Monday, September 24, 2012

a lovely weekend for a wedding! :)

4 flights,
2 3-hour car rides, 
1252 miles.
the last 36 hours, yes, only 36 hours, have been nutso! 

we started out bright dark and early on saturday morning and headed to the airport to begin our trek to eureka springs, arkansas.  as i was moaning and groaning and threatening my alarm clock, i had a reality check. some people wake up at 6 am on a regular basis...bless your hearts.
two flights and 1 1/2 hazelnut lattes later (thanks for your sacrifice bub-hub!), we met the rest of my family in tulsa for the last leg of our road trip.  nothing gets the abs rolling more than a car full of family members. :)

after a long day of traveling, we finally arrived at the cabin we were going to be staying at for the night. we unloaded, recharged our batteries freshened up, and headed to town to grab some dinner before the festivities began.

side note:
in case you're ever in a life or death trivia match and need to know where the world's largest wind chime is located, it's in eureka springs. you're welcome! :)
after a yummy dinner, we headed over to the world's most beautiful wedding venue:

before we headed into the chapel for the ceremony, we had a mini-reunion in the parking lot! :) after lots of hug (but never really enough) from grandparents, we were ready for a wedding!
the chapel itself was beyond beautiful and didn't need any additional decorations. however, at the front of the church, the bride placed a lovely backdrop made of strands of lace. it was the perfect touch. 
after the ceremony, we headed over to the reception at castle rogue manor.  the only way to describe this place is the word fairy tale.  

when we first arrived, we were greeted with a hot chocolate bar, apple cider and yummy coffee! 
there was also a lovely pie bar set up. everything was homemade and so yummy. 
and yes, the groom's cake is an armadillo. 
the groom is from amarillo, a town in west texas, so the little guy fit in perfectly. and luckily, it wasn't red velvet. :)
each place setting was set with a piece of antique sheet music, china, and silver wear. each guest was also given a lovely tea cup to visit the hot chocolate bar! there were also beautiful paper cranes spread out around the room. so lovely.
i know i say this a lot, but i really love my family. 
they are so fun,
they love to dance and laugh and celebrate together, and i absolutely adore every moment i get to spend with them.
and just when you thought the evening couldn't get any better, 
the paper lanterns came out.
yes, paper lanterns! just like in tangled! 
they were so beautiful floating floating off over the pitch black lake. 
i really felt like i was in a fairy tale. 
it was the perfect way to end the night.


after the bride and groom left, we headed back out to the cabin to pass out get some sleep, before we said goodbye to the beautiful weather and headed back home the next morning.
after a reversal of our journey, we finally made it back to hot and steamy h-town.

needless to say, 
bub-hub and i are exhausted.
any family time, however short or busy or chaotic it may be, always fills my heart.

best wishes and congratulations to the newlyweds! :)


20 comments:

  1. Just lovely! The best locations are the ones that don't need any help with decorations. I think the sheet music is my favorite touch.

    Tara

    http://tarabelle-adropofink.blogspot.com/

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  2. What a awesome wedding! Love the apple cider hot chocolate bar and the pie bar! So different! Love when you go to a wedding and see something different!

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  3. Wow, it looks like you packed a ton into your weekend!
    And that wedding looks absolutely adorable. A pie bar, I love it!

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  4. That wedding looks like so much fun, and totally awesome! I love your dress for it too! the color looks so good on you.

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  5. What a whirlwind of fun! I love that you can have such a nice time with family. So, I have to ask what time do you usually get up? I used to be a. 5amer, just because I liked to. Now it's a little later just because I can.

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  6. Quite the trip but looks like a super cute wedding!

    haha my family is actually very intense about trivia so I'll remember that fun fact ;)

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  7. Oh man. What a gorgeous wedding! Floating lanterns are on my secret someday wedding list. :)

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  8. Sounds like a beautifully fantastic (and utterly exhausting) weekend! I hope y'all are able to re-charge this week!
    And girl my saturday mornings i'm normally up at 5am to get ready for my 6am group training...ugh gag me. haha

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  9. Beautiful wedding pictures! Sounds like an exhausting weekend though.

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  10. looks like a beautiful wedding! What a fun weekend :)
    *visiting from the link up :)

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  11. What beautiful wedding! Love the lanterns! Sounds exhausting, but worth it!

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  12. What a beautiful wedding! And can ask where you got your emerald green dress? Love!!

    www.stylushhair.com

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  13. wow a very hectic but very fun weekend! i love your dress and the necklace you wore very cute

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  14. What a gorgeous wedding!! It looked stunning! I am sure your family was thrilled to have you there :)

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  15. Beautiful wedding! The cake looks so pretty w that huge flower!

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  16. I love going to weddings, they're always so much fun! The photos are gorgeous! Thanks for stopping by my blog, I'm following now :)

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart
    Sept. Group Giveaway

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  17. What a sweet little wedding! The armadillo cake totally reminds me of Steel Magnolias! HAHAHA

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  18. Sounds like a great weekend! I'll be going through the same thing this weekend when I make the treck from north carolina to montana for my cousin's wedding haha

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  19. That is way too much travel for my taste! GEESH! xoxo

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  20. Okay, I think I might have just seen pictures of the most beautiful wedding ever!! The table setting, homemade pie bar, and the little Instagram note...they thought of everything....and then the Paper Lanterns...melt my heart...truly a fairytale...so worth the haul of a trip!! Hope you have rested up!!

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