Brian and I started planning our wedding on a flight from Baltimore to Las Vegas. Before you start envisioning two young lovebirds searching for Vegas wedding chapels and saying, “I do,” in front of an Elvis impersonator, we were not eloping! It just so happened that we had a previously scheduled vacation to Vegas just two days after Brian proposed. So 40,000 feet up in the air, Brian and I started talking about the family and friends we wanted to invite to our wedding, and include in our wedding party.
Since these early stages of planning Brian and I have wanted our wedding to be more than a celebration for us. We want our wedding to be a party for our friends and family. It is with the love and support from family and friends that Brian and I are about to celebrate nine years together. So it is time for us to introduce the family and friends in our wedding party, and what a blast it was asking these amazing people!
Rules are meant to be broken, and so I will have not one, but two gorgeous maids of honor. Kristina Beese and Alexis Blair ( a former Baltimore Brideintern!) thank you for being the unstoppable one-two punch pair that is going to get me down the aisle.
met both Kristina and Alexis my freshman year at St. Paul’s School for Girls. I am so fortunate that these ladies are among my closest friends. Brian and I may be sophmores to soulmates, but Kristina and Alexis you are my friends, freshman year to forever.
- Wine labels from mdp7 studio, koozies from lonestaraccessories, cards from beallara Etsy shops.
To help me ask this dynamic duo I purchased personalized koozies, custom cards, and personalized wine bottle labels from various Etsy shops. I wanted to ask Kristina and Alexis in writing because otherwise I knew my voice would give it away. My voice gets ridiculously high pitched whenever I am excited or anxious, so the wine bottle labels and cards were great. I held on to all my goods until one Friday night when Kristina and Alexis were at my apartment. I sneakily placed the bottles on the counter and waited for them to turn around and discover them. The reaction was priceless and pretty much simultaneous. Alexis screeched and Kristina started crying. It took several minutes for me to get a solid “yes,” from them. MOHs-check. Now on to asking the bridesmaids.
- Champagne labels from sweetsanity Etsy shop.
I met Melanie Gilarsky and Caitlin Herman in sixth grade at St. Paul’s School for Girls, and Kathleen Mack and I have known each other since we were five years old. Kathleen and I grew up in the same neighborhood and we both were apart of girl scout troop 411 together. Kathleen also attended high school at St. Paul’s School for Girls were we really grew close. I asked these lovely ladies to be my girls on a weekend trip to Washington D.C. with personalized champagne labels, cards and koozies.
Oh and talk about “Smaltimore,” before Brian and I were even a couple he knew both Kathleen and Caitlin. Brian attended elementary school with Caitlin and has known Kathleen since middle school. Not to mention my mother and Kathleen’s mother attended St. Paul’s around the same time.
Completing my group of bridesmaids are my future sister-in-laws, Jennie Young and Kelly Scheerer. Kelly and I also have a “Smaltimore” connection as we grew up in the same childhood neighborhood, and Kelly has known Kathleen since she was born. Not to mention both Jennie and Kelly also attended St. Paul’s. In fact, my entire wedding party graduated from St. Paul’s. I guess the school song rings true, “through all my days I’ll remember St. Paul’s,” and the friendships formed there.
I used the same personalized champagne bottles, and koozies to ask Jennie and Kelly with some minor changes. Jennie, who is expecting her second child got sparkling juice, and I hand wrote cards that read:
I’m grateful I’ve found the man of my dreams,
and even more blessed with the family that brings.
Will you stand by our sides when we say I do,
I am so glad we’ll be family, aren’t you too?
Brian’s mother was included in the celebration with her own champagnes bottle and card reading:
I’m grateful I’ve found the man of my dreams,
And even more blessed with the mother-in-law that brings.
I’m so excited for the day that I and your son,
will tie the knot as two families become one.
Thank you for all that you do,
And giving us your blessing as we say “I do.”
Now, Brian’s turn. Brian’s best man will be his older brother, Jeff Scheerer. His brother-in-law, Ryan Young and my brother, Scott Hendrick will also be groomsmen. Completing Brian’s groomsmen are St. Paul’s friends, Ryan Clayton and Wes Hughes, and college friend, Drew Sutton. These handsome gents will make sure Brian is there to take my hand at the end of the aisle. To ask family members Brian jumped on the Etsy bandwagon and ordered custom beer labels. Take a second look at the next picture because these are not your typical Blue Moon bottles. Note that upon acceptance of being a groomsmen the bottle states its contents must be immediately consumed.
Beer labels from FunBeerLabels Etsy shop.
Our flower girl is my Aunt’s granddaughter, Lilly Stockbridge. Lilly celebrated her role in our wedding with bubbles, a princess wedding coloring book, and a flower girl storybook to learn all about weddings.
Our wedding is about so much more than the commitment Brian and I are preparing to make. Our wedding is about the love we both share with our family and friends. We had a blast asking these individuals to celebrate in our wedding and hope they have a blast when the big day finally arrives. – Jessica Hendrick
