Pink Roses

brother/sister moment:1...

{There were a few moments, this past weekend, that I want to remember forever.  Moments that are etched into my mind and heart, but I want to preserve in writing as well.  Moments that remind me that being a mother is the greatest job in the world.  Moments that remind me of how blessed I am. I am writing this for ME, but sharing it with you}

Saturday September 24, 2011 1:00am

Tonight was the rehearsal dinner, and the first true realization that Elizabeth is really getting married.  Friends and family from out of town were there and it was a lovely relaxed evening.  After we got home, we stayed up for a while, going over details for the next morning.  Time line of hair appointments, makeup, lunch, transportation, etc.  We had 7 people staying at the house, Elizabeth was sleeping with me, and all had gone to bed except us.  It was 1:00am. Elizabeth took a shower and washed her hair, and as the hairdresser had recommended, I was to put mousse in her hair and roll it in sponge rollers to give it extra body for her hairdo the next day.  She was out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, sitting on the bench in my bathroom at my dressing table.  I was standing behind her with a hairbrush in my hand, getting ready to start. Christopher walked in and asked what we were doing, and I explained.  He took the brush from me and with one hand he held her long wet tangled hair, and with the other, he started to slowly and gently brush her hair. NEVER, in 21 years, has he EVER brushed her hair. No words were spoken between the 3 of us, but our eyes were locked with each other in the mirror.  It was the kindest, sweetest, gesture of love I have ever witnessed between my two children.  It was completely unexpected. When he was done, he kissed us both goodnight and left the room.  She and I stared at each other in the mirror and began to cry.  "He brushed my hair" she whispered through her tears, "I love him so much".  "He loves you too" I managed to say.  "I know" she replied, "I know"...

married!...

 

My baby girl is married!  EVERYTHING was PERFECT on Saturday...the weather, the food, the flowers, the music...you name it, and it turned out just as we had hoped.  Elizabeth never stopped smiling all day, and night.  I've never seen her so beautiful, or happy!  She made EVERYTHING worthwhile.  I wasn't allowed to bring my camera to the wedding...(orders from my children-" just enjoy the day mom"), so these are from my Uncle.

She and Paul are just made for each other!

I will share details soon, once I have recovered! It was a fabulous wedding, surrounded by family and friends...so much love and laughter and happiness.  Every bit of planning and stress was worth it to see her so incredibly happy. It was the BEST weekend EVER...

2 more days...

My girl is getting married in just 2 days!  So much emotion and excitement...so many DETAILS!  I've never prayed for sunshine quite so hard!  This photo is of the gifts I gave her at one of her Bridal Showers...something old, new, borrowed, blue.  So much to share with you, but I promised her I wouldn't until after the wedding.  I'll be back soon, but until then, you can see some of our inspiration on my Pinterest HERE!

let's catch up...

So, it's been a while.  I hope you are well.  I miss you all!  Life here is great...busy, emotional, good, bad, high, low...you name it, we've got it.  Have I mentioned my daughter's getting married? :)  We are Wedding Central around here.  After it's all over I will be able to process it, and tell you all about it.  For now I have to-do lists galore, and 2 months left to complete them. The best news is...things are getting done, and we are down to the DETAILS!  I can't wait to show you everything!  I am almost finished with the tags...150 (different) tags that will be tied with ribbon to a vintage garden gate for seating assignments for the dinner reception...I am practicing my best penmanship to write on names and table numbers!

Christopher was home for 2 months and that was great, but I sort of coasted and enjoyed time with him.  He left 3 weeks ago for summer school, and since then I have been in HIGH gear with house stuff.  I have had painters and window cleaners, carpet cleaners and handymen in to fix and spruce up the house.  (My bedroom is no longer pink!)  Things are looking good.  I have a house full of guests flying in on Friday for Elizabeth's  Bridal Shower (and her Bachelorette party).  I will have 8 people staying with me, including my mom and sister, Christopher and Katie, and two of her best friends from college who are Bridesmaids.  My 3 best friends are hosting the shower and one of the decorations is going to be my mom's wedding dress circa 1957...

I had asked my mom if I could borrow it, and she had to FIND it...it was in a closet in the basement of her house in a trash bag!!!  She sent it to me and I had it cleaned and put it on my dress form.  It is going to be like the "Christmas tree" with her presents underneath it!  That should be cute!  I also carefully removed a small piece of lace from the back of the gown and sewed it onto a handkerchief for Elizabeth to use as her "something old".  I have a stack of 4 presents to give her at the shower: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.  I need to wrap them really nicely. It's on my to-do list! :)  Another decoration for the shower is this inverted hat box/wedding cake that I decorated (at my friends request)...

Elizabeth's new MARRIED  last name starts with "S"...

and I topped it all off with the little vintage cake topper that I photographed and used for their "save the date" cards...

remember...

Lots more fun details to share soon!  I will give you an update next week after the shower!  Back to the to-do lists, and a whole bunch of cleaning!

flower containers...

Elizabeth wants all the flower containers at her wedding to be different...vintage, shabby, unique...crystal, china, metal, silver, milk glass...you get it.

We found a terrific florist who, when we asked, "Can we bring you 50 different containers, and will you make a flower arrangement in each one and deliver it?"...she said "SURE...that sounds awesome!".  We knew we had found a florist with our vision.  So we are hunting and gathering.  Thinking outside the box.  Saving used up mercury glass jars from our favorite candles...

Washing and starching vintage linens...

She wants several containers on each table, mixed with pictures and objects and things...a rustic romantic vignette...

So we're playing and arranging and imagining...

that's what we're up to...

save the date...

Elizabeth has spent weeks searching for the right "save the date" cards for her wedding and couldn't find the perfect one.  She was looking for something personal, vintage and meaningful to her. I decided to give it a shot and took some photos of a vintage bride and groom cake topper that we have had for years.  I used my VERY limited knowledge of Photoshop to add text, and printed it out for her to see.  To my surprise, she loved it, and is going to use it!  The photo above is an example of the image and font and color.  The real save the date has all the appropriate information on it.  We sent the image to the printer yesterday, and should have the cards within a week.  One more thing marked off the wedding "to do" list!