THE day is here. This is the day we've been waiting for. All things and dollars and people coming together for this day. It was gorgeous weather, moods were wonderful (I say this because moods are not always wonderful when you get all of us together...someone's always a grouch...not naming names), I was on autopilot. The plan for the morning was for the girls to get up early, get dressed and head to the Bridesmaid Luncheon. We had to have our things packed up before leaving because we were moving to the resort where the wedding would be for the night. The guys would be checking us out of our ONE ROOM place and getting us checked in to the resort before we saw them again. We said our "good mornings" and "goodbyes" all in the same sentence.
We headed to the Bridesmaid Luncheon hosted by my sister Catha. She insisted, we were honored. It was held at Arcadia Farms....a place we were told about on one of our first visits to Phoenix and have made a point of returning to each time. They had me at "black & white." As you walk through the rooms, you see black & white checked upholstered chairs, black & white art, black & white toile china.....then a pop of color on the walls. I can't get enough of that place.......the decorating and the food.
We headed to the Bridesmaid Luncheon hosted by my sister Catha. She insisted, we were honored. It was held at Arcadia Farms....a place we were told about on one of our first visits to Phoenix and have made a point of returning to each time. They had me at "black & white." As you walk through the rooms, you see black & white checked upholstered chairs, black & white art, black & white toile china.....then a pop of color on the walls. I can't get enough of that place.......the decorating and the food.
Cameron posing for me outside of Arcadia Farms
As I said, my sister hosted this luncheon. She set it up, sent out the invitations and paid the tab at the end. I told her I would take care of the place setting/favor.....and that is all she would let me do. Jordan's bridesmaids' dresses were the color of a pear. So that's where this idea was born. Small clay pot, painted gold then black & white
curled wire stuck in to hold a card, then tied with a bow. Jordan wrote a note to each person in attendance and wrote their name on the outside of the envelope. Place setting now becomes photo holder party favor. I made 2 more than we needed and exactly 2 were broken in shipping.
Thank you party favor angel.
There were 3 tables of 6.....
There were 3 tables of 6.....
friends, mothers of the bride and groom, bridesmaids, and relatives.
All special in some way to Jordan.
I always try to match the walls of parties I attend.
Seriously, is that yellow washed wall the cutest thing?
Or is it just cute to me?
We had our very own room...actually building...
behind the outdoor patio of this place.
Jordan's first friend...Whitney. Whitney and her family lived 2 doors down from us in our first home...where Jordan lived until 9th grade. Whitney is only 6 weeks older so they really did grow up together. Whitney is now a successful accountant in Houston and she brought her mother, Denise, my friend and old neighbor...with her to Phoenix for the wedding. We had such a nice time reuniting and Whitney and Denisemade a vacation out of visiting Phoenix and the Sedona area.
In trying to keep our numbers below 120...the guest list was predominantly friends of Jordan and Chris. Whitney was allowed to bring a guest and I was so excited when I found out she would be bringing her mother. Denise and I spent many evenings on her driveway watching our kids play. Those days seem like so long ago now.
Cameron's gift to Jordan. Cameron lives out loud and always makes sure we laugh.
She brightens the atmosphere.
...wear them as a bold statement necklace.
Whatever works for them.
Thank you does not cover it.
***********************
We got back to the resort at 1:00 pm and had until 4:45 pm to be ready for the wedding so we rushed from our room to the reception room to the bride's room a trillion times because by the time I got to my room to set my clothes out for the evening someone would call me and say Jordan needs you to help her in her room and it was on the complete opposite side of the resort and I would head over there and then someone would text me that the reception room was almost available for us to start decorating and so I would travel on foot to the other side of the place and it wouldn't really be ready so I would start unpacking some of the votives and frames and stuff and then I would get a text from Chuck to meet him in the bar where he was just sitting and working on the toast for the night but then when I would get over there to see him he was all nervous and teary eyed and then I would start to walk back to the reception area and halfway Jordan would need me again and I would go over there and spend some time with her and then Will would text me and ask me to head to our room to help him with his tux and by the time I would head to the reception area again Chuck would call me and then I finally left it all in other's hands and got back to my room in time to get cleaned up and change into my wedding outfit and get back to the chapel garden by 4:45.....all this is to say it was an extremely busy 3 or 4 hours and then....
And then we partied.
And she headed off to a bright future.
Catha is my calm in any storm.
Thank you Chuck for being a wonderful father and husband. And providing Jordan with this wonderful wedding. And not really growling when we went over budget....because I warned you we would. Your money was well spent.
Day 3 was the best day. Day 4 is still coming. Come back.
She brightens the atmosphere.
The bridesmaids gifts were wrapped in
oilcloth vintage printed bags. The tags were simply a metal initial
found at Hobby Lobby. The girls can hang them in their room or....
...wear them as a bold statement necklace.
Whatever works for them.
Thank you does not cover it. I love you does not cover it.
Jordan loves you does not cover it.
But Catha, I think you know
how I feel about you
and about this.
Thank you.
I love you.
Jordan loves you.
***********************
The following sentences will not have punctuation because the next few hours went by incredibly fast and there was not a moment to breathe or stop as a period at the end of a sentence would suggest.
We got back to the resort at 1:00 pm and had until 4:45 pm to be ready for the wedding so we rushed from our room to the reception room to the bride's room a trillion times because by the time I got to my room to set my clothes out for the evening someone would call me and say Jordan needs you to help her in her room and it was on the complete opposite side of the resort and I would head over there and then someone would text me that the reception room was almost available for us to start decorating and so I would travel on foot to the other side of the place and it wouldn't really be ready so I would start unpacking some of the votives and frames and stuff and then I would get a text from Chuck to meet him in the bar where he was just sitting and working on the toast for the night but then when I would get over there to see him he was all nervous and teary eyed and then I would start to walk back to the reception area and halfway Jordan would need me again and I would go over there and spend some time with her and then Will would text me and ask me to head to our room to help him with his tux and by the time I would head to the reception area again Chuck would call me and then I finally left it all in other's hands and got back to my room in time to get cleaned up and change into my wedding outfit and get back to the chapel garden by 4:45.....all this is to say it was an extremely busy 3 or 4 hours and then....
Before I knew it, I was sitting on the front row at my oldest child's wedding and she was standing beside this man she loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with.
And then we partied.
And she headed off to a bright future.The End.
Except I really need to say a couple of more things here....do you know me?
In that rush and madness between 1:00 pm and 4:45 pm there were 3 people that I depended on and could not have done all of this without. They are my sister Catha and my two best friends, Karen and Debbie. They took over the decorating for me and gave me more peace of mind and comfort than they will ever know.
Catha is my calm in any storm.
Karen is my other half when it comes to decorating.
I knew it was in good hands with her. She reads my mind and then improves on it.
You may remember Karen is my traveling companion....Silver Bella and London. It was a treat to have her there. Thank you Karen for taking the time out of your busy, busy life. It meant the world to me to have you there.
And Debbie.......would do anything in the world for me. And she did.
But what she does the best is make me laugh. She gets me. It was good to have her around for those 2 days to make me laugh.
She is the little sister I used to beg my mama for.
I love you DeeDee.
If I had said to Chuck, "Please set all this out and then sprinkle glittery sequins around it all....", I would have been met with a blank stare.
These 3 girls sprinkled the glitter
without a blink of an eye.
And then there's this girl.........Caroline Fontenot....who captured it all.
Wedding ...no password
Rehearsal....password chilada
Bridesmaid Luncheon...password arcadia
(Really Caroline? Even your passwords are cute!)
Thank you Chuck for being a wonderful father and husband. And providing Jordan with this wonderful wedding. And not really growling when we went over budget....because I warned you we would. Your money was well spent.
And your Father of the Bride toast was the sweetest. I loved that you cried.
Day 3 was the best day. Day 4 is still coming. Come back.
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