Josh & Courtney's Wedding Week: Part VI

Saturday, May 24th:

The Wedding

I arrived at Tivoli Too! with my parents and bridal party at about 5:45 so that I could finish getting ready and get situated before my "grand entrance" at 6:30. 

I was greeted by my amazing wedding coordinator Riley and taken to the "Brides room" where they had apple cider and crackers for us. My mom and bridesmaids then helped me into my dress. Of course, right after I put it on I got nervous and had to pee! Luckily, my amazing maid of honor was there to assist me :-)

[My beautiful bridesmaids: Missy, Katey, Andie, and Emily]

[Me and Emily]

[Me and Missy]

[The girls helping me get my dress and sandals on]

 

[Missy, my mom, and Andie]

[Katey and Emily]

[Me and my soon-to-be sister-in-law Andie]

[Sara sent us these cute pictures of Brodee getting ready]

 

[Brandon, George, my dad, "Shorty", Brodee, and Grandpa Joe]

After getting dressed we were all escorted out the back door so that we could get lined up without being seen. 

The grandparents and mothers were escorted down the aisle first, followed by the bridal party, and Brodee. 

[Papa and Nana - my dad's parents]

[My mom being escorted by her sons, Ryan and Luke]

[Josh escorting his mom, Suzi, down the aisle]

 [Brandon and Andie]

["Shorty" and Missy]

[Grandpa Joe and Katey]

 [George and Emily]

[Brodee and Josh's sister Jessi]

 [Bridesmaids and President Brennan]

[President Brennan, Brodee, Josh and the groomsmen]

[Brodee stood like a rockstar during the whole ceremony]

It was fun to hide in the back with my dad. We joked about what he should say when President Brennan asked him, "Who gives this woman away?" I suggested he say, "THIS GUY!" and point at himself with both thumbs but he decided against it :-)

Next, was my grand entrance!

It was so fun to have my dad walk me down the aisle. He seemed so calm and just smiled while I waved at various people and could hardly contain my excitement!

When we got up to the front Josh stepped forward and my dad gave me away.

The ceremony was short and sweet. President Brennan talked about the importance of marriage and told a story about silverware. He was my Bishop when I was growing up which made the ceremony more personal and special. President Brennan did such a great job and I am so happy that we asked him to officiate!

Josh was so cute during the ceremony. He just held my hands so tight and kept smiling :-) 

After President Brennan married us in holy matrimony and pronounced us man and wife, we exchanged rings and then turned to the crowd and cheered!

 

 

Josh & Courtney's Wedding Week: Part V

Saturday, May 24th:

"I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!"

I seriously could NOT stop telling people that I was getting married! I just felt like the whole world should know how happy and excited I was!

I woke up at the hotel (after getting a great nights sleep), got ready, headed to Starbucks to get a poppy-seed muffin and a Mocha Frappuccino, and then went to South Coast Plaza. I have a large tattoo on my back that I love but I wanted covered for the wedding. I made an appointment with Leah at Make Up For Ever months ago because I heard that she was the best at covering up tattoos (she has a lot of her own and has been doing this for a while). I arrived at the mall, met with Leah, and she took me to a back room where she got started. She said that sometimes they will work on people in the shop so that other costumers could see them but she didn't want to do that with such a large piece to cover. People don't know how to move on. She said they just tend to stop and stare. Awkward! 

It took a few hours to apply the makeup and during that time a lot of the staff would come in and out of the room to see the progress. Every time someone came in they would say how amazing it looked and how impressed they were. Sweet! That's good to know! :-)  Towards the end we had to show people the "before" picture so they could know how big it was and they always responded with disbelief. No regrets there!

After my back makeup was applied I went to Cafe Rio and enjoyed a steak salad (no beans) by myself. My last meal as a single woman! It was at this point that I really started telling strangers that I was getting married that day. They would all get so excited for me. And that would get me even more excited! It was fun and maybe just a little pathetic! 

While I was getting my back covered up, my family took the bridal party, the Stringam's, and the Carlson's out on the Duffy boats. They got sandwiches and Sprinkles cupcakes for everyone and then just cruised around the harbor. The boats don't go very fast and so it's really "kid friendly". 

[They had 4 boats and Josh was one of the "captains"]

[Suzi (Josh's mom), "Shorty" (Josh's uncle), Sara (Brodee's mom), Josh, Brodee, and Grandpa Joe]

[Josh, Brodee, and Grandpa Joe]

[Brodee and George (Josh's dad)]

After lunch I went to my parents place where I met up with Karilyn, my mom and dad, my bridesmaids, and the photographer (Chris Darnall) and his assistant. 

Karilyn got to work on my mom and I while Chris and his assistant took pictures of the rings and my dress. They really liked the coral and dried starfishes that my parents had in their home. They held the rings quite well and "they don't fight you like people do." LOL! I really loved our photographers! Karilyn was able to do my hair and makeup, my moms hair and make up, and then help the bridesmaids with their hair and make up too. She was amazing and I am so glad that she was able to help us look amazing too!

Next we all piled in the cars (with me in my bathrobe) and headed to Tivoli Too!!

Josh & Courtney's Wedding Week: Part IV

Friday, May 23rd:

Today I got to spend sometime with my beautiful bridesmaids! I asked my SIL Missy, my future SIL Andie, and my two best girlfriends Emily and Katey to be my bridesmaids and stand with me on the day of the wedding. 

First, we went and got mani-pedis. Gotta look fancy for the wedding! I think they had our reservation wrong at the salon and it seemed like the appointments were really rushed. Oh well... I got dark purple on my toes because I was wearing sandals to the wedding and french on my fingers :-)



After the nails were done we went to Maggiano's for lunch. I knew I should be staying away from the carbs so I could fit into my dress but I figured it was too late to be worrying about that! We all got some delicious pasta and then split a huge slice of cheesecake. YUM! I also gave my girls their bridesmaid gifts: little Coach purses. It seems like they all really liked them!

After lunch we headed back to the Balboa Beach House were we ran into the Stringams (my moms family)! We said hi quickly and then Josh and I went to get our Marriage License at the Laguna Hills Civic Center.



I made an appointment ahead of time so we didn't have to wait inline which was nice. After holding up our right hands and swearing that everything we wrote down was truthful (and paying a small fee) we were given our license. It was at this point that things got REALLY real.

At 4:00 PM Josh and I met with our wedding party at TIvoli Too! to run through a rehearsal and to make any last minute adjustments to the venue or the program. We gave Reilly (our wedding coordinator) the money for the DJ and the marriage license so he could get it to President Brennan for signing. We also dropped off the escort cards, pens, sign-in book, and decorations and looked around the reception area to make sure things were coming together how we wanted it. We walked through the ceremony and had everyone walk down the aisle. We decided to have someone escort Brodee down the aisle because he was really hyper and I thought he needed some guidance. 

[Josh and Brodee at Tivoli Too! right after Brodee fell in the pond! What a little stinker!]


After the rehearsal Josh and I took Brodee to Target to buy him some new clothes and a few other things since we had time to kill before dinner. At Target we ran into Katey and Emily and some of our other out-of-town guest who also wanted to kill some time before dinner.

After making our purchases we all headed over to Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ where Josh and I hosted a dinner for our out-of-town guest and bridal party members. That was the first time that I was able to see some of our out-of-town guest and I was so excited! I can't believe I had people coming from New York, South Carolina, Utah, Idaho, Arizon, and Nevada just to celebrate with us. I truly have some amazing family and friends!

Once everyone took their seats at the long tables, the food was served! They brought out HUGE platters of meat (ribs, brisket, chicken, sausage) and a bunch of sides (corn, potatoes, salads, etc.). The food was served family style which got everyone talking and really enjoying themselves. Towards the end of dinner one of the servers came up to my dad and I and asked if we wanted dessert. SURE! Why not?! I think everyone was pretty full but the red velvet and chocolate cakes were delicious!

[Katey, me, and Emily

[Josh, me and cousin Tiersha]

  
After dinner we all headed back to the Balboa Beach House where I packed up and took the Challenger to Laguna Cliffs where I spent the night. I thought it would be a good/fun idea if Josh and I did see each other until the wedding.

[View from our room. The large lawn on the left side of the picture was also an option for the wedding. Having the ocean in the background while you get married is amazing but I think we all felt like Tivoli Too! was a better choice and we don't regret that decision!]

Josh & Courtney's Wedding Week: Part III

Thursday, May 22nd:

The next morning Missy, Brady, Dane, Brodee, Josh, and I went on a stroll down Marine Ave (the main street on Balboa Island) to get some doughnuts. Yum! Some of the best around!

[Father and son]

[Brady and Brodee]

After breakfast Missy, Dane, and I went to Daphne Greek Cafe for some gyros and to Costco to buy some coupons for Lucille's Smokehouse (where dinner would be Friday night) while Josh, Brodee, and Brady stayed at the Balbo House and played. 

[The boys liked to stand on the fence and watch the airplanes go by]

Later that afternoon I headed inland to and go meet my cousin Karilyn at Desiree's house for my hair and makeup trial-run. While I was on the road Karilyn called me and told me that they were running late and wouldn't be there for another hour. She suggested meeting me at my Aunt Jody's house (where my bridal shower would be taking place later that evening) and that we could just do the trial there. 

Since I had an hour to kill I decided to go to the bank and to In-n-Out. I got a "fry-well" and a chocolate shake! YUM!

 

After eating my little snack I headed over to my Aunt Jody's to meet Karilyn. Aunt Jody let us use her large, beautiful bathroom (thanks again!) and Karilyn got to work beautifying me.

After Karilyn snapped a few photos she took my hair down and we headed downstairs to the bridal shower.

 

My family is AMAZING! Have I ever mentioned that?! My cousins Nicole and Kasey and my Aunt's Jody and Heidi did such a great job throwing me a shower. Everything was beautiful and the food was great!

I was so surprised at how many people were able to make it to my shower and even a lot of my out-of-town guest made it!

We started off the night by having me go around and introduce everyone. Luckily I knew everyone in the room and had no problem with that :-)

After introductions we played a funny game that Nicole hosted. Before the shower she sent Josh and I a questionnaire. We filled it out separately and then sent it back to her. She then picked the questions/answers she like the best and tuned it into a "who said this" guessing game. She had cards that either had "Josh" or "Courtney" written on them (with a Lakers background I might add!). She gave a "Josh" and "Courtney" card to everyone in the group. Next, she read a question and then said an answer. The group had to hold up the name of the person that they think said the answer. Nicole gave me large pictures of Josh and I on sticks and after she asked the group who they think said the answer I would show them who said it by holding up either my picture or Josh's (or both). It was a super cute game and I think everyone learned something about Josh and I!

[During the game]

[Nicole and I]

After the game I opened presents (some naughty ;-) and some nice) and mingled with everyone. I actually started to feel a little anxious at that point (the wedding jitters were starting to set in) so I was really happy when people decided to talk amongst themselves and help themselves to food and not pay too much attention to me while I opened presents. It took away a lot of the pressure. I am so thankful for the amazing turn out from all my friends and family!

[Opening presents]

[Wearing my tiara with my Lakers apron and my bow bouquet]

[Cousins! Nicole, me, Tiersha, and Desiree]

[Me with the Hostesses: Nicole, Heidi, and Jody]

While the ladies were at my shower the guys all went out to Dave & Busters for a little Guys-Night-Out. Josh said they all had a great time and it was nice for Josh's family to be able to hang out with my family and get to know them before the big day!

Josh & Courtney's Wedding Week: Part II

Wednesday, May 21st:

Josh and I started the day by going to the airport to pick up my SIL Missy and her two boys, Brady and Dane. I was so excited to see how big the boys had gotten since Christmas! They are so CUTE!

On theway back to the Balboa Beach House I had them dropped me off at Spa Gregorie's for my "Spa Day". After working so hard for so long I thought I really deserved a few hours to myself to just relax. 

I arrived at 11:00 AM and they showed me to my locker where my sandals and bath robe were waiting. I got dressed in my spa outfit and headed to the "Quiet Room" where I nearly fell asleep on a couch waiting for my fist appointment.

The massage therapist came out and took me into the room where I had a 90 minute full-body massage. It was AMAZING! I've had a few massages in my life but this one was one of the best. 

After that I went to have a full-body wrap. I've done salt wraps before but this one was different. I got completely undressed (except for these little "spa undies" that they give you) and laid down on a massage table that was covered in plastic. The lady then came in and explained what she was going to do. She rubbed oils all over my body (back and font) and then took a hot mud (it felt like hot wax) and painted my body with that. She then wrapped me up in the plastic and blankets and told me I was going to get really got and that she would be right back. Sure enough I started sweating like CRAZY! She then came back in and gave me a drink of water and patted my face down with a cold towel. She told me that I needed to last at least 10 minutes in order for the wrap to work! I was SO HOT but I decided to do it. She kept asking me if I could go longer and finally after 20 minutes I was just too hot to keep going. She unwrapped me and stripped off all of the hot mud/waxy stuff and then I went and took a shower. After the shower I went back to the room where she rubbed tightening lotion all over me and gave me a little bottle to take home. The treatment was supposed to help tighten your skin and apparently you can loose 1-2 inches off of your waist. Well, my dress fit on the big day so I guess it worked!

After my wrap I had lunch. The spa brought me a turkey and avocado sandwich with fresh fruit. It was so tasty! After that I went back to the "Quiet Room" to wait for my last appointment: an acne treatment facial. I told the facial lady that I was getting married in a few days and she told me that she was going to do a different facial because the acne facial makes you peel and she didn't want me to be peeling at my wedding. How nice! The facial was great and the lady gave me some extra mask so I could use it the night before the wedding. The whole experience at the spa was AMAZING! Can I please go back soon?!

While I was at the spa, Brodee and Sara got into town. Josh went to the airport to help them with getting the rental car and to help them find the hotel. Sara then let Josh take Brodee so that they could spend some time together. Josh brought Brodee to the Balboa house where he introduced him to my nephews. Brodee and Brady got a lot really well and it seemed like they had a great time playing together at the beach house!

That night my mom and I went to Alfred Angelo (where I bought my wedding dress) so that I could get lace straps added to the dress. Turns out there was a miss communication and they didn't order enough lace and ordered WAY too much satin. Well, I guess I could have freaked out and turned into a Brideszilla but I kept my cool, asked for a refund, and we went on our way. Oh well. Minor setback... gotta look at the big picture here...

That night we all gathered at the Balboa house and had pizza and played with Brodee.

Josh and Brodee ended up having a little slumber party out in the living room. It was adorable!

Josh & Courtney's Wedding Week: Part I

We have been planning the wedding pretty consistently since we got engaged in August 2013. But to be honest, I've been planning it for a while ;-) I had the guest list done back when we were in North Dakota (June 2013) and I went with my parents to look at wedding venues back in February of 2013 when I was in CA for Luke's Mission Homecoming. Don't be surprised! We all knew it would happen... eventually... sometime.

I knew that planning this wedding was going to be so hard for me because (1) I was doing it from a distance, (2) I was working 80+ hours a week/7 days a week, (3) I am a control freak, and (4) I don't know ANYTHING about planning a wedding! 

However, there were a few things that made it easier: (1) Josh. Josh is so calm and caring. The few times that I completely lost my freakin mind he was there to calm me down and keep me grounded. (2) My parents. Not only did they offer to contribute a large amount financially to the wedding they also contributed their time. (3) The budget. What budget?! Having both Josh and I working had been great financially. With both of us making good money we really didn't have to worry too much about the budget. It's not like we went CRAZY or anything! I kept my senses and my dress was less then a grand :-) (4) My family and friends. My parents recruited my Aunt Jamie to help with the decorations and colors. I just don't have an eye for that and neither does my mom. Between my Aunt Jamie and my dad they were able to make some great choices that made everything come together so well. My bridesmaids were also amazing! I asked Emily to be my Maid of Honor and she was in charge of finding dresses for the bridesmaids. I know it was a HUGE pain but they all turned out beautifully!

Right after we got engaged, Josh and I moved to Indiana to start a job there. My parents called us just a few days after and told us that they found this beautiful venue called Tivoli Too! in Laguna Beach and that there were only a few openings left for weddings in the Spring of 2014. They sent us pictures and we thought it looked cute so we decided to go with it. I was on the phone with my mom and I asked Josh, "Hey, do you want to get married May 24th?" and he said, "That's why I gave you the ring!"

So May 24th it was! The date seemed to close and there was a lot to do. We sent out "Save the Date" announcements in November and then took our Engagement photos in CA while we were there over Christmas break.

The next big stressor was sending out the Wedding Invitations. We had to work through the guest list over and over again; cut, glue, fold, stuff, seal, and send the invitations; and then wait... and wait... for the replys.

By the time the RSVPs were due (May 1st) I was so ready for it to be done. I didn't think about this at the time but one of the hardest parts was actually getting people to RSVP and to do the seating arrangements. I had to think about dates, relatives, personalities, who gets along with who, who knows who, is XXX going to be offended if I put them at a table in the back, etc. My head was about to explode! (And what made things harder was that 4 people canceled the week of the wedding. Two of them let us know but the other two just didn't show up! Ugh.)

Luckily, work was pretty slow in the few weeks leading up to the wedding so Josh and I were able to get a FULL week off! :-) Booyah!

And here is what happened in that week:

Tuesday, May 20. 

Josh and I went to work that morning to attend our morning meeting with the rest of the Inspectors. During the meeting the Construction Manager excused Josh and I so that he could collect some money for us before letting us head to the airport. How nice! Pipeliners can be pretty generous! After receiving our gift from the Inspection House we headed to the Chicago airport to catch our nonstop flight to Orange County.

We arrived in town and my parents picked us up from the airport and took us to Enterprise to get our rental car. Of course I just started telling random people that we were getting married and then Josh mentioned to the lady at the front desk that it would be nice if she had a Challenger for us. He, of course, was joking because he knew I got us a cheap "Economy" car. The lady smiled and said as a wedding gift she would let us take the Challenger at just an additional $5 a day! SOLD! Josh was so excited!

After we got the Challenger we met my parents at a place by their house for "Taco Tuesday" where we got some great seafood tacos and a Pizookie! 

After dinner we went to Balboa and my parents showed us the house we would be staying in with my other siblings until the wedding. It was right on the water! Can't beat that!