Bridal Shower Shenanigans

Whew! I'm still recovering from a whirlwind Easter weekend. Brooke & Taylor came into town Friday afternoon and we ran all over Birmingham getting things together for the shower. Taylor was entertained by her new buddy Dir"K" (emphasis on the K), and PiperSipsey, who are apparently synonymous in Taylor Land.
On Saturday morning I sucked in my gut 'til I could suck no more and we were able to get me zipped into my wedding dress and made up and out the door by 8:15 to meet Chap (yes, we talked him into it) at the Botanical Gardens. It was raining, but I was not discouraged, because the lighting was actually a lot softer than it would have been had the sun been out. I'm DYING to share photos from that shoot, but Dirk stalks my blog occasionally, so if you REALLY want a sneek peak, send me an email and I'll forward you photos.
I was a little nervous for the shower, mostly because of the collision of all of the separate spheres. Family, future in-laws, work friends, concert friends, dog park friends, dinner friends, I was very anxious about not getting to spend enough time with each and every one of these wonderful women. Everything turned out great, however, and I had SO much fun! I could not have asked for a better bridal shower! How cute that Brooke decorated everything with Easter candy?
Aimee was in charge of the shower games and she took some inspiration from "Project Runway" and split everyone into groups to create a toilet paper wedding gown. Brooke volunteered to be a bride and all was fine and dandy until...
Taylor flipped her $h!t.
So then the competition was between my cousin Kate, and Laine, whom I have been babysitting for for almost seven years. Laine was REALLY into it, as her expression in this photo indicates. Laine won "Most Traditional" bride, and Kate won "Most Ethnic" bride for her elaborate African-inspired headdress.
I got half of my place settings!
Here's the lovely hostess!
Here are my gals, Aimee, Stephanie, & JB, we've all worked together (at some point or another) at Cantina, and that means we've also partied together. Aimee is also one of my bridesmaids.
AMBER! I can't talk about Amber without an explanation point. I've always had a "little friend" in my life, Leyna was my little friend in Iowa, and Amber is my little Birmingham friend. She is amazing. A photographer, single mother, and expert climber (she's currently planning a trip to South Africa to go climbing!) We've had our ups and downs, but we're on an up, and I couldn't be happier. She's the one who will dance her booty off without me no matter what music is playing :)
All in all, I came away from the entire day feeling so blessed, and also a little guilty. I mean, do I really deserve all of this generosity?! People were so kind and sweet to think about us, and no amount of personalized thank you notes can ever truly express how grateful I am.
Taylor was great at helping me open presents. And climb on top of them. And pop the bubble wrap. And eat the cheetos. And suck the ranch dressing off of my carrot sticks.