Weddingbee Blog

After our couples’ portraits it was time for bridal party photos, which I’ll show you in a minute. But I couldn’t do that without briefly introducing you to my two closest and dearest friends.

When I thought about the people I’d like standing by me on my wedding day, I knew that it would likely be a very short list. I don’t have any sisters, but I’m the oldest of 7 girl-cousins! However, they all live far away and are in various stages of college/early career (in fact, only one would make it to the wedding) and I was thinking it would have been a hassle for them to deal with being bridesmaids. Also, our wedding was pretty small, and if I’d had my family up there with me, no one would have been left to be in the audience!

So I immediately thought of my two best friends: My friend E, whom I’ve known since graduate school (the one whose bridal shower I showed you a while back):

Young friends in 2007

…and my friend J, who teaches in my same district, and has become like a sister. J is my “silly” friend and we are always laughing together and having a great time. We have a ton of inside jokes and sometimes have to avoid looking at each other to keep from laughing at inappropriate times. I don’t have too many photos with her but I do treasure this photo of her that I took during one of our (many!) silly times together:

laughing in 2008

We had a pretty relaxed schedule, and we didn’t leave the Tower Club building, so there was lots of time for hanging out and walking around.

We did have official “bridal party portraits,” but I like this outtake too. I’d just said something and I love the way my friend E was looking at me.

Did you notice their dresses? Believe it or not, E’s dress is from David’s Bridal, and J’s dress is from… wait for it… a thrift shop.

J and I had gone shopping last spring for a dress for her to wear to her stepdaughter’s wedding, just a few months before mine (I mentioned it briefly in this post) and decided to visit the Rose Garden, a thrift shop/charity operation south of downtown Dallas.

We found this amazing, perfectly-colored, perfectly-fitting Lazaro dress in perfect condition for just $25 (less than one-tenth its original price). It was too good to pass up. Of course, there was only one, so I called E and told her that we’d found a dress. Luckily, she was a good sport about it and found herself a similar-enough dress at David’s Bridal.

Both my girls look amazing, and I’m so happy to have had them with me for my wedding. Aren’t they so elegant?

The three of us are all pianists and music teachers. Here, we look like a formidable singing group.

Oh, and my husband had some groomsmen, too. His two cousins, who are brothers, provided immeasurable support that day and we’re honored that they were with us! The three of them look quite a bit alike. Here they are about to make a wedding offer I wouldn’t refuse.

We had some smaller members of our party, too. My little brother was our ring bearer, and he did an adorable job. Here he is looking pretty pensive:

We also had an honorary member of the bridal party. E’s little daughter, who stole the show at our engagement party, was just a baby when we got engaged. It seemed really weird to say, “I know your child can’t walk, sit, or crawl yet, but can she be a flower girl in our wedding 18 months from now?” So I left it alone.

At the wedding though, she was super cute in her little pink dress. When we weren’t looking, she walked over to her mom’s bouquet and plucked herself a big rose; here she is showing off her find.

She carried it around all day, like she knew what she was doing! So she was our “honorary flower girl.” So cute!

We were so lucky to have these four (well, six if you count the little ones) to help us on our wedding day. I’ve always loved those wedding-day photos that show the bride surrounded by a gaggle of girlfriends wearing matching robes or something… but that’s never been my reality. I loved our super-small bridal party, and I couldn’t have asked for better friends to share my day with.

Will you/did you have a small bridal party? Who will/did you include?

Photos, unless otherwise noted, by David Wittig Photography.

Previously:

• A dark and stormy night
• Our Wedding Rehearsal
• The rehearsal dinner
• The Wedding Morning
• Getting Ready
• The Unveiling
• Fun With Cameras