I love weddings. I love attending them, and after Eva and Josh's this July, I love being IN them. That said, it's really hard to be in/involved with back-to-back weddings, which is what happened to me last weekend of July! Eva and Josh tied the knot on the 29th in a gorgeous riverside ceremony at the Nicollet Island Pavilion, and Erin and Josie wed the next day in a sweet St. Paul garden. Yours truly may have not actually left her bed that Sunday...eek!
First up, Eva! Her bridal party got together on Thursday afternoon for a little champagne and snacking at Salut in Edina...complete with profiteroles for the blushing bride!
Claire and I really needed the drinkies after an exciting-but-exhausting expedition to find her some nude heels for the next day. Way to leave it to the last minute, C--you'd be lost without me to be your personal shopper *octopus emoji*.
After happy hour, we all headed to A La Mode right around the corner for manicures, and then sped back downtown for a lightning-fast rehearsal!
I'd say the ladies of Team Clutch Bridesmaids are halfway cute. The next day started bright and early, with my behind in a makeup chair at 7am on the dot. Although I'm never feeling particularly sparkly at that hour, showing up at Eva's parents' house to see this put me in my place:
Um, hi, most Zen bride ever. We rocked out to some 90s dance jams, sipped mimosas and snacked all morning on Eva's mom Kathy's totally insane brunch spread. I couldn't imagine a nicer, lower-key way to start a wedding day!
Quick snap of our gorgeous flowers...I loved the hypericum berries and palest pink roses!
Bridesmaids all done up and ready to roll!
We seriously could not have had a prettier day to be on the Mississippi. I love the Nicollet Island Inn...what a picturesque place to get ready!
The photo above is courtesy of the delightful Ian of Hanson Photography, who was an absolutely hilarious and winning addition to the day. Claire and I kidnapped Eva's dress and took it outside for a photo shoot with Ian and his second shooter. What you don't see in this photo is that Claire and I were so worried about getting the dress dirty on the floor that I ended up taking my shirt off to cover the pavement underneath. So we're out of frame giggling madly at the fact that I'm half-naked. It's kind of hilarious and wonderful.
ALL DONE UP AND READY TO GET MAWWWWIED!!!!!!!
More Ian magic above. While Eva headed off with Ian to do her first look with Josh, Claire, Kyla and I joined their parents and the groomsmen for a picnic lunch on the shores of the Mississippi. The weather could seriously not have been better!
Fun story: the wedding party was supposed to rendezvous with Eva, Josh and the photographers at the Stone Arch Bridge at 3pm. We showed up at 3, but no bride and groom in sight. So we panicked, thinking we might be at the wrong end. A fun practical joke from a passerby had us walking the bridge all the way to the other end, about half a mile, in heels. Then we realized they weren't there either, and walked the bridge AGAIN. E&J showed up about fifteen minutes later, at which point we, naturally, walked out on the bridge YET AGAIN. OW FEET.
More Hanson Photo magic above and below! How freaking happy do these two look?!
Funny story number two of the wedding day: Legitimately seconds after this photo, I twisted oddly and the zipper of my dress ripped out from neckline to butt-crack. Turns out it had been sewn wrong to the lining, so while the actual dress moved with my body without issues, the lining didn't let the zipper move with the rest of the dress. We finished all bridal party pictures with my dress hanging open all the way in the back, and Eva's personal attendant Kim had to sew me into the dress before the ceremony started. YIKES FRIENDS! It ended up fine and you couldn't even tell, but I was a nervous wreck until after dinner (when it was clear that Kim's stitches would hold up through a WILD dance party!).
MARRIED! The ceremony was short, sweet and beautiful...highlight? Kyla, the maid of honor, and Nils, Eva's brother, performing "The Prayer" as a duet during the unity candle lighting. I was in tears...so pretty, so much love.
Ian kidnapped the happy couple for a little sunset magic...
Then WE kidnapped them for some drinks, some photos, and a hell of a lot of dancing! This six-some right here closed down the dance floor and then requested a few more tunes to round out the night. Eventually we got kicked out because it was absolutely time for their wedding to be over. So we went to the Shout House, naturally!
Quick shout-out to Greg here...this guy was truly the best wedding date ever. From tearing it up on the dance floor to holding my tiny airplane bottles of alcohol, babysitting my purse during the ceremony to actually cutting me out of my dress at the end of the night, he wins Plus-One MVP of the year for sure :)
DAY TWO! Erin and Josie, aka the second E&J of the weekend to tie the knot! Kelsie was a personal attendant, and with her counterpart in New Orleans for a conference, I got tapped to help out morning of the wedding at the venue, Dakota Lodge in St. Paul. While I may have still been drunk from one too many Shout House gin and tonics the night before, I powered through and had a little fun (while holding back the hangover, woo!). Fast forward to the ceremony, where Erin truly looked like the most excited bride ever:
Their ceremony was officiated by Josie's sister, and was full of heartfelt personal anecdotes and the sweetest, most tear-filled vows I've ever seen. I was smiling and crying all at the same time...gotta love happy tears at weddings!
Kelsie and the rest of the Winona ladies having a little too much fun with the puff balls we so carefully decorated with that morning! We found out quickly that they made perfect photo booth props.
While the girls got their puffball on, the guys looked askance from the sidelines. CLASSIC.
Winona alums!
Besties! Ignore my mess of a head and hungover slits for eyes...YIKES back-to-back weddings are clearly not good for my general level of attractiveness.
Erin is a teacher, and accordingly crazy crafty. She made the photobooth and all the props herself - how cute did it turn out?! We had plenty of fun messing around in there all night!
Kelsizzle absolutely killed it that day - being a personal attendant is NOT easy, especially when your assistant is holding back vomit and begging for bottled water all morning, ha!
As the night went on, the dance floor got crazier. Unfortunately, I tapped out early as I was falling asleep on my feet!
Happy wedding, Eva and Josh! Happy wedding, Erin and Josie! Unmarried friends, please consult me so none of you plan weddings back-to-back ever again!