Wedding

Meredith's wedding was last weekend. It was perfect. The wedding was up in Coffee Creek. Basically go up Hwy 5 to Redding and head west. The area was BEAUTIFUL and I had never seen that part of the state before. There were mountains and lakes everywhere. They got married at the Carrville Inn, a lovely property that reminded me of a plantation.

We kicked it off with a bridal shower Friday morning. We mingled, ate and drank. It was set up on a patio in the middle of redwoods. Talk about decor! After the shower we worked on the flowers for a few hours. My mom was in heaven as she created centerpiece after centerpiece. There were buckets and buckets of loose flowers and all sizes of vases. They were stunning.

Meredith and Mikey provided an incredible reunion. I loved high school and I loved seeing people who I had some fantastic memories with. Most people I have seen since we graduated but we don't get together. my parents loved catching up with all the 'kids" who used to hang at our house or did sports with us. Everyone was so happy to see each other.

And then it was the wedding day...

We worked in the morning but by noon all the girls were upstairs to hang out and get ready for the wedding at 4:30. We sipped on pink champagne (ummm...loved), relaxed with cucumbers on our eyes, and painted our nails. I got my hair done by a girl we went to school with so we gossiped and laughed for the hour. Everything was light and exciting. No stress. No drama. the Meredith put her dress on and I lost it. I didn't think about the emotional piece of this event. I don't know why. This was my best friend marrying the love of her life. They started dating 18 years ago! Once it started I was a mess. Our relationship is full of laughter and pranks and ripping on each other. She looked at me and gasped, "No! Not you! What are you doing? YOU can't be crying!" She's a beautiful girl and I had never seen her more beautiful.

There's Mikey heading down. He was in pure bliss the whole weekend. I couldn't pass him one time without him stopping to give me a kiss. The man was ecstatic. Plain and simple.

The nuptials took place under a 400 year old oak tree. The spot looked straight out of a magazine. Oak trees along the side with white lights, hung birdcages and glass bulbs with candles. The owners of the property said they have never seen a wedding so beautiful there.

We danced until 2:00. It was a celebration like no other. Cheers to the Ripleys!!!