Erin & Kevin's Wedding May 30, 2009

The Day Before The Big Day!!!

2009-05-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday Erin and I went to the florist to approve the flowers! Her flowers are beautiful and so colorful!!! We also had to stop by the bakery & reception site.

Then off to Jade Nails to get mani/pedi's.

Samantha and Erin both got lime green toes with flowers on their big toes!

Then we ate lunch at El Maguey and then off to decorate for the reception! Bethany did a great job with the center pieces! I think she should have been a wedding planner!

Then we had the rehearsal dinner. However, there was a wedding planned in the gazebo so we had to rehearse in the city hall reception area. Oh well, there is not much space in the gazebo so I don't think we could stand in the wrong place if we tried!

The rehearsal dinner was at Miss Aimee B's. We ate outside in the tent. It was very nice. We had chicken marsala, potatos, greenbeans and cheese cake for dessert! It was fabulous!

Lori put together a slideshow for everyone to watch. She did a great job!

So far everything has gone perfectly. Let's hope that continues!

Ollie and Maggie practicing!

Bachelorette Party

2009-05-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was the bachelorette Party. We started out at the Macaroni Grill and Bethany had the table decorated very nice and everyone had bachelorette party appropriate gift bags! Then we all went back to Erin's house until it was time to go to Jive and Wail. Bethany's boyfriend, Matt and Eric Null drove the van they rented and hung out in parking lots all night. They are some friends!

This is at Jive and Wail I think they were dancing to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

There were two Bachelorettes named Erin and Jive and Wail. How crazy is that? They had to dance to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!

Then they had to touch shoulder to shoulder, head to head, knee to knee, etc. Then of course the guy added lips and then tongue!

Bethany had made Erin a scrap book with assignments and she had to get a picture of all of them as they were completed. This poor guy gave Erin is boxer shorts! His wife helped him get them off and they did it without taking his jeans off! I didn't know you could do that! They went to alot more places but us "old" people headed home!

Scavenger Hunt

2009-05-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we had a girls vs boys scavenger hunt. There were fifty things on each list and we only had two 1/2 hours to get it all done! We stopped in a couple of bars and Schnucks, the dollar store, Kevin's parents house, the rec-plex and gazebo and several gas stations. We also had to get a tour of the honeymoon suite at the Drury Inn.

I (Jen) was the driver. We used Lori's new van and it is like a space van. The doors are supposed to open and close on their own. But we were always getting locked in the car. We wasted so much time just trying to get out of the van. It was hilarious!

We ended the night at Kokomo's. Here they are figuring out the winners! Of course the girls won because Bethany got more money out of the guys at the bars!

The guys had to buy a round of shots for the girls! I hear it was the grossest shot ever. I think it was called the Three Wise Men and Kevin had a cherry added to all of them!

Hair Styles

2009-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

As you can see here, Kurt is my hair stylist. Also, you might notice that I'm wearing two different shirts, which means that he is very nervous about getting it exactly right. Kurt and I had two practice rounds and now I think it is going to be perfect. The first time he did my hair, I tried to warn him that my hair was thick, but he didn't listen; as I was walking to the bathroom to see my finished product, a bobby pin shot out of my hair across the hallway!!! Kurt was surprised; I wasn't and neither was Kevin. After Jen's wedding, Kevin took 60 something bobby pins out of my hair!

Good luck to ya, Kurt!

I'm reall yexcited to go to Kurt's shop. All the bridesmaids, my mom, and Kevin's mom are going there at 12:30 the dyy of the wedding to get waited on, eat snacks, and drink wine and beer! How fun. It is going to be a great experience.

Monday Bridal Shower!!!???

2009-05-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

The girls at my work threw me my very own bridal shower! After getting an email from Nicole about a "mandatory" curriculum meeting sent only to me, I was suspicious, but not positive. I was, however, happy to find out it was a shower and not a curriculm meeting. It was complete with streamers, balloons, cake and wedding pictionary!

They got me a cake with lime green writing--how perfect!

I got so many great presents and Target gift cards! I can't wait to use my washers set

Ashley was one of the girls that is not in my department that came to my shower! Ashley is going to read a poem at the wedding.

This is me trying to draw "usher" for my team. They did guess it, but no thanks to my drawing. The first guess was "book" and I knew I was doing a poor job!

This is most of the people that came to the shower. The pictionary girls! Others came, but had to leave early. I am truly grateful for everyone who came on a Monday!

My Bridal Shower!

2009-05-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Jen and my mom threw me a bridal shower on May 9th at 2pm. It was so much fun. We played "how well do you know Erin and Kevin" and Bethany won after much discussion and Paula disqualifying herself. Then, there was the word scramble--Bethany won that too! What a born winner she is!

All th e girls were there! People from my work, Kevin's aunt and cousin, Paula's close friends, my aunt and cousin and all the bridesmaids.

My mom and Jen got me the cake I wanted from Ozenkoski's bakery. When I was looking for my wedding cake, I saw this one in a picture, but it wouldn't be big enough. It was perfect for the shower. The last "game" was to get the plate with the sticker on the bottom. Aunt Barb won that-- her prize was a vodka popsicle making kit. What fun that will be at the next pool party. We even had enough to save the top part for Mother's Day!

My Bridal Shower--M&Ms and Bouquets

2009-05-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

Lori is so crafty! She sat next to me while I opened every present and collected all the bows. She used them, two spoons, and a plate to make a rehearsal bouquet for me to use on Friday night. It is multicolored, but mostly lime green; my favorite. There are so many bows because I got so many wonderful presents! I really love all the fiesta I now have in my kitchen.

Samantha and Maggie loved the cake too! They, along with Vivi, got their very own glass full of M&Ms. They were in heaven as I opened my presents!

Look at this adorable flower girl!

Saturday, April 25th

2009-05-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 25th Erin and Kevin had a couple's shower. It was decorated so cute. It was so beachy!

Erin and Kevin had to play the newlywed game. Kevin won of course and I (Jen) won the game guessing how many questions they would each get right. 6 to 4 exactly.

Then we played the make a wedding dress out of toilet paper game. Lori and I dressed up Eric.

Here are all the contestants. Of course Mom dressed the girl. That really looks like a wedding dress. But, our dress won - I think it was because we had Eric take his shirt off!

Time for cake!

Veil fitting!

2009-04-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't part of the veil, but now that my mom has been home less than 24 hours, she has been working away to make all the small stuff come together. She worked until 3 am on this card box. It goes great with the table decorations and my dress. I love the flower!

My aunt Pati came to Easter with two veils for me to choose from. Even though she made two--which is way more than I expected, there were a plethora of options between the two. She had everything attached so that it could be taken off or switched depending on what I liked. However, I liked them both and picked on right as it was! Here she is trying to explain to all of us girls how each one of them worked. Then I tried them on.

I am so excited about my veil and so grateful to my aunt for making it so detailed and special. It is truly just for me! Thanks Aunt Pati! You did a great job.

This is the back shot and what it will look like when the ceremony is taking place. The comb is wonderfully decorated in all my favorite colors. It is going to look great with my dress

This is the front view! You can see the detailed beads at the bottom of the veil. Also, you can see the comb decorations in the back. It might look different when my hair is done by Kurt. I am going to try it out with my real hairstyle tomorrow (Monday) after work. Kurt is coming over to view the movie clip of the hair style I want and do the first of 3 practice rounds! How dedicated!

Girls Day In!!!

2009-04-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

All the bridesmaids were nice enough to come help me stuff and stamp all the invitation Saturday, April 1st. Katie and Bethany were the first to arrive and we started the drinks to prepare for our daunting task!

As soon as Jen and Lori arrived, we began stamping all the envelopes. Then we continued to create two assembly lines where two of us placed labels on the outer envelopes and the other two stuffed the envelpes. Of course, Jen labeled and stuffed her own--no assembly line required for her! With all of their help, it only took us a bit under an hour to get them all done. We were lucky; no spills or messes.

As soon as the invitations were all set up, Kevin began to grill chicken kabobs. Once we were finished eating, the real hard part began. I bought two stamps and orange and lime green ink to add some extra flare to the outside envelopes. We quickly decided that was a job for Jen and Bethany--one who is crafty and always makes things look great and one who is responsible and careful-- two things the rest of us were not!

When all was really done, we began to relax and continued to drink. It was a beautiful day, so we took the party outside in the back yard.

Lori and Bethany and I rocked out to all our favorite songs. Lori even gave us a sneak preview of the song she is going to sing at the wedding during the sand ceremony.

This picture is just symbolic of how the girls day in kind of turned into wild night party in. This is just the beginning of the crazy girl pary Kevin came home to when he left the rink. Of course, he invited some of his friends too. Overall, it was a productive and fun time!

Flower Girl & Torquoise Bridesmaid!

2009-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I went over to Lori's Wednesday night to see her in her dress. That color is perfect on her! Of course, Maggie wanted to show Kevin her flower girl dress.

The flower girl dress is a dress Maggie wore back in October in her aunt's wedding. My mom is going to add some flowers to it to match my dress--once its done! We are going to be like twins! The dress is like a princess dress and can even stand up on its own because it has so much poof!

Maggie was having so much fun showing off in her dress. What a ham she is; she is going to be the cutest flower girl ever. Of course, she will then be perfectly matched with Ollie, who is the cutest kid in the world:). Because Maggie wanted to show off, we took tons of pictures.

Kevin has a huge gash on his head from a hockey stick in his game; hopefully he will recover and not get anymore scratches on his face this close to the wedding date!

Invitations!

2009-04-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am so happy at how all the invitations turned out. It seemed to be a large task, but everyone helped and chipped in: Jen kept and updated the address spreadsheet, Pati printed all the labels and invitations, and Paula cut them all into the correct size. I am so thankful to everyone for helping out in getting everyone's address and getting them done! Also, I should thank all the bridesmaids early for coming over this Saturday to stuff and sticker all of them so we can send them out next week. How exciting.
The wedding invitations are on the right and the couples' shower invitations that Paula and Sharon picked out are on the left. They are super cute and colorful. They match perfectly!

Caterers, rings and dresses ... oh my!

2009-03-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

Everything for the wedding is in full swing! Kevin and I have a wedding folder sitting on our kitchen table with all our important papers in it. Kevin is holding up the wedding stamps we are using to decorate the invitation envelops. All the bridesmaids will be coming over Saturday, April 4th to stuff, decorate and label all the invitations--then, we'll send them out! How exciting!

Since I was on Spring Break last week, Kevin and I had an appointment with our caterer, Valenti's meat market. We finalized all the food and drinks for the wedding receptions. Since that is the biggest part, I am totallly relieved. Well, that and because the invitations are printed and Bethany is in charge of the centerpieces. What a relief!

We finally got around to picking out Kevin's wedding ring. It is white gold and has a hammer finish. It is perfect!

It was funny when we went into the store in the mall because we recognized the salesman from the Shane Company. He was the same guy who helped us pick out my engagement ring! What a small world. So, we knew that would be a good place to go. Here we are in the store; hopefully, you can see the ring.

All the bridesmaids picked up their dresses! I have only seen Jen in hers, but Lori is really excited to show me hers too. I can't wait to see them all together in the different colors. It is going to be truly multicolored! Just like I wanted.

Honeymoon Registry!

2009-01-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

Erin and Kevin have set up a honeymoon registry. You can go to the link below and pick if you would like to help them get to the Dominican Republic, stay at the Punta Cana Dreams Resort, go on a snorkeling trip or help pay for drinks! Here is the link - it is a pretty cool idea for a gift!

http://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/erinandkevin

Erin and Kevin are also registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Hotel Information

2009-01-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

Drury Inn St. Peters(636) 397-9700

We have blocked off several rooms for the nights of May 29th and May 30th. Anyone needing a hotel room should call the Drury Inn St. Peters number listed above and let them know they are part of the Thurston-Cherry wedding.

The Drury Inn is off of hwy 70 at the Mid Rivers Mall Drive exit and is relatively close to the reception sight. It is not within walking distance but there are no hotels w/in walking distance.

Dress Shopping

2008-10-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I got together with all of my bridesmaids at the dress shop. Everyone finally agreed on the same dress. Of course they are all going to be different colors. Sunshine yellow, lime green, turquoise, and fuschia! Very colorful!

It only took about 20 min for everyone to pick a dress. Of course I had picked out 4 for them to choose from.
Afterwards we went out to eat and have drinks. They put us in our own little room. They must have thought we were a rowdy crowd!

Engagement Pictures!

2008-10-11T13:27:00.001-07:00

Check out our new engagement pictures on the right side of the site. They turned out great!

Centerpieces

2008-07-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

My mom, Jen, Ollie, and I all went to Garden Ridge, Deals, and Olde Tyme Pottery. Well, most of the wedding plans are finished already. The centerpieces, however, are still in progress! We have some great ideas for centerpieces, but we are waiting for the sales!!! Now, all that is left to do is the invitations, flowers and pick some engagement photos! How fun!!

Invitations!

2008-06-21T20:34:00.001-07:00

Well today, Mom, Jen, and I went out in search of invitation paper. We went to the Polka dot Paper Co, Hobby Lobby, Office Depot and Target.
I have very specific idea of what I want the invitations to look like and of course I want them to be colorful.

After looking at the invitation kits I realized that I am going to have to custom make my own invitations! Wait until you see them - I have a colorful idea in mind!

Dresses!

2008-06-15T16:13:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - Today Mom, Jen, Paula (Kevin's Mom) and I went to try on wedding dresses and look for the bridesmaid dresses. Our first stop was Elite Bride's House in St. Peters. First thing we were told was we could not take pictures in the store because we could not steal dress ideas. Jen had mentioned that Mom was making my dress. We really were not impressed with their service but I did try on some dresses and think I have decided on a straight across tube top for my dress!
Our second stop was Wedding Gallery in St. Charles. The ladies in there were a lot nicer and helped us to pick out the bridesmaids dresses. I still have to decide which color will go on which girl but I have selected a style of dress and picked out the colors - lime, fuschia, yellow, and turquoise! It is going to be very colorful - just wait and see! Sorry we do not have better pics but as I said earlier we could not take pics in the stores. Oh well!

Bridal Show

2008-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the bridal show at the Heart of St. Charles. Savvi Formal Wear asked me to get in the money box and I asked if Ollie could come too. So, we got in and the money started to fly! Ollie thought it was pretty funny!
And, I caught a lot of money! $106.00!! They put that as a credit towards our tuxedo order. Free money, yippee!!

There was also a chocolate fountain, of course we had to taste some things! Since I don't want to get chocolate on my wedding dress I'll have to get it for my bridal shower instead!

Making the Wedding Dress...

2008-06-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Jen, Ollie, Mom and I went to Michael's to look for colorful flowers .

Then, we moved on to Hancock Fabrics to look for dress material. Somehow Mom got talked into making my dress! It is going to be spectactular!!