!
Leading up to their wedding, we pretty much screamed with excitement every single time we came across a Facebook update from Amy! ;) She hinted about the rustic chic details they were pulling together for their wedding and even showed a sneak peek of their cake toppers customized from Etsy, complete with a fireman’s hat for Eric and a cute bow for Amy. Both Amy and Eric were so excited for their big day that Ryan and I could not wait to be a part of the excitement!
As we walked into the bridal suite, we found ourselves surrounded by a super sweet bridal party who had nothing but excitement for Amy and Eric. There was a calmness in the air. A calmness that created relaxation. Amy was so relaxed she kept asking everyone else if she could do anything for them! ;)… that is just Amy’s personality shining through!
Always caring about other people, it was amazing to witness a special day for Amy and Eric to focus only on each other! We are so incredibly excited for Amy and Eric. From their rustic chic details to their sweet sweet personalities and the relaxed atmosphere… Amy and Eric’s day was like a dream! ;) Congratulations Amy and Eric! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to capture your love story! We wish you nothing but the very best now and forever!
Huge thanks to everyone who played a roll in making Amy and Eric’s day so special!
We received this advice a long time ago from one of our mentors and it is advice that we hold close to our hearts always. Surround yourself by incredible people.
Jim Rohn said that, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Think about that. Think about the 5 people that surround you the most and consider whether or not you want to be like them. When we first did this exercise and thought this through a few years ago, we realized that the 5 people we were spending the most time with was not necessarily our family and friends… but it was our co-workers.
When you think about it, sometimes you spend more time with your co-workers than you do your immediate families. That is CRAZY! Sometimes it is not an easy answer, but truth be told… this is something you can do something about.
Think about the people that surround you and then think about the people that you wish made up those five people. If those two lists are not the same, take action to make it the same.
There are people in your lives that will build you up and do anything to assure your happiness. There are people in your lives that bring you smiles and help you relieve stress. There are people in your lives that are doing amazing things and are having positive impact on the world around them. If you ask us… those are the incredible people that you should surround yourself by.
Take some time this week to consider who those five people are in your life. If they are not people that you want influencing your life… make change.
It could be as easy as making a phone call and/or scheduling a get together. Now is the time. Surround yourself by Incredible People. Have an AMAZING week!
