Friend's Bridal Shower Day

My best friend, Sara, is getting married in 2 short weeks and I couldn't be more excited! Last July, she and Wayne returned from their vacation in Canada and he had put a ring on it. My apologies for getting Single Ladies stuck in your heads.

Some of Sara's good friends from her former workplace wanted to throw a bridal shower/bachelorette party for her. These two ladies did a great job of organizing the perfect evening to celebrate Sara and her upcoming wedding.

When this invitation arrived in the mail, I put this special occasion on my calendar right away! The part I forgot was to RSVP by the date on the invite. I was ready to crash the party, but Brandi said there was room for me. No crashing necessary. Whew!

Our departure time was set for 1:00 pm. Sara and her sisters needed to stop by the jeweler making her wedding band prior to the shower. With a Yukon full of women, we headed out for one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time.

Sara had learned of Sherri, a jeweler in Tigard, from someone she used to work with. She and Wayne decided to have Sherri create Sara's wedding band using diamonds from Sara's mom's rings. Sara's mom passed away unexpectedly years ago and this is one way Sara keeps her memory alive daily.

Lyn and Cathy, Sara's sisters, also had some jewelry made from their mom's rings. All 3 of them had earrings made from the diamonds in one of Jodi's rings. It was such a special moment to be there when they put on their new earrings for the first time.

Lyn, Cathy, and Sara see their earrings for the first time.

Sister, is that you in the mirror?

Lyn chose a dangle style for her earrings. They are beautiful and delicate. Perfection!

Cahty's emotions overflowed when she put on her mom's diamonds. Such love in her heart. She and Sara chose to have their earrings be studs.

Sara and Lyn were having fun trying to figure out the best pose for a picture of their earrings. 

Mary, Alexa and I had fun watching the sisters get their earrings and we were all eager to see Sara's new wedding band!

 Sherri unwrapped it and handed it to Sara as we all patiently waited to see it, too!

Sara slipped it on her finger and it was a perfect fit! With their beautiful new jewels in tow, we bid Sherri good-bye and headed over to The Loaded Brush...at 2:56 pm. The shower was supposed to start at 3:00 pm and it was a 22 minute drive. Drive, Sara, Drive!!

The Loaded Brush was great! We had a blast. Right after arriving, we all donned our smocks. Sara chose this schnazzy little number.

 Aaron, at least I think that was his name, I wasn't being a very attentive student, was our instructor. He was a riot! Our project was called "Poppies." Aaron made rounds often and gave pointers or encouragement, whichever you needed at the time. 

Aaron checking in with Cathy and Lyn.

 I looked over at one point and Cathy was double-brushing it. I loved it and had to capture her artistic moment! Do you see that picture over Cathy's left shoulder? The yellow flowers with the purple background? That was my inspiration for my painting. I loved the abstract poppies and unlikely sky color. In the end, my painting looked like this...

Sometimes, I just can't follow the rules. ;) (The background is a vibrant purple. #badphoto)



Next up was dinner at Laurelwood Public House. However, the wait to get a table for 20 people was about an hour so we ventured across the street to Kay's for a pre-dinner drink. I ordered the Lavendar Lemonade. It was delicious!

Sara was sporting all the appropriate bridal shower gear and we had fun walking around with her. A lot of people congratulated her and wished her a fun evening. 

Dinner took a long time, but it was delicious and worth the wait. Who can blame the server or restaurant when your dinner party looks like this?

After dinner, the Yukon girls headed back to Vancouver to meet up with the boys who were out celebrating with Wayne. On our drive, Sara keep telling everyone we passed, "I'm getting married!" A few people actually responded to her. One cute couple congratulated her and said they had done the same thing just 2 years earlier and it was the best thing. That happy wife was sporting a cute little baby bump. #Lovewasintheair

Our last stop was at the 4th Plain Tavern. Most of us had not been there before, but it was a great little neighborhood spot. It was clean, well lit and had great games like pool, arcade games and my favorite, darts. Meeting up with all of our guys was a highlight of the night. I even got to capture Wayne's gangsta alter ego. 

It was such a fun way to celebrate two amazing people. Sara and Wayne, we wish you endless happiness for years and years to come! Love ya!