Sunday, June 22, 2014

{Vacation Recap} North Carolina Wedding

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  I've been taking it easy as the last couple weeks have caught up with me.   I had all these plans for the weekend, but we realized it would be better for us to just rest up so we are prepared and in good shape for NAPA :)  I am so excited!  It's going to be a crazy week because Tom has a business trip in Michigan and I, in addition to a lot of work stuff, have a company outing at Arlington Park followed immediately with a Ravinia Concert w/Tom on Thursday...phew!  It's good problems to have but still. Gotta take care of myself...and we still have to pack...eek.

However, I wanted to be sure to re-cap last weekend's awesome getaway when Tom and I hopped a flight to the Carolinas to celebrate the marriage of his cousin Becky.  He has a huge family and we always have a blast at these get-togethers.  I feel really lucky to be a part of all this.  Since Tom and I have been together since high school, I feel like I grew up with everyone and it's so special to be a part of these big occasions.  Everyone is just so fun-loving and kind!

We stayed in a beautiful property on the lake and spent the weekend party hopping from house to house.  Becky did a fabulous job picking the location (a Christmas tree farm) and doing a lot of the decorating herself.  This is a wedding worthy of pinterest if I ever saw one.

The rehearsal dinner was great fun.  Becky's husband, Luke is a in a band called "Mountain Faith" that just got a country record deal and MAY be playing at the Grand Ol Opry.  He and some of his bandmates and friends jammed a bit at the dinner which was really cool.


The wedding it self was stunning.  There was a cute wagon which took us up to a hill with the most amazing view:

Becky looked radiant and the ceremony was beautiful.  It had been raining the days leading up to the wedding, but luckily, it was a clear gorgeous day.


The reception was in a "barn" and was decorated to the nines.   Becky had family collect glass bottles over the year (Most were ones Gramp has dug up and collected) and the girls did a fabulous job setting everything up.  Everything from the smore's station, picture framed photo-booth and mason jars were  adorable.



We had a great time eating BBQ, dancing and catching up.  I danced so much, my "fancy" heels now need a trip to the cobbler and my hair ended up in a knot on my head.  Signs of a good time, I tell ya ;)

I got my dress at Rent the Runway (<--referral link that gives us both $20!). This is the only real "full shot" of the outfit (apologies as it's a bit awkward), but it was very comfortable and great for the occasion. I ended up adding on some Turquoise earrings last minute for fun.   Tip: get your dress early because they sell out fast during wedding season....this ended up being a great dress but wasn't my first choice.

amazingly, even though my knees are locked, I managed not to pass out
The rest of the weekend was spent hiking and hanging out.   The hike ended up being pretty funny.  It started out innocently enough, but by time we stumbled upon a deliverance like camp (with random machetes and pick axes to boot), we decided to get the heck out of there!

We only ran into problems when it was time to leave.  After filling our bellies one last time with delish BBQ and bourbon, we had trouble getting home. The "easy" 1.5 hour flight turned into a bit of a nightmare.  The plane had engine problems while we were getting ready for take-off and we had to turnaround. They had to get a whole new plane, so instead of leaving at 3, we left around midnight. Womp womp.

Of course it's better to be safe than sorry.  Being a small airport, there really weren't alternate flights and all of the flights to Chicago the next day were sold out too.  There was no choice but to wait it out (alas, we had already turned in our rental car so were
pretty much captive).  We ended up spending the next 8 hours killing time, including sitting at the bar watching America win a game during the World Cup on a 13 inch TV.  We met some interesting people like a rubics cube genius and a young guy who has struck it rich selling medicinal marijuana in 4 states.  It was an interesting night!   Luckily Tom and I travel great together and end up having a good time no matter what.
           

We did manage to score $400 worth of travel vouchers from Southwest which went a long way making it up to us.  I guess next trip is on them :)

We can't wait to do it again (minus the flight shenanigans) in October when Al gets married!

What follows is a bunch of pics from the weekend.

xoxo,
Meg



Handsome Ring Bearer
Wagon ride up to the wedding
Note the adorable red wagon in the background

Kris and I taught her the art of "tea-potting" ha
Great pic of Gram & Gramp
Sisters! Peach and Mom O
Cutie Pie Emma as the Flower Girl
The Original O'Mera's! 





Jeff & Tom @ Brunch
Love that she keeps dog treats in her pocket at all times


Gram & Mom O Enjoying the Porch Bed
The porch bed was VERY comfortable
Thats all bourbon 


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