My bridesmaid Melissa, who lives in Chicago, actually had 3 weddings to attend in SoCal this summer… So while she was out for one in June, she also visited me to help with some wedding tasks and, of course, throw us a party! (Remember how I said people like to use our wedding as an excuse to party?)
We had a great night with family and friends just hanging out. Melissa even adapted Jenga to be a great “embarrass the couple a little bit” game. It was a great way to forget the wedding stress!

Also, I should mention how much wedding stuff got done while she was here: we got all the invitations put together, addressed, and mailed out; I had my hair and makeup trial; we searched hard for shoes (unsuccessfully, but she never let me give up hope!); and I ordered my hair accessories. It was super productive… There’s no way to understand Melissa’s awesome energy and attitude except by meeting her, but I’ll just say that both Nathan and I appreciated her fresh energy and help with all the wedding chores!
Thanks Mel, we love you!

Melissa and I

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By Katharine

One thing I have learned while planning my wedding, which is hopefully the biggest party I’ll ever have to throw, is that other people also like to use our wedding as an excuse to throw parties. How else can I explain all the parties thrown in my honor?? By the time Nathan and I get married, there will have been 5 parties thrown for me/us!

But the subject of this post is an amazing weekend getaway with my three closest friends from work back in May. They had been very secretive about the plans so I had no clue what we’d be doing. On Saturday morning (late morning, they know I like to sleep in) we drove up to Santa Barbara and started with a nice lunch by the ocean. We then took a walk up State street and stopped for an impromptu wine tasting. We walked a ways up State Street, doing some window shopping and we also took advantage of Old Navy’s $1 flip flop sale.

The flip flops were not a coincidence, because as one friend let slip (cough, Anu, cough), we had an afternoon appointment at a spa for pedicures. But they still managed to surprise me because they treated me to a massage too! It felt amazing 🙂

Then we headed back to the hotel and while Aidan and I went to 7-11 to grab some drinks, Megan and Anu sneakily decorated the room with streamers and banners. It was pretty amazing how fast they hung it all up. When I returned, it was time to get ready and get me dressed up – in style!

Not everyone can rock a tiara, feather boa, sash, and button all at once!

Oh, and there was extra bling too!!

That evening we headed out to a great Tapas place for dinner. I don’t remember everything we ordered but there was plenty of mojitos, cheesy dishes, and bacon wrapped everything. Yum!

Anu, Megan, and remnants of a delicious dinner

Chocolate cake shots before heading to the bars

Then we went out on State Street and stayed until the bar shut down and kicked us out. We had such a great time and finally got a chance to catch up with each other.

The four of us enjoying drinks early on

The night ended with lots of laughing… as all good nights should!

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The next day we got a bit of a slow start, but we rallied in Camarillo for some outlet shopping and I think everyone found something worth buying. At that point we all decided to make the weekend last a bit longer instead of going home right away – so we went to a theater to see the movie Bridesmaids, which was hilarious and a perfect way to end the weekend.

Thanks girls for an amazing weekend!