Weddingbee Blog

Our rehearsal dinner, generously hosted by Mr. Turtle’s parents, took place at The Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach.

(Photo source)

Our photography package included having our photographer take photos of our rehearsal dinner. I would have never thought to hire a photographer for this night, but am so, so, sooo glad that we did! Much like our wedding photos, these are priceless to us! Thanks again, Chloe, from Mike Larson Photography Inc.!

When Mr. Turtle and I arrived at the banquet room, everyone was already seated and enjoying some delicious appetizers and Champagne.

Mr. Turtle’s parents got the centerpieces at Costco, and I thought they were totally gorgeous. (Budget brides: I would seriously consider Costco flowers if you plan to DIY!)

After we were seated, Mr. Turtle’s dad kicked off the night with a beautiful toast to us.

Then it was time to eat! The Cliffs served us a delicious buffet!

And as if the food wasn’t already amazing enough, next we had dessert!

Mr. Turtle’s aunt is friends with the chef, so she asked him to surprise us with a special dessert…chocolate covered red velvet cake with vanilla bean ice cream. Yummm!

See the plate with our names on it in chocolate? So cute!

Once everyone finished eating, Mr. Turtle and I introduced our wedding party and recognized each person individually by presenting them with a gift and thank you card. (Which I did finish in between the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, in case you’re wondering!) I gave each of my bridesmaids a pearl bracelet with matching earrings that I got in Hawaii and a really cute candle, along with a photo of all of us at my bridal shower. Mr. Turtle gave each of his groomsmen a $25 VISA gift card and a t-shirt from the movie, The Hangover (an inside joke).

Next, we presented gifts and thank you cards to our parents. We gave both sets of parents the same thing: a big, decorative wrought iron cross to thank them for raising us well and teaching us to trust in God, and a silver Pottery Barn frame engraved with “Unforgettable” to always remember our wedding by. Let’s just say they were touched…

After the gifts, it was slideshow time! Rather than making the classic wedding slideshow of pictures of the bride and groom, we made one to thank our friends and family for the special roles they’ve each played in our lives. We included a bunch of pictures of us with our family and wedding party throughout the years. I was super thankful to have finished the slideshow in time, but unfortunately we were having some major issues with getting the DVD to play. We only got to watch it because of our amazing photographer, Chloe, who along with the hardworking event staff at The Cliffs, were determined to make it work! This was not even in any of their job descriptions that night so it was a huge blessing and made a great impression on me. Thank goodness the slideshow worked, because it was a big hit! Everyone loved it!

As the evening drew to a close, I had Chloe take just a few more pictures for us! These fun pictures of us with our wedding party and family relaxing in our normal clothes were just another great perk of having our photographer at the rehearsal dinner! I love how they turned out!

Mr. Turtle’s groomsmen with their Hangover shirts

Me and my bridesmaids

Me and my parents

The very soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Turtle!!

After dinner, the girls split up from the guys for our last night before the wedding! It was so relaxing to me to just have some girl time hanging out that night. I highly recommend it!

In case you missed out on my earlier recap posts:

So Happy Together: The Rehearsal

All photos courtesy of Chloe Murdoch with Mike Larson Photography Inc.