UNC VS Duke & a 30th Birthday

This weekend my sister and brother in law came to town to celebrate his birthday as well as my husband, Justin's 30th birthday. Their birthdays are two days apart and Justin is a HUGE Carolina basketball fan while Doug is a huge Duke fan. We decided to watch the UNC VS DUKE game as their birthday party and just prayed the two brother in laws would still be friends after the game! Ha. I'm happy to report they are still speaking. (; 

We decided to have his family and just a few friends over for pizza, wings and finger foods. I think a great time was had by all.. especially Justin because Carolina won! The best decision I made was to make the food simple this year- I ordered pizza and a cake and then just had to whip up some easy chicken wings. In the past I have cooked a lot more and made a homemade cake. While homemade is always good it's no fun to spend all day in the kitchen when you have family in town and the clean up was much easier this way. I think it turned out perfect. My sister and mother in law made some appetizers: stuffed mushrooms, dill pickle dip and chili cheese hamburger dip. Yum! 

It was Justin's 30th but Doug's 31st

I was SO pleased with how the caked turned out! 

My mom hilariously gifted each of them a framed headshot picture of her. As a joke of course.. it was absolutely hilarious to see they faces when they opened it. 

Invitations ordered from Etsy

After the game the boys stayed up way to late hanging around the fire pit and doing whatever it is that boys do. The next morning we took my sister and brother in law to church with us and then headed over to my moms for the BEST lunch. BBQ shrimp, more chicken wings, corn on the cob and more... the best meal I've had in a while! After lunch we had to say bye to my sister and Doug and spent the rest of the evening napping and watching Hacksaw Ridge- a war movie but really good! It was such a nice weekend. I'm so sad it's over! I hope you all have a great weekend! 

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! 

Wedding Recap

I posted yesterday about my friend Sarah's bachelorette trip to Charleston, SC. Well, I'm back today with a recap of her wedding day! This wedding was so special! I am honored I was a part of Mike and Sarah's special day. You could truly see the love they have for one another! 

I set up a mimosa bar for the bridesmaids to kick off the wedding day. We were able to eat and sip our drinks at the house while we had our hair done and got ready. I think everyone needed a little something to ease the nerves before the big day! (; 

Have a little faith & if that doesn't work, have a lot of mimosas

It's hard to see here but we had peach, orange and grapefruit juice for the drinks

some of the girls getting ready!

with the maid of honor and bride to be! 

all of the bridesmaids 

After a fun filled morning getting ready for the big event it was time to load up the car and head to Sarah's church. I don't have a ton of pictures from the ceremony and reception because I was so busy and having a ball! I can promise you though it was the most gorgeous wedding EVER! The ceremony was sweet and sincere. I might have even shed a tear as Sarah walked down the aisle. The food was delicious at the reception and the dance floor was full all night. I call that a success! 

With my main squeeze (:

This picture isn't the best quality but it's all of our ECU girls back together! 

I had to sneak a picture of Henson in here somewhere. I was missing him up a storm all weekend and couldn't wait to get home to him!!  

I still can't believe one of my best friends is married! I'm so happy for you Mike and Sarah!! 

Charleston Bachelorette Weekend

A little over a month ago one of my friends celebrated their Bachelorette Party in Charleston, SC. With the sweetest bride to be and the southern charm of Charleston the weekend turned out absolutely perfect! I just love that town and especially being there with such good friends! We all arrived at different times Friday so we had more of a low key night grabbing dinner and celebrating at the hotel. 

 I just loved these adorable lingerie sugar cookies and diamond ring pretzel rolls! 

 Morning after kit made by the maid of honor complete with gatorade, snacks and tylenol. Just what the doctor called for! 

 All the girls before heading out for the day

On Saturday we woke up bright and early to make our way to Wadmalaw Island home of Irvin Vineyards and Firefly distillery. This was SUCH a fun trip, especially with a group of girls. Anyone looking for a fun activity around Charleston I highly recommend visiting the distillery/vineyard! We reserved transportation to carry us around all day. David, our awesome driver picked us up right on time complete with mimosas ready to go. The vineyard and distillery are located right beside each other. The land is absolutely breathtaking with rows of vineyards, live oak trees, a tire swing and barn styled buildings. We started out low key with a wine tasting and shopping at the gift shop. We then had a little bit more fun visiting the distillery and just hanging around enjoying the live music. It was by far the best part of the weekend!  

After resting up we headed out again that night for a very nice dinner and bar hopping out on the town. It happened to be restaurant week which meant lots of delicious food options. 

It was the perfect weekend! I'm a little late on my post so the gorgeous bride to be has already had her wedding and is enjoying married life. I'll be back to recap the wedding day!