My Best Friend's Wedding

This past weekend, one of my most long-time, closest friends got married. She and I were inseparable back in the day when we were still losing our baby teeth, wearing Umbro shorts and soccer shoes to school, and got upset when we had to wear our hair down for lice checks. We went to summer camp, wrote notes to each other with sad lyrics in them about the boys that didn't 'love' us, and saw every chick flick together the week that it came out. I visited her in college with our other good friend K at the University of Michigan, and we stayed in touch often while she attended law school in Iowa. We've seen the best and worst of each other over the years.

So, with all of this history behind us, I couldn't help but get a little tear in my eye, and pride deep down in my heart to see her looking so happy and beautiful on her wedding day. She and her now husband can boast an unbelievable love story which started with her courtship of him via mutual friends back in 10th grade. They attended a dance together, sparks flew, and before we all knew it they were off to college together- showing everyone that their relationship would withstand the test of time. They graduated within a year of each other at the top of the class in both undergrad and graduate school. Now, they both have great jobs lined up in Pittsburgh- and I couldn't be more ecstatic. It's nice to grab coffee with a friend that you haven't seen in a while and feel like you were never apart- but in this case, I'm really looking forward to getting to know one of my closest friends again- and see each other on a regular basis.

Their wedding was truly one of the most beautiful events I have ever attended- and so perfect for the two of them. The ceremony was heart-felt and personal. Myself and the other bridesmaids and groomsmen were given the honor of standing around the newlyweds on the altar as they said their vows. At the end of the ceremony, the priest gave them the bible from which he read from during the service as a keepsake. The reception followed within an hour at a gorgeous venue with tall ceilings, log walls, and a gorgeous wraparound porch. The bride and her mom cashed in on the earthy feel of the venue and decorated the tables with pine cones, birch bark vases for the centerpieces, and mini twig wreaths as napkin holders. The natural feel was perfectly accented by gorgeous lighting, lush groups of white hydrangeas, and cracked crystal chargers acting as the center of focus for the perfectly arranged place settings. The couple's sweetheart table was in the center of the dance floor, and above it hung a twig wreath taller than the first floor of our house with the letters "L" and "N" hanging from the center with gorgeous blue satin ribbon. A deserving central focus to the room to remind us all why we were there.

Here are a few snapshots from my buddy's big day (J is the best because he took over photographer duty before I had arrived with the rest of the bridal party):

gorgeous trumpet lace dress with satin bow

matron of honor attending to her duties

the bride and the other stars of the show

mother of the bride getting ready to carefully place the veil 

its all about the shoes.

patiently waiting to get married in the wings of the church 

personalized wreath

seating assignments and wildflower arrangement

L + N!  Love the rustic cake stands. 

Perfect space for such a low-maintenance down-to-earth  couple.

Lovely table setting with accents of steel blue and chocolate brown

guest book and gift area

'sweetheart' table and room focal point

I am so happy that one of my best buds got to truly have the day of her dreams.  I don't think that I will ever forget how gorgeous she looked, or the look on her husband-to-be's face when he saw her walking down the aisle. The day perfectly suited them and went off without a hitch. Congrats to the new bride and groom.

Have you attended a wedding recently that perfectly suited the couple being honored? What were some of the personal touches that made this day stand out to you. 

Fairytale weddings and friendship, 

Simple Acts of Kindness

Getting (snail) mail has always been one of my favorite things.  Maybe it has to do with my love of all things design and paper, thus I am a sucker for well-coordinated thank you notes and envelopes.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that getting something in the mail is (usually) an unexpected small thrill in your day. The kind of thrill that an email or Facebook notification just cannot satisfy.  I am a firm believer that no matter how far technology advances, the value of a handwritten note or letter will always remain the same.

While I am on the topic of times changing and the value of precious things being upheld, I have a few thoughts on friendship. When I was growing up, my mom always told me that as I became older it would be more and more difficult to maintain friendships.  At the time, I was a blissfully ignorant 18 year old with more friends than I could count.  I remember walking through the halls of my high school, not only knowing the name of every person in my 800-student graduating class, but also knowing that there was some common thread that tied me to at least most of them.  At 18, I did not know the value of having so many familiar faces around on a daily basis.  

In college, I still had many acquaintances, but rather than having a common thread that I could identify, these were just people whose names I knew and I would see on most Friday and Saturday nights.  Acquaintances became more distant, and close friends became like siblings.  College friends watch you grow as you try to find your niche in life.  They stand by and observe as you take on class projects that give them perspective into who you will become, and bring you coffee as you cram for finals until 4 am.  College friends must be chosen carefully, because they will, without a doubt, see you at your best and at your worst.  

Today, I recognize that I have entered the time in my life that my mom had warned me about, and I did my best to stay ignorant to for as long as I possibly could.  My friends have become a mix of people that I met throughout my life, some that I knew would always be there, others are a pleasant surprise. I realize how difficult it is to maintain good friendships in adulthood unless the common thread that ties you together has the strength of a braided rope.  Over the past few days, I have really started to understand the value of the friendships that will be around for multiple milestones in my lifetime. I realized that it is easy to be a friend when someone visibly needs one, but true friends are around when you do need one, and when you don't.   

Thus brings me to my point: I received the note in the picture below via snail-mail on a day that I did not think that I needed a friend.  I was perfectly content to go about my normal routine: work, home, exercise, eat, work, sleep. Repeat. Receiving this simple, seemingly anonymous, letter in the mail turned an ordinary day into an extraordinary one.  It took me less than a second to identify the sender, not by the style of her handwriting, but by the value of our friendship.   I am so thankful for friend K, and thankful for what this small note brought me to realize about friendships. 

Have you ever received a small act of kindness that brought you to realize something larger about life? What was it?

Letters and lovliness,

On Friendship

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.
[ George Washington ]

Love is in the Air

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day, whether you spent it with your significant other, your friends, or yourself.

"Later that day, I got to thinking about relationships.  There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, and those that bring you to somewhere unexpected.  The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of them all is the one that you have with yourself.  And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous."  [sex and the city]