Jax wedding

Wedding number three of the year checked off the list! It was a beautiful three days in Jacksonville and I had a total blast! The flight out was a bit stressful- we had a slight delay at our arrival gate in SLC and I would nervous that I wouldn't make it to the Atlanta connection in time. Luckily the gate was super close so I could grab CPK and make it onto the next flight. Then in Atlanta, the flight into Jax was delayed by about an hour. The area I was in reminded me of Ellis Island. Ugh. And then, the worst part was that I was sitting next to a man who had his head in a vomit bag the entire flight. Therefore I spent the flight standing up by the lavatories since I didn't want to be around that at all. I felt bad but I did not want to get thrown up on. I didn't land until midnight and with getting my suitcase, Amy and I didn't get back to the house until nearly 1 and weren't in bed until 2 or so. It was really late and we had to be up early the next morning to take the dresses into be steamed and then meet up with Lisa. Lisa and I got to chat while we got our nails done and then it was off for some Chick fil-A for lunch (yum!) and then off to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

Best part of the rehearsal was the crazy to the minute schedule from the military Devon and then the chatting we had at our table at the rehearsal dinner. The location of the dinner was this beautiful little French restaurant and the decor inside was definitely French. Even if the place hadn't been called the Brasserie, just seeing the interior would have made the influence clear. The food was comme-ci, comm-ca; the salad was bitter, they gave us sherbet in between our courses and the steak wasn't really cooked. Amy's was nearly raw so she brought it home and we ate it with mac 'n cheese at 10:00 at night. Andrea asked kind of cheekily what was for dessert and turns out there wasn't any. Oh, and our waiter looked like Mil Ventimiglia. I kept wanting to call him Jess.

Again, it was a kind of late night since we were up late eating dinner and chatting so the next morning, Amy and I headed out to our hair appointment and made a stop at Starry-bux for some much needed caffeine. The hair appointment was luxurious- I love getting pampered and my stylist was so sweet- we had a good chat while she did my hair. I love that she was able to keep my bangs out of my face and the hair spray certainly held up through the entire night and the dancing. We headed over to the church for our makeup and relaxing time before the ceremony. Jack Johnson was playing in the background, we were being pampered again by the makeup artists, we had some snacks and lunch and chatted with each other.

Then it was into the dresses and time for pictures- there were what felt like millions of pictures taken and it was fun to feel like a celebrity for the day. We all looked great in our dresses and Mindy looked absolutely gorgeous in her beautiful beaded dress. Before we knew it, it was time for the ceremony. I loved that they used their friends and family to read verses about marriage and life together and Mindy and Devon looked incredible together!

Then it was more pictures inside the church and then outside the reception location which was this beautiful yacht and country club a few minutes away from the church. The wedding party hung out outside while waiting to be introduced and then it was time for introductions by the DJ, first dances and finally dinner! By this point we were starving, having only some chocolate to snack on between lunch at noon and dinner. The food was delicious and I got to chat with AMy, Brian and Andrea as we sat up at the head table. There was mingling, exploring, eating and drinking, toasts and then finally the dancing, myfavorite part. When I get married, I want an endless dance party- you heard it here first!




DJ Jacob did a great job with the music- we tried to get as many people up on the floor as possible and I had a blast dancing with the cousins on either side. There was a garter toss and the bouquet toss and I caught the bouquet! Prince Charming, I'm ready and waiting! More dancing and insanity ensued and then it was time to send them off with sparklers and a decorated car. Overall, an incredible wedding and I'm so pleased that I was able to be there for Mindy and Devon!

Since every wedding needs an after party, we headed to a bar called Harmonious Monks which is known for its band made up of the waiters and bartenders. THey all sing cover songs of famous artists and everyone sings along, dances on tables and chairs and has a blast. They sang everything from "Proud Mary" to "Minnie the Moocher" to "I Will Survive" and I was proud to say that I knew every song. And got to dance up on the tables/booth we were sitting in. Loved this place- Orange County and Boise need their own!Amy and I ended up chatting that night until nearly 3 am so we all slept in a great deal Sunday morning. After a southern breakfast of eggs, sausage and biscuits, we headed out to San Marco which is a cute little area near the river and downtown Jacksonville with great little shops and theaters and coffee houses. We went into a great chocolate store and shared chocolate covered oreos and then went to a bookstore where I got two (two!) Madeleine L'Engle Christmas books. I love Madeleine and I miss her quite a bit. I got three of her books a few weeks ago when I was at a used bookstore in Nampa. She can do no wrong in my eyes. I wish she hadn't passed away. We chatted a bit in Starrybux because it was so cold (what's up with that, Florida?) and then off to the airport.

Now I'm writing to you from the plane while watching the craziest Iron Chef America Ever. The Chairman was doing flips in a Santa Costume, Paula Deane and Cat Cora against Tyler Florence and Robert Irvine, Katie Lee Joel, Tina Fey and Ted as judges, Lorilynne in an elf costume and lots of kitchen shenanigans. Nothing better. I'm almost home- I can't wait to see all of you Irvine folk over the next few weeks!