The Wedding!

So, she did it! Well, I should say, they did it! And it was awesome. It was definitely stressful being in another city and not knowing our way around but I did kind of like "getting to know" Charlotte a little better. And, aren't you glad I did pictures first?!

I arrived Wednesday at Blaire's to say hello to Layla and then we headed over to Josh's (which is now Blaire and Josh's) to see the newly renovated kitchen. It looks great and there is a fresh paint smell in every room of the house. After that we headed up to Aunt Deb's house to welcome Grandma and Grandpa from their flight from St. Louis. We also stayed up there because Josh's mom, Hope, and her boyfriend Paul have a new house right down the street from my aunt's and they were throwing a party to kick the week off. And I'm not talking a nice little get together, I'm talkin' a parrrr-taaayyy! All of Josh's family that were coming in from Venezuela seemed to arrive that evening and they didn't skip a beat going from air travel to social butterflies. Josh's mom made arrepas which is kind of like an American pita pocket made out of corn and they are delicious! It was a great night getting to know my new brother-in-law's family!

Thursday we ran a few errands before picking up my mom's good friend from high school, Kris, from the airport. We then headed for lunch and to check in at the hotel with a quick trip to the mall and then home to change for a matinee showing of Sex and the City 2. I wasn't thrilled with the movie but there were good parts. After that we went to Josh and Blaire's for an American style BBQ hosted by Dave, Josh's brother.

Friday was just as busy with picking up some flowers, picking up Kristen from the airport, getting our manicures and pedicures, lunch, and then helping set up the reception hall. We had about six or seven of us and we needed every set of hands and every minute! We barely made it back to our hotels to change for the Rehearsal and the dinner. All of which went very smoothly and we all enjoyed ourselves.

And then, the big day! Saturday morning we all woke up and met at Chick-fil-A for breakfast and then went to the hair salon for our up-do's. Blaire also had her make-up done and a few of the girls went shopping while waiting. We couldn't get into the church until 12:30 so that left us very pressed for time as far as getting dressed. Once we were all dressed, we did pictures and then it was time. Blaire looked so incredibly stunning and I can't wait to see the pictures the photographer captured. Josh almost lost it when she was coming down the aisle but did a good job of pulling it together for the remainder of the ceremony. After all the pictures were done at the church, the wedding party hopped on a trolley and we all rode around downtown Charlotte. I am pretty sure this was Brice's favorite part since I let him have a Dr. Pepper! We stopped a couple of places downtown to have our pictures done and then we headed to the reception site. I do believe everyone had a great time, especially the bride and groom!

And, the bad news is I did not have one candid picture taken of the four of us, of Brice and I or just Brice alone. I am so bummed about this but we just didn't have time and Brice was with the guys in another part of the church so it was a lot to coordinate.

Justin's wonderful parents came up with us to help with the kids and I am so thankful for them! Without them and Justin, I wouldn't have been such a part of this wedding. I loved helping with the details and being there for Blaire. I said a little bit of this in my toast but was crying so not so sure how well people understood me.

CONGRATULATIONS BLAIRE AND JOSH!! THE WEDDING WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!