Hello again! We left off yesterday with Part 1 of the big wedding. If you missed it, click here. There was just too much to share in one post, so I've broken it down into two!
Here we are...the wedding day!
The little ring bearer and flower girl were all excited about Uncle Seanie's wedding to Catherine!
All of the bridesmaids had to be at the Jose Eber salon at 10:00 am for hair and makeup. We all wore these cute little matching robes Catherine gave us. I wish they would have shown footage of us getting our hair and makeup done that morning...it was such a fun time!
Look who popped by the salon to say hi while we were there...why Lisa Vanderpump, of course! (With Giggy and her husband Ken too!). I took this picture of her with Giggy against the glass but then she came inside to chat with us after that. Stunning. I met her last year at Dancing with the Stars and once again, I was struck by how stunning this woman is.
Speaking of stunning...my little flower girl was super excited to get fancy hair for the ceremony!
4 (out of the 12) bridesmaids! Me, Laura, Steph and Anna
I let Kensington wear a little mascara and lip gloss so that she felt like one of the big girls :).
They brought in a veggie tray with deli meats and crackers for our lunch...but this gal can't live on carrot sticks and crackers...so the flower girl and I excused ourselves to my room for a bit to order room service...
...nothing says "bridesmaid on national TV" quite like chicken fingers and french fries :). I had such a sweet time sitting in my robe with my daughter eating a picnic of room service on the floor. Sweet memories.
After our room service, we headed back to hair and makeup for a quick touch-up. It took a village, but we got all dolled up.
My GORGEOUS mama!
Kensington was so proud of her hair :).
Wake up Smith! You have to be a ring bearer on national TV in less than 2 hours.
My friends were watching the show together back in Dallas and we kept texting each other throughout the night. This was about 30 minutes before the ceremony started. They wanted to see me all put together.
Nothing like a selfie right before you head out to a televised wedding!
My two handsome men right before we went out.
Almost show time!
Here we go...me and the best lookin' groomsman :).
My friends texted me these pictures from the ceremony. Sweet Smith.
I was so proud of my two kiddos. That's a lot of pressure for a 4 and 5 year old!
That's a long walk by yourself...especially when you're only five!
This is the kid the doctors told me I would probably never have. Such an amazing testimony to God's faithfulness.
Papa Jay and Uncle Seanie watching Kensington walk down the aisle :).
So much has been said about my dad! I mean...really...the man was apparently the star of the show. He has owned his own business for over 35 years, but he is also an ordained minister (and he's written a book too...). He didn't just do this ceremony for fun...he's a real life minister :). But let's make one think perfectly clear...he might be the center of attention (a lot) but my mama is the rock behind it all. My dad would be the first to tell you that without my mom, he'd be completely lost.
Woohoo! They're married!!
Like the best picture EVER!
Look at us bridesmaids! I really enjoyed each and every girl up there :).
Ahhh...Chris and me. I kind of like him too ;).
A married man!
All of you Bachelor fans know who Cassie is...she is one of the producers of the show and takes care of the lead person the entire season (she is with them 24/7). She is amazing! Her hubby is one of the executive producers...such fun people!
We're practicing our model poses...just for fun :).
There were 5 beautiful looooooooong tables. One for family, one for family friends, one for industry people (Bachelor alum, other famous folks, etc), one for Bachelor crew/producers and one head table for the bride, groom and wedding party.
So pretty!
Our yummy menu for the night! Delicious dinner!
That's my grandmother in the forefront and the Vanderpump family getting seated behind her (next to the Mesnicks)...because I know you guys love details like who sat where :).
This is Sean's best friend Clay Silver. He is a hot mess...in the best possible way! Everyone (including my kids) loves Clay. He is the life of the party...always...without exception...every day.
The happy couple making their grand entrance!
The first dance :)
I love this kid. So very much.
We danced and danced and danced some more!
At one point, I really had to stop and absorb how cool the entire experience was. I was out on the dance floor dancing to songs like You Know You Make Me Wanna (Shout) with Lisa Vanderpump, Chris Harrison, Desiree Hartsock, Arie Luyendyk, Jef Holmes and Jason Mesnick. I mean really...who does that???
My 88 (almost 89) year old grandpa said the prayer (he's a retired minister)...let's just say brevity is not his forte...we were super happy with his sweet (and brief) prayer.
Lovin' on Uncle Seanie!
Hanging out with my BFF Trista...because she is so much fun and so incredibly sweet!
Trista and Kensington :)
Speaking of sweet girls, Des is super sweet herself! We talked for a long time during the reception and then again the next morning as we were checking out. She and Chris are just as sweet and down to earth as you would imagine. I really enjoyed getting to know her too.
My boyfriend Elan. We look good together, right? (For some reason, Andrew isn't at all threatened by Elan...and Elan just can't figure out why???) (It's the hair.) (I like guys without hair.) (And Elan is quite hairy.) (And one of the funniest people I've ever met.)
Elan was one of the very first people I ever met way back when Sean was on the Bachelorette. Andrew and I adore him! He told Andrew at the reception that he can't wait to be my kids' stepfather...you have to love a guy that says things like that ;).
Ring Bearer down. Again.
Flower Girl down. Again.
I met Jeff and Arie at the reception too. Both guys came up and introduced themselves to me at separate times. They could not have been sweeter! Arie said he really liked me after I told him I rooted for him during Emily's season ;).
Mother/son dance. There is a good chance she's telling him that if he screws this up, she will kill him.
Me and my new sister! Gorgeous girl!! Super excited to start this next chapter together! I loved her hair up during the ceremony but my favorite way was when she pulled it down for the reception. Loved it!
You think he's awesome on TV? You should try being his daughter...he's even better in person. XOXO
My tweet the morning after the wedding :).
And a few random pics from my family and friends from the night...
Chris might not have married them but his name is on the certificate as a witness!
Such fun people to hang out with!
And at home, my BFFs were all wearing bangles in my honor and watching the show together. I was texting them throughout the night. Love, love, love these girls!
And then the next morning...back to reality. We had to be up by 5:30 am, our shuttle bus to LA left 30 minutes late, we got stuck in traffic and it took us 3 hours to get to LAX, I got motion sick and threw up in a moving shuttle and we were the very last people to board the flight. Back to reality.
On Tuesday night, I met up with my friends to discuss all of the details from the wedding...and I wore my bridesmaid dress, of course! ;)
Whew! Who in the world would have predicted this???? Not me. Not for one second. Not in a million years. Two and half years ago when I turned Sean's name in for the Bachelorette, I would have never guessed that all of this would have happened. The only person big enough to orchestrate something of this magnitude is God. We give him all the glory for bringing Catherine into our family.
So, this closes the crazy Bachelorette/Bachelor chapter of our lives. It was a fun ride. Thank you all so much for the well wishes and sweet messages. I wish I could answer every single one of them...your genuine enthusiasm for our family is unbelievable. We are forever grateful.
XOXO
And today on my foodie blog...Buffalo Turkey Joes. It's a Sloppy Joe that uses ground turkey and tastes like buffalo wings. Yeah. So simple, so fast, and so perfect for busy weeknights.
Don't forget, Sheaffer has her hilarious recap of the wedding (plus other fun Bachelor things) here.
Find me on Twitter here.
Find me on Face Book here.
Find me on Pinterest here
Find me on Instagram here.
Check out my foodie blog here.
And don't forget, your Gap Cash can be redeemed beginning today!
Find me on Instagram here.
Check out my foodie blog here.
And don't forget, your Gap Cash can be redeemed beginning today!
No comments:
Post a Comment