Photo Credit: Rachel of Naturally Captured Photography

Bridal party is a term that can be defined as anyone directly involved with the wedding. It is not just the bride & her bridesmaids. The term “bridal” is used because traditionally, the groom was called the bridegroom. Therefore the party of people surrounding the bride & bridegroom is the bridal party. However in “modern-day” many are starting to call it the Wedding Party. This week I introduce you to our Wedding Party because they all played a large part in our special day.

TJ and I knew almost immediately those that we were going to ask to be a part of our wedding, I told my girls much sooner than he told his guys, like within a week and he would have waited until a week before the wedding if they didn’t need to get fitted for tuxes! That is my procrastinator for you, gotta love him!

So here goes…

First and foremost, my maid of honor was none other than my long time and best friend, Brittany. We have known each other since grade school. We use to walk to the school bus, spent wintery days walking back and forth between our houses, learned to cook (ok just Brittany, I am still learning), cried, laughed, and had our spats over the years but throughout it all we have stayed true best friends. She is the most amazing person, so loving, compassionate, caring, and the best friend any girl could ask for. I was so honored to have Brittany stand by my side as my best friend, maid of honor, and to witness our vows. There is no way that I could have had such a perfect wedding if it wasn’t for Brittany helping plan and organize everything.

April, the one who spoke to me on a daily basis, asked a million and one questions about the wedding and really made me feel important during the process. She kept me grounded throughout it all and asked questions like, “do you really need that?” “Are there other alternatives?” and shared her sense of shock with me when vendors came back way higher than we expected. It was so much fun to have April to talk to throughout it all and bounce ideas off of, it took some pressure off TJ.

Then we have Sarah, my college friend. We became really close when we attended Shenandoah University, where we worked on homework and projects together. We have been there for one another through many trails and tribulations. She has moved away and come back and I couldn’t be happier to call her one of my best friends. She also has the cutest baby girl in the world.

And then we have my girl Ravyn, who I have known for many years. We met when she transferred to the Front Royal BB&T and we worked together as Customer Service Reps. She is the only one in my bridal party that has been married so she was my guidance when it came to specifics and if I forgot anything. She helped me remember everything and all the small details most wouldn’t even think about. She has the most handsome son in the world too!!

Our flower girl, Valarie! She is TJ’s second cousin. I really enjoyed going dress shopping with her, her mom, and sister. It was so much fun having a “little sister” for a while to do all the girl stuff with. She was so easy-going and had so much fun getting dressed up. It was nice spending time with TJ’s family and getting to know them. I loved seeing how happy and excited they were that we were getting married. There is no better feeling than to be accepted into another family and his family did!

And here are the handsome groomsman. TJ picked his groomsman because they are his best friends and brothers. (from left to right, Tyler [youngest brother], Paul [best friend/best man], Groom, Brandon [middle brother], and Zach [best friend]. These guys have known TJ some for their whole lives and others since school. If you were to get them all together in a room they would begin to tell you of crazy experiences they had together, funny stories of things TJ has done and how they have been there for one another. These guys are all great and I am so glad they have accepted me from the first weekend I met them and TJ. This is a great group of guys.

This little guy was our ring bearer and is my youngest brother. Soon after we announced we were getting married he asked if he could be the ring bear! Isn’t he adorable? It is so hard to believe that my youngest brother is already 11 and growing up so fast but he was the best ring bearer that we could ask for. He loved being a part of all the festivities and made me cry a few times that day, telling me how beautiful I looked. He is such a lady-killer and going to make one lucky lady very happy one day in the far future…lol.

We had an amazing wedding party and a huge support system. They dealt with me being a bridezilla, giving directions at the rehearsal and making the day exactly what we wanted. Everyone came together to make our day special. I appreciate and love each and every one of you. Thank you again a million times for everything you did!