Anyway, I figured since tomorrow is our 9 month anniversary, now is the perfect time to catch up a bit. Even if no one reads this, I'll have it recorded for me. :)
Cori's parents, Bruce and Tara, hosted our rehearsal dinner at Mimi's. It was the perfect space- a big room with a rustic look, decorated by Tara with pictures of Cori and I from our childhoods. Considering our actual wedding had 150 guests, our rehearsal dinner was fairly large with 50 people. Bruce and Tara were so kind to accommodate all the people we wanted to include and we were able to invite family, everyone that was involved in our wedding, out of town guests, Cori's closest Tech friends, and some very kind friends who had cared for us well in this season, like my maid of honor's parents and our friend Katie's parents who were hosting pretty much all of our NOLA friends at our house. It was beautiful- this room was packed full of people who loved us and invested so much in our lives and our wedding.
By far, my favorite part of the evening was the toasts. We had set up that only our maid of honor and best man would toast us at the actual wedding, but wanted to open up the floor at our rehearsal dinner for anyone who had something to share. I should have blogged this months ago when I remembered better, but here are some highlights:
*Bruce, of course, as the host, welcomed everyone. He and Tara have always been so welcoming to me joining the family and I love when he tells me that he didn't gain a daughter-in-law, he gained a daughter.
*My sweet friend Lisa- who was once my youth group leader and has known me since I was an awkward, insecure teenager- shared how much she'd loved seeing me turn into an adult.
*One of my roommates (and bridesmaids!) Laura, shared with Cori tips on living with me. One of them was that I'd want to borrow his shoes... unfortunately for me, Cori and I don't have the same shoe size like Laura and I. ;)
*My brother talked about the time Cori and I were in Virginia and he was summoned home to meet 'the boyfriend.' He also said how proud he was of me.
*My friends Jenny and Lori- who have known me pretty much forever- shared their excitement and Lori read part of an email I sent the girls back when Cori and I had only been dating for 3 months. I definitely referenced visions of me walking down the aisle and said, "I think this kid wants to marry me." Haha, that made for a funny conversation afterwards because I don't think Cori had realized quite how quickly I fell for him.
There were more that I just can't remember- for instance, I know our friend Katie gave a hilarious toast, but I can't for the life of me remember it. If I had known how precious this time was going to be, I would have asked someone to record it. Regardless of what I remember, I will always treasure those moments in my heart.
Now, to leave you with some pictures....
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| my sweet father-in-law |
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| Amy, Laura, Katherine, and Caitlyn- some of my sweetest girlfriends! |
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| one last night as my fiancee :) |
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| my parents, my brother Matt, and his girlfriend Tori |
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| Clarke, Jenny, and Lori. Crazy to realize that for our group of girlfriends, our last rehearsal dinner (and wedding) together was 2 years prior for Clarke and Jenny! |
Hopefully I'll keep updating and share some of my favorite memories and pictures from our actual wedding day. :)
YaY! Def. keep updating, it's such a great way to remember everything!!!!
ReplyDeletesounds like such a sweet and special time, just wish we could have been a part of it!
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