Wedding Weekend!

Thursday

I woke up around 4:30, unable to sleep very much due to my lingering jet lag. I laid in bed until about 7:00, at which time I lovingly woke Alexis up (calling her name loudly and turning on the lights) and we went down to breakfast. I love continental breakfasts, and this one was especially delish.

When we'd finished, we showered and got ready for our adventure of the day: SPA, as Lydia called it, otherwise known as the nail salon. The five Smalley girls (Mom, Sarah, Lexi, Lydia and me) headed to Romie's to get mani's and pedi's. It was relaxing, to say the least. Lydia wanted to know if they were going to put pickles on our eyes :)

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel, rested up a little bit, and then went with Jeff, Sam, Sharon, Laura and Claire to Chuy's AGAIN for some delicious Mexican food, which we complemented afterward with some frozen custard from Harry's.

It was a good day.

Friday

Lexi and I slept in a little bit this morning, until about 9:00. We again got the continental breakfast, and then hung around for a while. By this time, all the groomsmen had arrived (Thursday night was the bachelor party, and they got to play football in the SMU stadium!). For lunch, we ordered pizza for all the guys, and while Sarah and I wrote our toast for the dinner, we also enjoyed a couple slices.

During the afternoon, we didn't do a whole lot more than get ready for the evening. At 5:00, the wedding party met at Park Cities Baptist Church for the rehearsal. It went smoothly, and afterwards, we headed to the rehearsal dinner. It was beautiful! At my table were Sarah, Clay, Ashley, my cousin, Stephanie, Lauren's cousin, Lauren's two sisters, Kaitlin and Allison, and their boyfriends, Eli and Jack. The meal was amazing.

And the toasts? Sarah and I began with a highly embarrassing poem all about Patrick, and then Patrick's friends took the stage. It was so hilarious, watching Patrick rubbing his temples and shaking his head. Oh, the shame. Lauren's friends spoke, too, and she took it all like a champ. But all of them were very sweet, also. My dad made everyone cry, and my mom was just silly, with her props and all. And Lauren's parents were very sweet and well spoken.

We finally finished up around 11:00, and everyone headed home to get some rest for the big day! When we got back to the hotel, Carly Chambliss, one of my precious d-group girls, was there and we got to talk for a while! It was SO great to see her!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

The Big Day.

The bridesmaids luncheon was this morning at Taverna at 10:00, so we were up and going by about 8:00. The food was amazing, here, too. I had eggs benedict on an English muffin with smoked ham. Mmmm. We all just sat and talked and got to know each other. For our gifts, Lauren got each of us a beautiful glass jewelry box with our initials engraved on it, and a set of earrings and a necklace of gold and saltwater pearls that a friend of hers made. They are BEAUTIFUL.

We got back to the hotel at 12:00 and rested for a bit. Then the fun began. We got all dolled up and headed to the church at 4:00, where we donned our dresses and began the smile marathon. We took separate girls and guys pictures before the wedding, but waited to take group shots until after so Patrick wouldn't see Lauren until the doors opened for her to meet him at the altar.

The ceremony began at 6:00. It was absolutely beautiful. It started off with a couple singing "Be Thou My Vision" and then the processional began. Finally, Lauren entered the church one last time as Lauren Pearce, and it was breathtaking. She was absolutely flawless! The dress was so beautiful, her hair was perfect, and her smile was one of pure joy. Patrick teared up.

After the ceremony, we finished up the pictures, then headed to the Belo Mansion for the reception. A lot of my friends had come for the wedding - Lee, Alex, Taylor, William, Eric, Paul, Mac - many of the guys that Patrick discipled through jr. high and high school. The Chamblisses were there, as were the Waters and the Winklers. It was so fun! The band was amazing, and we just danced and danced. Finally, it was time for the bride and groom to head on to their honeymoon. Allison Pearce caught the bouquet and Jamie Trussell caught the garter. We did the train outside and made a lane for them to run through, throwing rose petals as they did. We hugged and kissed them goodbye, and then the night came to a close. It was perfect.

I wasn't nearly as emotional as I'd been at Sarah's wedding, but it does feel a little strange for my brother to be married. But I couldn't have picked a better companion for him. Lauren brings out the best in him, no doubt about it, and I know they will make each other happy!

Content,

Leigh