We are officially married!!! I figured it was only right to do a whole post to roundup, recap and reminisce on the best weekend ever. My heart is so extremely full of joy, gratitude and love as I write this post and reflect on June 10, 2023. Exactly one month ago today!
I am still awaiting on all of the photos to come in, as well as our wedding video, but I figured I could share a little roundup of things and events leading up to our big day that made it so special.
From my bridal luncheon details, to our wedding rehearsal, to the laughs and (happy) tears at the rehearsal dinner, to where we got our nails and spray tans done, I’ll be sharing ALL the wedding weekend lead up details in this post. Without further ado, let’s get into all the fun details!
THE PREP
Casey, Blakely and I arrived into town the Wednesday before our wedding and spent the night at my parent’s house! They live on the lake so it was quite the relaxing evening grilling food outside, catching up and going to bed early.
Nails:
On Wednesday I got my bridal nails done at Luxx salon in Lexington. I got dip French tips on my fingernails and gel on my toes in the color “funny bunny.” I loved both so much!
Spray tans:
On Thursday my mom, two sisters and one of my bridesmaids all went to get custom airbrush spray tans at Bronzed Bombshell in Irmo. It was the cutest salon and the tans turned out so perfect. It came on super dark at first, but come Friday and Saturday (after a shower) it was the exact shade I wanted! I don’t know about a bombshell, but I definitely felt bronzed!
BRIDAL LUNCHEON RECAP
What better way to kick off the wedding weekend festivities than a luncheon with all of my ladies!? Casey’s aunts so graciously offered to host a bridal luncheon for me the Friday before the wedding. It was held at the new Publico location on Bull Street in Columbia, SC in their private room which was perfect! Everyone came dressed to impress in their cute floral summer sundresses & outfits.
Casey’s aunts and mom actually DIYed the flowers the night before to use for the bridal luncheon and rehearsal dinner and it all turned out so wonderful! I’m so thankful they’re so crafty (and talented!). One of Casey’s aunts even wrapped up homemade chocolate chip cookies that she made for each of us. Such a thoughtful (& extremely delicious) detail!
My bridesmaids and I all arrived at noon and were welcomed with two long tables beautifully decorated with flowers, a delicious Mexican buffet in the back and a large private space for us to chat and catch up- it was the perfect bridal luncheon spot for all my favorite gals!!
After the luncheon, my bridesmaids and I headed back to the Graduate Hotel where we stayed for the weekend to rest and start getting ready for the evening events!
WEDDING REHEARSAL RECAP
Moving on to the next event of our wedding weekend… the rehearsal! This is when things started to feel real to me. Being all dressed up for the dinner after, having my closest family and friends beside me, and running through the wedding ceremony. I definitely started to get butterflies!!
We thankfully had one of my wedding planner’s team members there to help us smoothly go over the order of events.
A funny details is Casey had heard it was bad luck for me to walk down the aisle to practice… so I had his brother’s girlfriend stand in for me hahah (she was a trooper and the best stand in bride!!). I’m curious, has anyone else heard this??
We had 9 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen stand by us, so it was great to be surrounded by all our people. The only thing we worried about was the weather since our wedding was in June in the outside heat of South Carolina, but the weather all weekend long was perfectly sunny with a great breeze. We couldn’t have asked for anything more! One less thing to stress about lol.
The rehearsal itself went by fairly quickly, and I tried to pay attention as much as possible since I wasn’t doing the actual practicing. Our officiant was super calming as he reassured us he would talk us through anything we had to do. It was the CUTEST thing ever to see little Blakely walk down the aisle with Casey’s cousin Callie to practice. They made the perfect flower girl duo.
REHEARSAL DINNER RECAP
This night could not have been more perfect. It was so surreal to me to see something that we had been planning for months and months come to life. I was so emotional, and it wasn’t even the wedding day yet!
The best venue, the best family and friends, and the best vibes all night long!!!
Excitement and anticipation for the wedding overtook both Casey and I this night, but it was so great to have quality time and conversations with our family and closest friends before one of the biggest day of our lives so far.
Our rehearsal dinner was held at Savage Craft Brewery in their private building called the Armory. Casey and I both come from big families so we had about 70 or so guests attend and it comfortably held us all!!
The night was filled with cocktails and mingling, a delicious spread of appetizers and dinner, speeches from our friends and family that had us crying the whole time, and an after-party on the rooftop that closed the brewery down!! Can we relive this night over and over??
Casey and I were both bawling (happy tears!) after about an hour and a half of ALL of our bridal party speaking, plus a few special family members.
It meant so much to us as they shared silly stories, heartfelt moments and gave praise to Casey and I as a couple. A sincere thank you to all of our people!!!
Special shoutout to Casey’s cousin Reid who so beautifully captured this night. Photos we will cherish forever and ever!!
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And that’s all for now! Once I receive all of our wedding photos I’ll make a full post on the big day: getting ready, the ceremony, the reception and all the special details. <3
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