Goin To The Chapel…..Or The Gazebo….

Leave it to me to start a wedding day recap with a picture of a giant cinnamon roll, but, there it is.
I have never gotten to be part of a wedding on the groom side before. I’ve been a bride once, a bridesmaid twice, and have a sister in law who got married. It’s always a lot of stress, planning, getting primped and ready, plus a million pictures. Let me just say, being on the groom side of things is AWESOME. We slept in a bit, had a lazy morning in the hotel watching tv and eating the most enormous cinnamon roll you’ve ever laid your eyes on, drank lattes, Jim took Abigail to the pool for a morning swim, we went and had a family lunch out, and still didn’t need to be ready for pictures until 4pm.
Nothing gets you ready for a bunch of pictures in a form fitting dress like marathon carb loading at breakfast and lunch.
We went and had lunch at Stroud’s(as seen on Man Vs. Food, anyone? anyone?) They’re known for their fried chicken and it’s just all around unreal good food. They have a great location and we were able to snag a few quick pictures before heading back to the hotel.

This guy of mine. He is a good sport.

And really, so is she 🙂

Check out the hotel! Pretty awesome venue, no? It was amazing. It had a restaurant, cafe{gotta have that vanilla latte fix every morning, man}, indoor and outdoor pool, spa, and more!

You know, if you’re ever looking for a place to stay in Excelsior Springs, MO. Allow me to recommend The Elms.

Ding ding ding! Ready for round 3!
I vacillated a lot between putting her hair up or down, but I finally decided on up plus her beautiful floral hair wreath. I loved it!
Me and my handsome man! My dress + my hairdo.

We waited for, ahem, a few hours before the photographer was ready to take our pictures, so we tried to practice with this little lady beforehand. #soclose

Look at these three cuties!! So fancy and completely adorable. And allow me to just throw this out there, unbelievably well behaved. Weddings are long tiring days with so much hurry up and wait, but these littles handled it like champs. Truly.

Sometimes I still can’t believe that this pretty little girl is mine. Goodness, I love her so.

So anyway, it was finally our turn to get some pictures taken. I can’t wait to see how they turned out!

Abigail with her Grammy. Doesn’t my Mama look stunning???

Just before showtime!
Check out that concentration!
She actually stopped and stood in the aisle while she one by one picked out the leftover petals making sure that every single one was placed in the aisle. She is nothing if not completely thorough.
It didn’t feel or seem strange at all when I got married.
But, I kept having this thought as I was watching my little brother stand up there that felt something like, “When did he get old enough for this to be legal?”
They did it!!!
We finished up the family pictures, headed to the reception for a cocktail hour with appetizers, followed by a buffet dinner, dancing + cheesecake!

My BFF Lauren was in attendance OF COURSE. So, naturally, we managed to only get one picture in front of a super bright window. Go us!Their first dance!

Then there was father+daughter, mother+son, and then an opened up dance floor completely dominated by Abigail, my two little cousins, and two enthusiastic groomsman.

Although, I did my fair share of dancing and I’m sure there will be some high quality blackmail photos headed my way at some point.Abigail tried soda for the very first time and I’m pretty sure it’s what carried her through the evening + the entire car ride back home to my inlaws + being awake until after midnight.

Jim and I got to stay at The Elms for one more night together just the two of us, which was really, really awesome and got to see all of our family and friends off in the morning after a farewell breakfast.

Since then, Abigail has worn her dress every single day like she has been asking to do since we ordered it back in October. Seriously, it’s like a Tide commercial over here. But, the irony in that is, I actually have no clothes of hers I need to wash now. Just a flower girl dress.

Because she was in THREE weddings this summer, I compiled a post with some of my best tips and tricks- check it out! Tips For Having A Flower Girl
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10 Comments

  1. I just love the look of the elms, very glam and quaint rolled into one – minus the outside exit ramp. But, safety first and all. um, yeah sounds like the groom side is the way to go! I want to be on that side of things next time. Cinnamon rolls and wedding should be a thing. I absolutely love that she has worn her dress for days now that she is allowed. Clearly money well spent!

  2. What a beautiful wedding location! Sounds like a blast to be the parents of the flower girl on the groom side! 🙂 Easy peasy right?! So glad she's getting to full love her beautiful dress now!

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