Will.you.be.my...

...Bridesmaids!!!

So, I've been dying to post this, but had to wait until my out of town friend came to visit. She was the last to receive the surprise gift that 7 of my closest friends/family found on their doorstep on a very windy Sunday afternoon. On that day, I asked each of these girls to be bridesmaids in our wedding, with handmade cards and DIY dress hangers personalized with their name!





I bought plain wooden dress hangers and painted them peach, then scrolled their name in calligraphy and tied with a ribbon.



I wanted to find some stationary with an image of a dress to use for cards, but had no luck in my search. I had to craft cards of my own in different color card stock, by cutting different dress outlines and using markers and stickers to finish.

The front:

The back:

I thought it was fitting, anyway, since each bridesmaid will be wearing a different dress.

My flower girls got their own card too, and each got a silver hanger with their name on it.

I had a blast delivering each one secretly then waiting for the call that they had gotten the news...Although it was a little tricky getting each one to sit securely on their doorstep with the crazy wind blowing through. I had terrible visions of my hangers lying in a ditch 4 houses down and the girls having no idea they had been given them!

Sean and I got a good laugh at the stark contrast of my elaborate scheme to his quick 30 second phone call to his guys. Gotta love men!

I delivered Fredisha's personally, since I had not seen her in so long and she was in town from Louisville. And it really made me wish I could've seen all the reactions! She opened her gift and saw the hanger. The card sat in her lap. She gasped and held it up, gushing about how cute it was and how much she loved it...yadyadyada. I said "Fred, you gotta read the card!"
"OoH, 'Will..you...be..my'...hAhhhhhhhhhh!"
She teared, we laughed, and hugged.
"I'm so easy to please," she said. "I was just excited about getting a hanger!"

Lindsay:
My Matron of Honor. Best friends since diapers, now being brides a month apart. She's a nurse, a mommy, and my Linz Pooh. I'm surprised my memory can hold all of our life's moments. Lylas!

Meghan:
Best friend since 3rd grade. My gullible, lovable Nutmeg who brings energy to my life when I need it...and sometimes when I don't:). She's my partner in crime who loves to laugh as much as I do and we're a perfect balance.

Nina:
This girl and I became best friends within seconds of meeting and have grown to be family since then. It's rare that I meet someone with a heart as soft as mine, but this one's got me beat. We've been travel buddies and roommates and one day, she just might be bringing my babies into the world!

Fredisha:
"Twins" since 1st grade when we lost our two front teeth and wore our first tutus. We danced together for 12 years and still laugh like teenagers when we're together because her energy is infectious. Fred was the only kid on the playground I could seesaw with, and we've been best friends ever since.

Hayden:
Her raw and colorful comments crack me up to this day. We've come a long way from dancing and singing to SCLUB7 and sleepovers, but she's still the same Hay to me. Always a breath of fresh air and a true friend.

Jenni:
My cousin who has been part of my life since the day I was born. Being 10 years older than me, she took me for rides in her car and introduced me to "Baby Got Back" at the age of 6. She french braided my hair and called me "Alissa K", and now her own little girls will be my flower girls.

Lexie and Ellen-Claire

Marissa:
My cousin whose life I have been apart of since she was born, is my Junior Bridesmaid. I swear, it was overnight that this toddler who was just beginning to talk and calling me "KK" for the first time, turned into a beautiful and grown 13 year old. She is funny, smart and always smiling...and she must be a fighter because she survived years of my babysitting!

I love you girls and I'm so excited that you love me enough to be there for me on this day!

XOXO,
Katie

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