Shower time

the lovely invite!

In addition to dress success, I also attended a beautiful bridal shower that my three lovely bridesmaids threw for me this weekend :)  Now I know I'm partial, but I think it might have been the best shower ever.  The lovely ladies held the shin-dig at a Logan Circle spot called Churchkey.  In addition to being one of our (me and Javs) favorite spots (because they have a ridiculous list of beers on draft that are all delicious), it was also where Kels, Scottee and we (me and Javs) celebrated on the night of our engagement.  It was a great way to incorporate the neighborhood we've really come to love, into our wedding celebration!

They reserved the private lounge area in the back and decorated with fall ORANGE to brighten the place up.  I wish we had gotten pictures of all the little details, but I'll tell you there was also a similar 'Congrats Audrey' sign.  Then they had little labels for all the delicious food that we were served: fried mac & cheese (yeah, I know!), brandade buttons (which were like risotto balls), fig and proscuitto pizza, veggies and dip, and a shrimp, chorizo and avocado pizza.  To accompany our awesome eats, we had our pick from their extensive beer list, although the girls provided some suggested brews to make ordering easier.  I was excited to see the Sidewalk Saison on their list of suggestions since I knew it was a recent addition to the Churchkey beer list.  It proved to be an excellent suggestion and choice :)

The ladies had also created some adorable cards where guests could write happy memories, marriage advice or recount times when they knew Javs and I were gonna be good for one another.  I can't wait to go back and read all the wonderful (and I"m sure sometimes silly) things the guests wrote.  Then it was time for some games!  In honor of Javier's love for words we had a little scattergories challenge.  Everyone agreed that 'J' is not the easiest letter to start words with, but my cousin Amber ended up being the big winner!  And I tried to take away some tips from the 'items for the wedding day' and 'honeymoon' categories.  Apparently lots of folks think 'cash' might be a good thing to bring to Chile...

Then, like most lucky brides, I had the opportunity to be showered with gifts!  I was truly overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends and family.  I couldn't pick a favorite present if I tried, but I will tell you that we received some very exciting items off our registry :)  I was impressed by a few folks that put together some themed gifts :) And truly touched by others who gave some awesome presents that they thought of on their own.  I didn't have a chance to read the cards (as I tried to keep the present opening portion of the day moving along) but Javier and I read them as I shared with him each gift.  Everyone wrote such kind words, I felt showered with love more than anything.  Was really awesome!  In addition to all the great goods, Lisa was also kind enough to fashion a bouquet using each gifts' ribbon during the present opening.  It is tradition to use this bouquet at my rehearsal and is a sort of way to have these close family and friends with me as I'm getting ready for the big day.  (Read more about this tradition!)

Then, Javs came!  Well kind of.  Those sneaky bridesmaids had gotten my fiance in on my shower fun and had him record some trivia questions and answers to test my Javier knowledge.  He asked me 13 questions (in honor of our wedding date) and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did.  I missed a question about the worst meal we'd ever made (a cream of wheat disaster that Javs can share with you) and my biggest Javier pet peeve (although he named all three I had been debating between....).  But we hit some high notes when I guessed that Aladdin would be the Disney character he'd want to be if he could chose any and that Jamie Cullum was the wedding expense we'd splurge on if $$ was no object (he's a pianist and singer that costs a measly $150,000 to have play at private events....).  It sounds silly, but I was mostly reall happy to see his face :)  and feel like he got to be a part of my special celebration as well.  Great idea bridesmaids!

As always, it was really the people that made my shower such a special experience. Summer is a busy time and I'm learning that, while a bride's life is somewhat put on hold during her planning year, the people around you still have other stuff going on (who knew?) - so I was really touched when so many of my friends and family were able to make it!  I'm lucky to have friends going through this planning process right now too - cause they know how important these events feel :)  And so many college girls that came from all over - to fall right back into our fun and chatter like no time had passed. 

And my DC friends and family braved some scorching heat to join in on my fun day as well.  Thanks so much to everyone for coming!  And a big thanks to those that couldn't make it, but sent beautiful presents and lots of well wishes.  We missed you, but your love was really felt!

I tried hard to savor every minute, but like all wedding related occasions, it felt like the whole weekend flew by too fast!  I'm sure this is just a snapshot of how I'll feel after the wedding, but I definitely already thought: 'I wish I had spent more time talking to ______' and 'I hope ________ knows how much I really appreciated them coming' and of course 'Oh no, I'm behind on my Thank You's!'  But I can write _______ an email to make sure I've caught up on whats going on in their life and I'll make sure I tell _______ again the next time I see them how much it meant that they came.  And the Thank You's will get done when they get done.  I'd rather spend some time and try to express to everyone how happy I felt with their thoughtfulness. 

So for now, I'll continue to work on savoring these moments and leave you with balloons :)