{"id":2709,"date":"2012-03-27T10:41:03","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T10:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studiowednashville.com\/nashvilleblog\/?p=2709"},"modified":"2014-01-09T00:58:46","modified_gmt":"2014-01-09T00:58:46","slug":"kelly-plans-a-wedding-the-bridesmaids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/kelly-plans-a-wedding-the-bridesmaids\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelly Plans a Wedding: The Bridal Party"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, I’ve told you all about my vendors, my fabulous groom, the journey from planning out my wedding in its entirety to changing my mind eight zillion times… It only seems fitting that I ought to introduce some of the key players!<\/p>\n

For our bridal party, Drew and I chose six of our dear friends & family members to stand by our sides at the altar. \u00a0We have two ring bearers {my sweet precious nephews} and two flowergirls {Drew’s adorable cousins}, as well as a 5-month-old flowerbaby {my first niece, who will be born in February!}. And since it was SO hard narrowing down my nearest and dearest to six, I have three lovely honorary bridesmaids who will be recognized and honored on our wedding day as well {just without the requirement to wear a certain dress or leave the comfort of their chosen seats at the ceremony!}.<\/p>\n

As far as bridesmaid attire goes, this has been a struggle for me throughout this process. If you’ve been following along with this series, you know I’ve had ordeals with changing my wedding colors {along with just about every other detail}. So, before I even changed my colors for real, I decided to look for bridesmaid dresses. And found one I thought looked good on the jcrew.com clearance. And asked my bridesmaids to go ahead and buy them. \u00a0Bad decision.<\/p>\n

Here are some words of wisdom:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I strongly suggest at least one of your bridesmaids gets to actually TRY ON THE DRESS you want IN PERSON. Or AT LEAST order it yourself, look at it in person, see how the color actually looks, and see if you like it enough to make your six closest friends buy it.<\/li>\n
  2. Take into consideration that not every one of your bridesmaids will likely look equally good in one style of dress. Especially if they range dramatically different in sizes, heights, body types, and shapes. Double<\/em>-especially if your matron of honor is giving birth five months before the wedding. She may kill you in the process.<\/li>\n
  3. It’s not a bargain if everyone loses money returning the clearance dress no one actually liked in person.<\/li>\n
  4. Try not to make a rash decision at the first seemingly attractive dress you see. I know it’s hard when you’re trying to please pocketbooks, but do your homework and refer to #1 when all else fails.<\/li>\n
  5. Sometimes, it’s best to just be honest. If everyone’s going to look like they’re wearing gold potato sacks and that’s not the look you’re aiming for, tell them. Warning: \u00a0They may kill you in the process. However, better to be in the bridal doghouse early on than to have your friends hate you at the actual wedding for dressing them in gold potato sacks!<\/li>\n
  6. When all else fails, pick a fabric and color and let them pick out what looks flattering.<\/li>\n
  7. Be sensitive to your 8-month-pregnant matron of honor and let her pick out a dress in May, dang it.<\/li>\n
  8. Save yourself the trouble and just go to The Bride Room<\/a> and order these precious Alfred Sung frocks. Preferably before your bridesmaids have already purchased an ugly dress and returned it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    With all that said, you live and you learn. I made a few mistakes in choosing my bridesmaids’ attire, but I think they’ll look lovely in what I chose in the end. {It’s a surprise!} Now, onto introductions!<\/p>\n

    _________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

    Bridesmaids<\/span><\/p>\n

    Laura Danielle Boudreau (Matron of Honor)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"{L to R: Dani (in blue) and me with our amazing Grandaddy, circa 1993! Dani, five months pregnant, and me before her husband’s OCS graduation at Fort Benning}<\/p>\n

    As the bride\u2019s older sister, Dani has served as Kelly\u2019s partner-in-crime for 23 years.\u00a0 From baptizing their childhood cats in the toilet to laughing inappropriately at movies, the two sisters have endured almost everything together. The bride is ecstatic to be standing beside her \u201cfirst friend\u201d at her wedding.<\/p>\n

    Laken Myers (Maid of Honor)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"{Laken and me on her engagement night, Dec 26 2010. Laken and me at my engagement party, Dec 10 2011! We’re getting married a little less than one month apart!}<\/p>\n

    Ever since the 8th grade and that fateful day when Kelly was assigned to crash cymbal duty in the band, she and Laken have been inseparable. The two have shared their most awkward years, immeasurably fun times, and entire wardrobes. From sunbathing during class to co-captaining the Color Guard, soaking in the Mexican sun, and dressing up in antique clothes, they\u2019re two peas in a pod.<\/p>\n

    Laurajean Gerber<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"{The two of us at a sorority event in November 2009. The two of us on my proposal night, November 2011!}<\/p>\n

    Laurajean is Kelly\u2019s long-lost soulmate.\u00a0 Harking from Denver, Colorado, she and Kelly met their sophomore year at Belmont.\u00a0 Both Alpha Sigma Tau sorority sisters, the girls\u2019 relationship blossomed throughout their collegiate years (even despite the distance… LJ spent a semester abroad in Italy). By their senior year, they couldn\u2019t imagine how they\u2019d ever lived without one another.\u00a0 They are forever friends, and Kelly is thrilled to have her faraway pal close by on such a special day.<\/p>\n

    Katie Bissinger<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"{Katie and I, at my 15th birthday and then my 21st (it was Barbie-themed!)!}<\/p>\n

    Katie and Kelly (names frequently used interchangeably) first bonded over Oklahoma!<\/em> the musical their freshman year of high school (which turned into a snow-day sleepover).\u00a0 They went on to act in multiple school productions (most of which never actually made it to stage before an audience) and perform in Color Guard with Laken.\u00a0 Many a joint birthday party (born one week apart exactly!) and sleepover later, they went their separate ways after high school graduation, but Katie and Kelly have remained dear friends and confidantes.<\/p>\n

    Julianna Bejma<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/strong>{I had to include Drew in all of these just because they’re so close too. ;) }<\/p>\n

    Julianna and Kelly have known each other at least since the second grade, when the two of them spent time playing Mickey Mouse games on the archaic Macintosh computer and doing classroom favors for their teacher, Mrs. Carter. Remaining close throughout their school days, the two friends parted ways with the rest of their friends after high school graduation and entered Belmont together.\u00a0 Julianna has seen Kelly and Drew through the entirety of their relationship (from day one!), lent plenty a shoulder to cry on, and dealt with the madness that was living with Kelly throughout college. She is a very special person to both the bride and groom, and they couldn\u2019t imagine spending the day without her by their sides.<\/p>\n

    Heather Pierce<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"{At a sorority retreat spring 2009, then at our then-boyfriends’ Phi Kappa Tau formal!}<\/p>\n

    Heather has served as a wonderful role model for Kelly throughout her years at college and beyond.\u00a0 Growing close first after spending countless hours studying for their ridiculously hard Political Science finals, the sorority sisters hit it off and kept up daily correspondence (via texting, crazy-long Facebook messages, and snail mail) from that point forward.\u00a0 Kelly is thrilled for Heather\u2019s upcoming accomplishment of receiving her Master\u2019s degree from Kansas University and can\u2019t wait to be reunited at the wedding!<\/p>\n

    Honorary Bridesmaids<\/span><\/p>\n

    Aspen Stack<\/strong><\/p>\n

    After six years of being the youngest of four grandchildren, Kelly\u2019s cousin Aspen was born.\u00a0 All her life,\u00a0 Aspen has been the younger sister Kelly never had (blonde hair and all!). Sharing everything from interests in drama and gymnastics to the same haircuts and Disney princess nightgowns, Kelly likes to claim her as her \u201cMini Me\u201d and is delighted to share this process with her!<\/p>\n

    Kat Anthony<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"{Kitty and me at Yellow Rose 2011, the two of us at sorority recruitment September 2011}<\/p>\n

    Kat, or Kitty as the bride lovingly refers to her, is a treasured friend and sorority sister. Kelly has admired Kitty for her drive, enthusiasm, and style since they met in the fall of 2010.\u00a0 After a semester of weekly cappuccino dates and five-mile walks around Nashville (not to mention a fun but frigid spring break trip to the beach), Kelly regards Kat as a pivotal part of her inner circle of friends.<\/p>\n

    Meg Nolan<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/strong>{At a sorority social, then our yellow rose formal 2010!}<\/p>\n

    Kelly met (and loved!) her \u201cLittle\u201d sister a semester before Meg even came to Belmont! Introduced by a mutual friend (the bride\u2019s own \u201cBig\u201d sister, Joy), Kelly and Meg adored each other from the start.\u00a0 Bonding over their love of dance, Wicked<\/em>, Alpha Sigma Tau, and J. Crew, Kelly has considered Meg a sister and friend for life and is so happy to have her be a part of such a wondrous occasion.<\/p>\n

    Groomsmen<\/span><\/p>\n

    Stephen Dellinger<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Stephen is Drew’s best friend and younger brother. The two share everything from a love of drumming and the outdoors to last names and good looks. Despite their childhood of trapping one another in laundry hampers and other hide-and-go-seek games gone wrong, the two brothers have maintained their closeness {even while living four hours apart}.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Joe Kirkus<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Drew and Joe are brothers and video game enthusiasts with a great fondness for making inappropriate jokes. \u00a0Bonding over “man things” like smoking cigars and riding the occasional motorcycle {to the bride’s chagrin}, they are goofy but endearing together.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Konrad Custer<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Konrad is Drew’s larger-than-life companion and roommate of three years. \u00a0When they weren’t watching tornadoes from their apartment balconies, throwing wizard theme parties, or making music for the band-that-must-not-be-named, you could find them in ridiculous getups {2008 Christmas Card, anyone?} or eating all of Kelly’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Greg Stafford<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When Kelly first introduced Drew to her childhood friends, they immediately recognized him as “kilt boy” from Page HS’s drumline {circa fall 2006}. Her memory was triggered once she saw Greg & Drew together {the mohawk-rocking & red afro’d, kilt-wearing tenor players… very much the “dynamic duo” of drumline}. The two extremely talented drummers are good friends with a zillion inside jokes and fond memories.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Spencer Roemer<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Spencer, the guitar player for the band-which-must-not-be-named, befriended Drew and Konrad when the three went to Centennial High School {prior to rezoning}. Sharing an affection for beer and music, they’ve maintained their friendship throughout the years.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Quinn Zielonko<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Quinn is Drew’s beloved grandfather and fraternity brother. Sharing the same taste in movies, women, and bingo-playing, the two are destined to be best friends for the rest of “Gramps”‘ life.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Inspiringly,<\/p>\n

    ~ Kelly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    So, I’ve told you all about my vendors, my fabulous groom, the journey from planning out my wedding in its entirety to changing my mind eight zillion times… It only seems fitting that I ought to introduce some of the key players! For our bridal party, Drew and I chose six of our dear friends […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[327],"class_list":["post-2709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kelly-plans-a-wedding","tag-the-bride-room"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2709\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/studiowed.net\/nashville\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}