The Rehearsal Dinner!

Well, we’re back from Hawaii and it’s time for more recaps!  Yipee!  When I last left off, we had just finished our rehearsal at the church…

So after church, we all scooted as quickly as we could to the Cornerstone to get our post-rehearsal eat on!  We were so excited when we booked the Cornerstone because it had a nicely sized private room (harder to find in our area than you might think) and wonderful details like original ceiling tiles and exposed brick walls.  Vintage character but approachable, pretty but not stuffy!  It was so much fun to get to the restaurant and see everything set up- the seating cards were passed out so folks could reserve their spots, and the 3-sided menus were on all the tables, looking lovely!  Even the presents for our bridal party had been dropped off early and set up on a table.  It was so meaningful and fun to see it all come together!

One of the first things I did after grabbing a glass of wine, was give flower girl A. and ring bearer M. their presents.  I had gotten them lots of little goodies that I thought would entertain them during dinner, and probably through the wedding reception the next day too.  I picked up a sticker book, 3 Christmas story books (2 with CD’s), and green bear beanie babies on super-sale during the year, so those went into the bags first.  I also made them personalized coloring books and bought crayons and markers at the dollar store to go with them.  The kids also got bubbles, slinky’s (thanks Target dollar bins!), play dough, silly putty, and magnets.  Oh, and don’t forget, candy (I’m sure their parents loved me after that)!  A. also got a pair of white gloves and M. got a boutonniere.  They were happy campers!

I love how A. is such an expert with her sweet smile for the camera.  Meanwhile M. is going to kick your butt if you try to steal his candy!

After saying my special thank you to the kids, I found J. and we mixed and mingled with all of our family and friends!  Having our entire family there was such a treat, especially since I have 5 sibs and J. has 3.  Getting us all in one place isn’t easy!

Before long, it was time to get down to business: dinner time!  We could have served a seated meal, but we thought the group might appreciate the informality (and amount of food!) of a buffet.  Dinner included rolls, salad, penne a la vodka, chicken piccata, beef medallions, rice and veggies.  J.’s mom also made big trays of cookies for dessert which everyone promptly devoured.  Yum!

After dinner, J. and I got up and said a few words of thanks to everyone for being there with us.  And then J.’s brother presented a slide show of the two of us through the years.  I’ll be doing a separate post on this because it was downright incredible seeing each of us as babies, toddlers, school kids, highschoolers, and eventually through our time as a couple.  He even chose coordinating music for the various parts of the show.  I think more than a few of us got a little misty!

Finally, it was time to distribute presents, followed by more visiting!  I should note that I mostly only had family photos to share- the photos of most of my friends were either too dark, or were never sent to me (ahem, you know who you are!)  But if you are one of those friends who is wondering where your photo is, know that it is not for lack of love, just lack of photos!

Oh but you know the party didn’t stop after dinner.  Next up, we kick back in the suite and get pumped for the big day!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!