Wedding Rewind: Rehearsal Dinner

We hopped in cars from the Wildflower Center and headed over to Mercury Hall. I’ve never seen a downpour quite like the one we were driving in. We literally couldn’t see the car in front of us. It was coming down in sheets, no, more like waves. My handsome beau dropped us off at the front with an umbrella and I headed to the restroom to touch up some curls before greeting all of our friends and family that had come so far to be with us and celebrate us. All of my AZ girlfriends popped into the bathroom with me. It was so good to see them. It made things feel more normal and calm. It was time to celebrate.


My family and friends begin to flood into the beautifully decorated room. The Parrish family did an incredible job setting up the venue and transforming it into something even more beautiful. Mercury Hall was an old Baptist Church that was relocated to South Austin. It had beautiful white wood, and a fabulous lawn. Ruth and company (with the creative assistance of Shannon Jex) created amazing touches to make our Texas Affair come to life. Ruth beaded small mason jars that lined the stained glass windows, Shannon wrote our names in rope on an old wooden fence that welcomed our guests, there were painted boots, personalized with all of our favorites and yummy goodies and beer to snack on before the BBQ was served. It was perfect. They did an incredible job. All the hard work paid off. I can’t believe they put in so many hours of prep for us. So special. Honored.

How cute are all those amazing details that the Parrish family put together?


Family by family – people trickled in, trying to avoid the rain. For most, it was the first time I had seen most of them since they arrived in Texas. It was a sweet blessing to be surrounded by so many loved ones. Some made me tear up when I saw them for the first time, others brought huge smiles to my face. It was a good day. Joy.

Paul and Ruth kicked off the evening welcoming all of our guests from near and far. They laid down some of the “ground rules” of the venue and toasted us. Paul’s sweet words telling me that I am, “As smart and I am beautiful” made me feel loved, welcomed and happy to be a (almost) part of their family. I was taken back by gratefulness. Ruth had a special gift for Blake as well. She had boxed up and wrapped her cut apron strings that she was ready to hand over. She had done the same thing for Paul Jr. when he went off to college. Blake’s came a bit later :). Touched.

Then we ate. It was delish. Texas BBQ is simply the best. And Rudy’s no less. I tried to stomach as many bites of brisket and sausage as I possibly could – but the nerves were brewing in my tummy. I forced a few more bites of beans. Mac said I had done a good job (good enough anyway) and I was allowed to push my plate aside. Butterflies.

We jumped into the pile of gifts we were set to give out to our family and wedding party. It was fun to honor and recognize them. The girls looked perfect in their pretty pearl necklaces and the boys were all set in their sweet sunglasses. They had their party faces on. We had a blast shopping for the flower girls and ring bearer’s gifts. It’s so fun to buy for kiddos. Their huge bag of goodies was hopefully enough to keep them entertained for most of the weekend. They were so cute and gracious. Our sweet friends and family then toasted us. We were humbled by the kind and thoughtful words people communicated to us. Blessed.

There were gifts and toasts and hugs and tears....


And then we danced......


And we danced some more....

Oh boy did we dance!

The square dance callers were hilarious. They got everyone up and out of their seats (my definition of a good party!). The kids loved it. I think the biggest fans were Natalie and Kate Taylor. They never left the dance floor. It was such a fun way to mix and mingle our friends and families together and have everyone celebrate a day before the big day together. Most of the boys congregated on the back patio to smoke some cigars and drink a few beers in their new sunglasses. Grandparents and tired aunts and uncles watched from the peanut gallery that was forming around the dance floor. Sweaty and tired from being in our boots all night the evening came to a close. Content.

I gave my love on last kiss for the evening and he walked me out to make sure I got my beauty sleep for the next day. The next day! The next day! Our wedding day! My parents generously got my sister and I a room to ourselves for the night before. I wanted to badly to stay up with all of our guests and party in my parent's hospitality suite with the best of them. Being a good MOH like she was, Mac gave me 10 minutes and then scooted me off to bed. Cared for.
 

I was getting married tomorrow.

To be continued.....

If you want to catch up you can start by reading about

....the week before

....and the rehearsal.