Weddingbee

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How cute is that little tent? I love the party lights. Although the weather was perfect, the tent really helped set the mood.

Mr. P’s brother-in-law Marc stocks the bar. The beer selection was killer. Marc drove into one of Chicago’s many wonderful Hispanic neighborhoods to get some specialty beers (other than Corona!). My favorite was Tona from Nicaragua. I also made up a few pitchers of margaritas- which were pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

Mr. P and the youngest of his older sisters, Vicki. She was the brains behind the shindig.

We catch up with Mr. Peacock’s side of the bridal party. How cute are those centerpieces? Each table had a different flower and a different citrus fruit.
There were framed photos of Mr. Peacock and me throughout the years. Vicki also made bright table runners to add more bright color to the tent. This photo is of one of Mr. Peacock’s groomsman/lifelong friend with his beautiful wife. She is due in SIX WEEKS! Can you believe it?

The favors! Everyone was invited to take home a little potted herb that works well with Mexican dishes. We lucked out with some cilantro, jalapeno pepper and thyme. It was such a cute idea and the guests loved it. Vicki also had a little guest book for us. She is handing it off to another of Mr. Peacock’s sisters for our next shower. We decided that we wanted to wait and read all the notes before the rehearsal dinner.

One of the most memorable aspects of the shower was taking a walk down her street… to our new house! I will write another post about this, but Mr. Peacock and I are officially in escrow. We bought an adorable bungalow down the street from Vicki and Marc It is going to need some lovin’ before we move in, but we couldn’t be happier. It was so fun to show it off in its “before” stage to all of our favorite people.

Thank you to Vicki and Marc, as well as Mr. Peacock’s mom who played a major behind the scenes role, for throwing us such a wonderful party!
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Kelly, Erin’s sister and MOH, helps with her earrings

Yup, I’m a bride!

Aren’t her eyes amazing?!

They had just seen each other for the first time. Jeff can’t keep his hands off her!

Erin LOVED her Kate Spade shoes

The wind calms down for a quick shot with the bridesmaids

OMG! We’re freaking married!

Erin’s dad welcomes the crowd. Per usual, he was goofy, loving and thoughtful all at the same time.

Kelly toasts the happy couple. Erin is trying to keep herself from making the ugly cry face.

Me and Mr. Peacock. I am singing “At Last” to him… poorly.

Dean did such a great job capturing their personalities. That picture of them walking down the aisle after saying their vows is absolutely perfect. I hope you enjoyed their love story as much as I did!

Do you find yourself getting just as excited about some of your friends’ weddings as your own?
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My first tasting was with Company B. Mr. Peacock was not able to come with me, so I dragged my BFF Erin along and we took notes. There were a few misses, but most of the food was really amazing. We were able to pack up and take home the leftovers, which Mr. P devoured right when he walked in the door. The food was cold and anything that was originally crunchy was no longer, but he still loved it. Company A’s tasting was nothing compared to Company B. They tried to pass off a mini quiche as a deep dish pizza (Come on! We live in Chicago!) and they didn’t take any of our suggestions into consideration when preparing the tasting menu. The customer service was also sub par. In fact, I still haven’t heard from them since the tasting a year and a half ago.

I happily called Company B to let them know of my decision. Since then, I have had quite a few wonderful conversations with my sales person. She was always prompt, emailing me back within 10 minutes of sending it, even on Sundays! Her knowledge of the business was incredible.

Then, I got the email of doom #1- she was leaving Company B to become a hot shot at another big catering company. I was honestly heartbroken. I set up one last meeting with her and her “replacement” (I will call her Sally) so that I could feel confident in their services again. The meeting went well and I walked away assured. Until email of doom #2 arrived from Sally, introducing me to the true replacement, “Nancy”. Apparently Sally was simply filling in during the interim. I could either decide to stay with her or work with Nancy. I left the topic alone for awhile to think about it. I was confused, and very unhappy with how they had handled the situation. I was set to meet with Sally again at the rental company’s warehouse to select our chairs, tables, dishes, etc. in a few weeks and I would make a decision after that meeting.

Sally didn’t show up at the warehouse. In response to an email that I had sent her the night before, she called me that morning to let me know that she wasn’t aware of the meeting (although we had discussed it at our first meeting) and that she didn’t need to be with me. She felt that my mom and I could handle it without her. She was wrong. The warehouse visit went poorly because their salespeople weren’t sure what Company B would need to prepare the food, serve the coffee and create the bar. I wasn’t able to place my order and I walked away crabby.

I have my first meeting with Nancy this afternoon. I am already frustrated with them. I am very concerned because this is our biggest bill and the vendor that I will have the most contact with leading up to the wedding day. I chose Company B because the food was good, but truly it was for the customer service. I hadn’t been planning on hiring a Day of Coordinator, but these experiences (along with conversations that I have had with other Company B brides and coordinators) have caused me to rethink that move. The wedding is in less than three months. It has been smooth sailing until this point, and now I am starting to worry.

Has anyone else had a big vendor flake out on them so close to the wedding day?
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Check out those lashes! I need to get those permanently implanted.

I can see my make-up giving up here, but not my hair!

It’s not as perfect as it was at 10:00 that morning, but I think it still looks good! I am definitely bringing these with me to my hair trial. I am not using Livia for my wedding because I have a major crush on my stylist and I want her to do it, but I wanted to share her contact info with the Chicago brides in case any of you are looking for an excellent stylist for your wedding. She will travel to you, which is a major perk! Livia Caporale- 773-386-2699
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Bridesmaid Sarah and me. We were happy to break out our tank tops again.

The gorgeous all-peony bridesmaids bouquets. I had my nose in them alll day, they smelled so good!

The bride’s bouquet. Such a pretty collection of flowers!

The bride had been anxiously checking the weather all week and we had been expecting thunderstorms throughout the day. After a few coats of waterproof make-up and lotsa hairspray, we were prepared for anything. Fortunately, there was only a quick shower right before we headed out for photos and then the sun was shining. The wind was definitely blowing, too.

The bride and groom

I loved our dresses! They were from Simple Silhouettes. The pear color looked beautiful with the pink peonies.

The ceremony was beautiful! The waterworks were definitely on. I can’t believe she is leaving me for Cincinnati!

Most of my reception photos are of our friends and family, so I will hold off on the flower and decor photos until the pro pics come out. I do love this picture of the Maid of Honor, Erin’s little sister Kelly, giving her speech. She is so cute and funny, and you can really tell how much Erin was enjoying it!

There were a few problems, but Erin’s DOC- Amy Vaught from Vaught Events- was all over it. Traffic from the photo location to the church was horrible. When we arrived ten minutes before the ceremony, the contact was all over us for being late. “The Father will not wait for you!!!” The DOC quietly escorted her from the bridal room, allowing us a few moments to freshen up and giving Erin a chance to breathe.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, but we were greeted with problems at the reception venue. The security guard was waiting at the door to let Erin know that the electricity had been out for the past few hours due to the high winds and he wasn’t sure when it would turn back on. The AC was out and the 90 degree temps were heating up the room. We also weren’t sure what we would do once the sun went down. The tables hadn’t been set up the way Erin had asked and people were filling the room that had been set for dinner. Erin wanted a big reveal, so she was freaking out.

Amy was on the scene again, leading Erin away from the security guard to a small conference room with a glass of wine. She then rounded up all the candles she could get her hands on and started peppering the room with light. Fortunately, the power came back about 10 minutes before dinner and saved us from the sweat bath. Everything was forgotten once the music started. I had Amy’s card in my hot little hands before the night was over. Erin said it was some of the best money she had spent, and I agree with her!

It was such a wonderful day. It got Mr. Peacock and me so excited for our wedding, we couldn’t stop talking about it all weekend. I can only hope that we look as happy on our day as Erin and Jeff did. Congratulations, you two!

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Erin and I met when we were in second grade. She was a transfer student into our small Catholic school and due to the magic of alphabetical order, we sat next to each other. We were thick as thieves that year. We organized an “act” for the talent show, which solely consisted of us skating around in circles in the gym to Hangin’ Tough, doing random motions with our arms. We also participated in the school’s fashion show. A few weeks before the big show, we decided that since we were going to be models we needed to go on a diet. We would only drink Diet Cokes. Yup, that’s what Barbie does to second graders!

From our little school to high school to a few years in college and then roommates in Chicago, Erin and I remained best friends. She was even working with me at my first job when I met Mr. Peacock. There were a few years in junior high when things got a little dicey, but our friendship was saved by a dumpy little pool in her neighborhood. As soon as we were old enough, we started working in the office, then lifegaurding and finally coaching the swim team. We had a small, ridiculously close group of friends throughout those summers (the Pool Group- creative, I know) and they are some of the best friends I have ever had. There were four guys, four girls, lots of trouble and more inside jokes than most people could handle. I really give credit to our significant others because I know it can be really annoying to hang out with us.

Most of the Pool Group! Saxty, me, BO (getting married in July), Erin and Stevie.

Me and the Bride!

Erin, I love you too much and I am so excited for this weekend!

To the rest of you, I will be back with pictures on Monday!

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Doesn’t look relaxing? We are going during the off-season and during the week, so we even got a bit of a deal on it!

Anyone else planning a mini getaway before or instead of a long honeymoon?
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