OK I’m going to start out by saying that I know this is long overdue and I know I should include photos, but I don’t have any with me. Also, I didn’t take many. I guess I’ll just add those later when the photographer gets it together and sends out the pics to the bride and groom 
Anyway, wedding. This was my very first experience being a bridesmaid. There’s quite a lot of work that goes into this title, and being one of only two made it an even bigger job. Can I just add that I packed a checked-luggage sized suitcase for the weekend? And that it was primarily filled with toiletries? LOL
So Friday was the rehearsal and dinner. It was the first I had seen of the venue, which was gorgeous. Although not in bloom yet, I’m sure the pictures turned out amazing! Rather than do a traditional rehearsal dinner, the bride and groom decided to book some lanes at a bowling alley so we could have some fun. I liked the idea, but let’s be honest – bowling = broken nails. That’s a bad situation. Also, since I’m crazy and work 3 jobs, I would have had to get my nails done on Monday and pray that they didn’t get messed up during the week. I wasn’t about to take my chances with that, so I got my nails done during the bowling and missed most of it. Oh well.
The groom’s parents got an amazing suite at a nearby hotel and stocked the kitchen with food and drink. While we worked on the last few things for the next day, we got to enjoy some delicious treats and a little champagne 
I’m definitely taking notes for my own wedding (which won’t happen for decades I’m sure), and this is getting added to the list: a suite with 2 bedrooms. When all is said and done let’s be honest: we all need space to get ready and a regular room isn’t enough. This had a total of 3 full bathrooms. Brilliant!
So Saturday morning I got up early for hair. The grooms cousin is a cosmotologist and did all 3 of our hair and makeup. I was concerned that mine wouldn’t hold up from 10am when I got it done until whenever the wedding was over, but I guess I underestimated the power of hairspray. I LOVE how it turned out (pics of that will definitely be posted). And then we headed to the venue and it all happened!
I love outdoor weddings, but dude – it was COLD! Also, it was about to start raining. The officiant they chose was wonderful. He kept the ceremony short and sweet (side note: the bride told me they were having a short ceremony. She assured me it would be “nice and short, about 45 minutes” LOL short does not = 45 min). The officiant read a story that each of them had written, which was awesome. Note for my own wedding: I like this idea much more than personalized vows. Good choice. Then it was time to break the glass. The officiant instructed people that when the glass breaks we were supposed to shout out something congratulatory, like “mazel tov” or “l’chaim” or “congratulations if that’s more up your alley”. This was my favorite part of the ceremony. The bride’s family is not Jewish and I think being from such a small town in the middle of nowhere they don’t have much exposure to Jewish people. So when the glass broke, half the crowd shouted something in Hebrew, and the other half yelled out “congrats” or “good luck”. The mishmash of words made me laugh.
After a TON of pictures in the freezing cold, we got to head indoors for some amazingly delicious food. They had a buffet, which I’m stealing for my own wedding. One perk of being in the bridal party was that we got to eat first. Score! The DJ was pretty awesome too. We did the Hora, also known as the thing where you lift the bride and groom up on chairs and spin them around. I thought for sure they were going to get dropped, especially since half of the “muscle” were gamers from World of Warcraft. It was amusing.
All in all, an a wonderful event. I passed out hard afterwards. Loooooong day + a couple of drinks = a very very tired Caro.
Anyway, many congratulations (or mazel tov) to Andrew and Rhianna!!
