Rehearsal fun

Warning: the next couple of posts from me will be photo-heavy. I tried to snap pictures as often as I remembered, knowing that this moment in time would be gone before we knew it and my old brain would forget the little details that made it so special.

Today I am sharing with you the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner we had last Friday night. We had spent nearly every day up at the church getting it all ready and I am so glad that Rachael loved how it turned out. She had worked all week in Raleigh and hadn't seen the INCREDIBLE amount of work her mom and dad (and many others) had done to make the church and reception room so beautiful.

*Don't despair over all these bad iphone photos. There is a beautiful one of the couple almost at the end, that'll make looking at all the other ones worth it. I promise. :)

a little pre-wedding shoulder massage from dad. One of my favorite things about the weekend was having my entire family around my table again. It was loud and funny and wonderful....

part of the wedding party getting ready for rehearsal



A preview of what was to come the next day.



The crowd arriving for the rehearsal dinner. We chose to have barbecue at our house so we could invite as many people as we could. It turned out to be a great idea-the families got to meet and get to know each other, the wedding party got to hang out, and it was so relaxed and fun.



My sister, Alyson, and my mom were invaluable in setting and and running the rehearsal dinner. It would never have come off as it did without their help--I'm so thankful for them!



We had an ice cream sundae bar for dessert, which was a big hit.

Rachael and her incredibly talented mom, Jill



Alyson made these gigantic tissue paper pom poms to hang in the tent and with the lights, it made such a beautiful setting!





me and my kids (heart)







I love my family so very much....

This is the payoff picture. Is this not the most adorable thing of the evening?

 


And a sneak peak of what will be coming tomorrow.....