Becca's Wedding, Part One

We arrived in Beaufort at about 10pm on Wednesday, three days before the wedding. I stayed up until 1am talking with Mom and doing various wedding related activities, mainly writing a sign proclaiming the order of events for the wedding. 

 On Thursday morning, I got up and practiced Mom's hair for the wedding. At 9am, I headed over to Emily's, where she showed off her Mary Kay skills and gave me a facial. It was fun and something we've never done before. We went downtown after that and met Ms. Stephanie for coffee at Common Grounds. At noon, I said goodbye and headed over the bridge to Ladys Island, where I had lunch with Grandmama. We chatted and reminisced and discussed outfits for upcoming weddings. Then I was off to Savannah. It was a busy day. 

When I got to Becca's, this is what I saw:

She and her good friend Meagan had spent the entire day decorating and baking in preparation for the shower that evening. The house smelled full of baking things... and then burning things, because the poor cookies in the oven were forgotten in my arrival. In any case, it was festive and fun inside.

At six, Becca's friends arrived. There was small talk as we sat around in the cozy living room. One friend suggested that we each share one thing that we love best about Becca. I was at a loss there. Not because I couldn't think of anything, but because I feel like I know a different Becca.

Before I go any further, allow me to explain. I haven't seen my sister in almost two years (and it's been over four years since we claimed the same address), and in the time that's passed, she's moved to a different place, made friends whom I've heard about but never met, and begun a life as the same person, but she's also changed. I knew this, of course, but as people arrived and greeted her and said things about her heart and her personality, I realized that they've seen my sister as she's grown up. I know the Becca that I grew up with. I remember her quirks, like never ever wearing shoes, and the fifty stuffed animals she slept with every night. I know more about her from our emails than I do from her in real life these days.

That's why I didn't know what to say. There was so much to say, and no way to say it. But basically, I was overwhelmed during the weekend - even though I was her matron (ugh, hate that word) of honor, I was struck by how little I knew this person who had become a WOMAN in the time since I'd last seen her. This should be its own post, clearly.

Anyway, there was also a sort of game where Meagan had asked Thomas questions about his relationship with Becca. Instead of making her guess his answers, we listened to Becca's own answers and then heard Thomas'. After that, gifts. This was a personal shower, so there aren't going to be any of those pictures shared here :)

Meagan and I spent the night with Becca. I was really tired, so I did what I tend to do when I'm really tired - talk a mile a minute. My poor sister. She probably wanted to throw something at my head, but she politely yawned as a hint instead. 

The next morning, Becca frosted her wedding cake. When we were planning our wedding, Carson and I talked about making our cake, but were talked out of it because we'd "be too stressed"... while that was probably true for us, it wasn't for Becca. She frosted away like it was no big deal. 

Once the cake was completed, Becca was adorned with this star crown and we headed off for lunch. We went to Green Truck, which is just down the street from her house and a favorite spot.

I think you can see why.

Lunch completed, we went to a place to paint pottery. Becca chose a plate, Meagan a vase, Jennifer a leaf plate and I a spoon rest. It was relaxing and neat to see so many different ways of painting each piece. The colors were also much more muted than they'll be once the pieces are fired, so that too will be a nice surprise.

After we'd painted, we went over to the church to set up tables, but Thomas had just finished doing it when we arrived. So we went back to the house and got ready for the rehearsal instead. Carson took a lot of pictures of that, but here are just two.

Next up: The wedding!