Memphis - Anna's Wedding Weekend (part 2)

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Memphis, and all the bridesmaids gathered at the Memphis Zoo to get ready for Anna's big day!!

There was laugher, there was beer, and there was nervous excitement as the girls curled hair, powdered faces, and pinned bra straps.

Erin, our resident make-up artist, gave Anna "the works":

Here's a shot of Anna showing off her beautiful dress:

I just love this next photo! So hilarious - Caitlin, Angela, and Karen helping each other zip up their dresses (those darn zippers were SO difficult to maneuver!)



Putting on the finishing touches... Anna's mom helps pin down the veil. The veil was Anna's "something borrowed" from ME!! I was so honored!!!

ah, the lovely bride!

Now that all the ladies were ready to go - it was picture time! It was fun goofing around with everyone during the hundreds of photos that were snapped by the photographer at the various zoo locations. Sadly, I only got one photo of the bridesmaids with my camera (and I forgot the turn the flash on for Brad!), but I stole two other photos from Angela on facebook...







Such a good-lookin' and fun bridal party!

The wedding went off without a hitch as did the reception. Dancing ensued, cake was cut, toasts were made... you know the drill!

This post would not be complete without mentioning how different it was attending a wedding with a toddler!! During Anna and David's first dance, I was outside with Luke while he pushed the stroller up and down the walkway. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down.

When Anna and David cut the cake, I was watching Luke climb up and down some stairs in front of the polar bear viewing area. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down.

(actually, I have a photo of that one...)



Luke usually goes to bed at about 7 or 7:30 - but since it was a special occasion, Luke didn't get in bed until 10:00!! That's very late for my sweet boy, but very early for exiting a wedding.

Such is life with kids! :)

We did manage to get a family photo (thanks, Angela!) and a shot of Luke and I before going back to the hotel.

Congrats to Anna and David Tuttle!! Now, when are you guys gonna have kids?! :)

Memphis - Anna's Wedding Weekend (part 1)

This past weekend, the fam loaded up the Tahoe and headed over to Memphis for Anna's wedding!! We left on Friday morning and I went straight to the bridal luncheon at the Beauty Shop. It was such a cute little restaurant - delicious food, wonderful dessert, and the best company! That night was the rehearsal (at the Memphis Zoo) and rehearsal dinner (at the BBQ Shop - YUM!)

We had some free time on Saturday, and although we were at the zoo the evening before, we decided to take Luke to the zoo again for the full experience!

We saw elephants...



We saw "kits" (cats)...



We saw koalas...

(koala in the background)

We saw ostriches...

We saw zebras...



And we saw giraffes...

Whew! Of course, we saw more animals than that - but that gives a pretty good overview (and showcases my best photos).

With all of those amazing and exciting animals to observe, this was really Luke's favorite activity at the zoo:

Pushing the stroller!!

He couldn't get enough of it!

It was all we could do to get him to look over at the animals sometimes... he was on a mission with that stroller!

Anywho, we all had a good time at the zoo! It was a beautiful day to get outside and walk around. Here's one more parting shot from the zoo experience:

(what a cutie pie!)

Next, we headed over to Huey's to have the "best burger in Memphis" and I must admit... it was an awesome burger!!

We made it back to the hotel for a little relaxation before the evening festivities began.



Ok, this seems like a good spot to end this blog post for tonight. Stay tuned for the next post about the beautiful wedding!

Anna's Bachelorette Party

The time came for another bachelorette party - this time, it was in Memphis for my friend Anna! Anna and I were roommates in college and she will be getting married in two weeks!! So exciting!

The evening was kicked off with dinner at a mexican restaurant and a little lingerie shower. Anna got lots of good gifts - some naughty and some nice!

It was so fun catching up with old friends during dinner! I hadn't seen Mandy or Erin since my wedding (three years ago!)

They really hadn't changed too much since college:


Ok, now let's take a good one! Smile!


After dinner concluded, we proceeded with the traditional bachelorette party activities...

we made Anna wear something ridiculous:

then we drank:

and drank:


and had fun!!

I think that the highlight of the evening was when we met this guy:



He found this "mustache" on the golf course earlier that day and proceeded to wear it like it was his own. Yes, we have no idea what the "mustache" actually was - honestly, it is probably better that way.

No one could escape Mr. Mustache Man:



Towards the end of the evening, we were able to get a couple of group shots. Here is a photo of the USM girls (this was after running down Beale Street in the rain)!!



And here's the whole group (minus Amy. Not sure whether she was in the bathroom or if the dude who took this picture accidentally cropped her out):



The night was fun and now Anna is ready to enter the land of the married folks!