Wedding Bells

Five years ago one of my good friends Shelly met this wonderful guy Erik.....this past weekend they tied the knot and it was one of the most beautiful days and beautiful ceremony's I have seen.  I was honored to be a part of it. I wasn't able to help her out as one of her personal attendants before the wedding too much (Thanks Juli and Melissa for picking my slack) but I knew at least I would be able to rock it out the day of wedding for her.

 
Mike and I headed up on Friday for the rehearsal, grooms dinner and to check into our hotel. It was at the fabulous Breezy Point Resort where Mike and I are timeshare owners. We were a little early for the rehearsal so we stopped at the good old Fleet Farm - if you haven't been to a Fleet Farm you need to check it out. They have EVERYTHING. From toys, to clothes, to food, to licenses for hunting to hunting gear and attire. I think in Iowa they call it Farm and Fleet ;)

After the rehearsal dinner, Mike, some of the bridesmaids, attendants and I finished decorating the reception hall. Shelly had it decked out and did a WONDERFUL job planning it all and getting all the supplies. Those who know Shelly know she can get a bargain and she sure did with this. Hats off to you Shelly. I learned a TON of you and learned a TON about you!

Those planning a wedding or a large party - Pay attention to below.

Shelly wanted the tule and lights hung. Her now Hubby hung them for her (great job Erik!) and she got the material and the lights for cheap by keeping an eye on craigs list.

At first I didn't understand this, but this is Shelly's Candy Bar (I had never seen it at another wedding). It was a HUGE hit - especially with the kids. Sorry parents! She had all different kinds of candies for people. She created the cutest signs.

Beautiful center pieces. One thing to keep in mind (although it only happened to one of them) the candles did burn one of the flowers. The flowers are all fake (although you couldn't tell, another money saver).

Another cute idea that I just loved! making her own Mrs and Mr chair covers for the head

Very cute place settings. When I first saw the tables I hadn't realized that Shelly brought the teal fabric and the gray ties for the chairs. She saved a TON of money by doing this herself.

Shelly really outdid herself. She bought paper umbrella's and put wonderful sayings on them - all different with stencils. She had 8 of them to do. I knew she was creative and talented but never really knew how  much.

Saturday was an awesome day. I was tired by the end of it - okay by the time the ceremony came around at 2:30 I needed a nap, but it was totally worth it. Up at 6:30 to get ready and help the bride. I do want to thank my husband for running to Brainerd (which is a 1/2 hour from Breezy Point) to get the flowers for the bride and the balloons. Shelly needed these for pictures.

I was honored to be able to be the one to help Shelly into her dress. I have NEVER tied a bride into her dress, only ever had one with a zipper, so this was a new challenge for me. But it was wonderful to see how beautiful she looked. We got her on the shuttle and down to the pier where she could meet her soon to be hubby and start pictures. They were able to take pictures on the point at Breezy Point and it was such great lighting and a slight breeze which made her long veil look wonderful.

The Bride and Groom out in front of the lake

The Bride and her personal attendants - We did not even plan to all wear black.

After pictures, we headed to the church to finish decorating and get everything ready for the ceremony. I have to say that I liked decorating, it was a ton of fun. I also liked that we were able to take the stress off of the bride and just let her be her and relax before the ceremony.  It went off without a hitch.

We cleaned up and then headed back to Breezy Point to finish a few things before the reception. The reception was wonderful as was everything else and everyone had a great time!! I was so excited and honored to be apart of Shelly & Erik's big day. Mike and I were so busy throughout the day that I never once though to take a picture of the two of us dressed up. I am pretty bummed, but we at least got a picture the next morning (thanks Keelyn).

Thanks to my parents and the IL's for watching Gabby and the pup so that Mike and I could go to the wedding. We also got to sleep in until almost 8 on Sunday morning - YES! So nice....and I even made it until 11:30 the night before at the reception. WAY past my bedtime. But Shelly girl you were worth it.

As I sit here writing this, I am thinking of my anniversary coming up here at the end of the month - 8 years with my best friend. I wish all the best to you two. Shelly and Erik you guys mean a lot to me. I was apart of your relationship in the beginning and saw you guys start out. I know we have had our rocky moments but I am so glad that you are both in our lives and you both deserve the best future. You are a great match and I am glad that you found your way to one another. Love you both and Congrats!!