Abby's Wedding - Friday

Time for post #2 of the Wedding Weekend Recap.

As I said in my last wedding post, us girls woke up feeling fabulous, which was good because we had alot of work to do that morning. Luckily we were able to get into the reception site that morning to decorate, so we loaded up my mom's car and headed up.

My mom had a great task for a super anal math major - arranging the 200 place cards.

I was totally in my element when completing this task! I honestly don't have a creative bone in my body, so I was happy to do a task like this while my mom, sisters, and sister-in-law started hanging icicle lights,

and assembling the centerpieces

My mom was super organized and we had lots of hands helping, so we were out of there by 2 and back to the cabin so we could get ready for the rehearsal and groom's dinner.

As usual, the weather was on the crappy side - cool, windy, overcast. When we were leaving for the rehearsal, it wasn't raining (yet) so Abby & I got a few photos with our dad.

And of course we had to get a quick photo together - there's no such thing as too many pictures of my sister & I, I guess!

The rehearsal went smoothly - everyone showed up on time, which is always appreciated! Here's a photo of my dad, mom, Abby, & Ryan.

After the rehearsal, we headed over to the State Park where the rehearsal dinner was being held. They had it in this little chalet/lodge that is on a lake - such a beautiful setting! Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, so we all had to eat inside, but it was still a wonderful evening.

My brothers are amazing cooks, so they catered the rehearsal dinner. Here's a picture of my brother Kevin, tending to the chickens.

Don't they look delicious? We feasted upon chicken, beef brisket, potato salad, and baked beans. Dessert was root beer floats. Mmm. Everything was so delicious. I forgot about calories for the evening and ate to my hearts delight. :)

I was too busy eating to snap many photos, but I did get this great picture of my youngest nephew, Matthew. He was giving me kisses when I was taking this photo - check out those beautiful blue eyes!!

After dinner, Abby and I headed to the hotel where my parents had gotten a room for us. I was so glad that I got to spend Abby's last single night with her! It was a special experience. I thought she might be nervous so I was fully prepared to be a calming influence on her, but she was cool as a clam that night, and all weekend.

It had been a long day, and her hair appointment was starting at 7 a.m. the following morning, so we hit the sheets pretty early.

We both tossed and turned for awhile - the anticipation of the exciting events of the next day made it tough to fall asleep...