Weekend Recap and Bridal Shower Etiquette

Last weekend I attended one of my friends bridal shower. I will be the matron of honor in her wedding in October. I was just thrilled to celebrate Kristi and her upcoming wedding! The shower was just perfect. It took place in Cary at the host gorgeous home. There was tons of food, lots of presents for the bride to be, and even bloody mary's and mimosas to top it all off. That's my kind of shower! (; 

 The bride to be!

Kristi's bridesmaid's that were able to attend 

There were 7 of us at the shower that are currently engaged. SEVEN. Isn't that crazy?! There must be something in the water.

Maghan, Kristi and myself are all in each others weddings this year. We have a busy and fun year coming up! 

The host explaining one of the games we played

With so many friends getting married there always seems to be some type of shower going on. I wanted to share some of the tried and true etiquette tips for those of you that may be in the same boat! I am by no means an "expert" in bridal shower etiquette but I have learned a few things along the way that may be helpful. 

Number 1: Focus on the bride. While this may be a time that you see friends you haven't seen in a while and as fun as it as to catch up with them, it's important to remember the real reason you are there. To celebrate the bride to be! Refrain from talking about your personal life (your own engagement, upcoming shindig, etc). You don't want to take any attention off the bride. After the shower is the perfect time to grab dinner or drinks with the friends in town! Sidenote- I'm not saying don't talk to your friends! After all the bride will probably be busy speaking to lots of people. My point is to refrain from talking about big events going on in your life that would take lots of attention off the bride at her own shower. 

Number 2: The no white rule.  The bride may or may not decide to wear all white to her shower. Either way this tradition should be saved for her. The bride may have been waiting a LONG time for it to finally be her turn to be the one in all white. Let her have her moment! 

Number 3: The guest list. Showers are not a time to bring along a friend or spouse.. unless the invitation specifically says to. Normally a bridal shower is meant to be a small gathering of the closest family and friends. Respect the guest list! 

Number 4: The gift. While I normally would not hound too much on the importance of gifts at the risk of upsetting anyone, I do think it's important to remember the whole purpose of a bridal shower is to quite literally shower the bride with gifts. If you have a budget, by all means stick to it but don't forgo the gift if you are attending the shower. Hopefully the bride has a registry that has gifts at a variety of price points! 

On another note.. Justin and I are getting married in exactly 100 days!!! The countdown is on. It's starting to feel oh so real! Bridesmaid gifts have been ordered, wedding day accessories have come in and the search for the perfect table linens has began. Happy Wednesday friends! 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday friends!  I'm linking up today for Five on Friday with DARCI, CHRISTINA, LIZ, and NATASHA. 

One. 

Just a little Friday pinterest inspiration. No explanation needed!  

Two. 

Last night Justin took me on a surprise date night. I had all of 45 minutes to get ready before he took me out to dinner and to a movie. He did tell me we were going to the movies but wouldn't tell me which one. He made me walk away when he purchased tickets and made me close my eyes walking into the theatre so that I wouldn't know which movie he had picked out until it started. I was THRILLED when I realized he had picked The Longest Ride which I had been wanting to see. The movie did not disappoint. It was such a SWEET love story. We both agreed that it is now one of our favorite movies. I suggest you go see it! 

Three. 

In an attempt to still eat healthy but eat something other than grilled chicken and veggies (a meal I have been eating way too much in preparation for bikini/wedding season) I made pizza on whole wheat pita bread for dinner one night this week. It was super easy, fast and didn't put me over my calorie goal in My FItness Pal. Anyone else use that? I just used whole wheat pita bread, marinara sauce, shredded cheese and piled on the vegetables. So good and no guilt. 

Four. 

We have mystery blooms all around our house right now. We moved in at the very end of August last year so we have been in our house through fall and winter. Not much was going on with the plants in our yard until recently. Spring has been a whole new story with different bushes  and flowers coming into bloom. When we moved in, the former owners left a pot at the front door. It had soil but no sprouts of any kind. It honestly looked like whatever had been planted in there was dead. Just for fun I started watering it, putting it in the sun and whatnot. I've been doing this since August with NO change whatsoever in the surely dead, mystery plant. About a month ago I noticed that low and behold there was a teeny tiny little green sprout peeking up through the dirt. In a months time that sprout has turned into this rather large stem. I still have no idea what it is going to be but I can't wait to find out! It's the little things, right? 

Five. 

I'm excited to head to Cary tomorrow for one of my best friends bridal showers. This year I have my wedding in August, am a bridesmaid in a wedding in October and matron of honor in another wedding in October. That means three engagement parties, three bachelorette parties, three + bridal showers.. you get the picture. It's a little busy but I'm so happy I have best friends to share in the excitement with! Lots of excuses for pretty dresses and cake. (: Happy Friday!

Dining Room Update

A few months ago I posted about our new Farmhouse dining room table. You can read about that here. The dining room is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I love that my future father in law built our table, I love how bright the room is with the windows and I love that this room is almosttttt complete. It has been so so fun decorating our home since we moved in last summer. There are SO many more things I want to do but I am trying to pace myself since everything I love cost a small fortune and we have a wedding coming up! Not a bad problem to have in my opinion. (: Since I last posted about our dining room table we have made a few changes. We added plates to the wall, purchased two fabric chairs for the end of the table and Justin's dad built us the matching bench for our farm table. 

I would eventually like to change the curtains for some longer ones and add a corner hutch or some type of buffet. It's a tight space so I'm thinking a corner piece might work best. I would also like to add some type of picture to the left side of the windows, until we get a hutch. Side note: those gorgeous flowers on the table are from my sweet fiance! He surprised me last week when I had strep throat. 

This is to the side of our dining room. I love the colorful Easter egg wreath that I found for under $10 at CVS!! I know I should take it down now that Easter is over but it makes me happy!  

This is our front door to the other side of the dining room. These shelves have been a struggle. For real, I have no idea what to do with them. They were there when we moved in. The tall picture to the left probably will not stay there but we are keeping it on display until we decide the perfect spot for it. (It is one of our engagement pictures that Justin's mom had blown up on a canvas as a Christmas gift) 

I love to see the progress we are making in our home. I have a feeling the house will never really be "finished" as it is so fun to get new ideas and make small changes here and there. Does anyone else feel that way about their home? Happy Thursday friends! The weekend is ALMOST here! 

Path to the Chapel: Lakeside Celebration

Happy Monday friends! I am back at work after a wonderful spring break. The countdown until the last day of school has officially began.. we only have 42 instructional days left before my first graders are out for summer! I spent part of my spring break getting ready to host some friends that were coming into town to celebrate our engagement at a lakeside celebration hosted by some of Justin's family and friends. The celebration was held at one of the host beautiful home on Lake Waccamaw. 

The entire evening was just perfect- our family and close friends were there, the food was delicious, the weather was perfect, the atmosphere was beautiful- you get the picture. The event made me even more excited to start our life as a married couple!! I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. 

With my fiance (:  

Thankful for lifelong friends!

 My parents (: 

The mothers! 

My bridesmaids that were able to come! We are missing a few.. so happy these ladies could join in on the celebration!! 

We LOVE our adorable, monogrammed picnic book bag gifted by the host

It was an incredible evening. I am so thankful for all of the love and support from our family and friends. We love you!