We Start Today: Bridal Party Fun

We had so much fun taking these photos. Since we went to college with most of our bridal party everyone was already friends and excited to spend some quality time together. 

Photography by Palos Studio

The whole group, including our two cute ring bearers.

Mr. Castle and I got a shot with the boys and then released them into to cocktail hour. 

Next our photographers brought us all over to a more scenic location. It rained a couple days before the wedding so the ground was still very soft. Most of the ladies were trying were trying very hard to keep their balance, myself included!

I love these shots so the sinking heels were totally worth it.

We were given the instructions to kiss while our bridal party all chatted and smiled. 

Then things got a little silly. 

A close up of the above photo because I think its amazing.

This last one might be my favorite. 

After this our bridal party was dismissed and it was time for some photos of just the bride and groom! Coming up next, my favorite photos from our wedding day. :)

Miss a recap? Check it out below!                         

We start at the end with a surprise wedding video!                                            

We rehearse                                                                                                      

Our rehearsal luncheon                              

We start the day with singing, dancing, and an earthquake

I get my hair and makeup done

We arrive at our venue and Mr. Castle asks for some makeup

With the help of my Mom and bridesmaids I get into my dress!

I take some solo shots of me as a bride

My handsome groom and his men 

Some family shots and first look regret

Photos with my Bridesmaids!

I get a three generations photos with my Mother and Grandmother

Ceremony details

Waiting for the ceremony to start AND how our amazing vendors saved the day!

The Processional and my walk down the aisle 

The Ceremony, vows and ring

We take a huge group photo with all our guests. 

Lovely family formals

Gifts for our VIP

First off,

That means you MOH N!

Image via icanhascheezburger.com

We have been searching for the perfect gifts for our VIPs for a very long time. Our goal for our bridal party was to find something that could be useful after the wedding, but would always remind them of us while using it. Early on I found just the thing for Mr. castles groomsmen.

Image via Etsy/Seller Hammeronsteel

These beer bottle openers are made by a blacksmith who forges them from one piece of steel. Mr. Castle had each of his groomsman's initials stamped into the handle. Hopefully the guys will enjoy using these unique bottle openers for many years to come!

When it came to my girls I had a tough time. I considered a small clutch or jewelry to wear for the wedding, but I didn't know if they would use either of those after the wedding. I was trying to come up with something that could make an appearance on the wedding day and be a useful gift for their life as well. Finally after much searching I found these:

Image via Etsy/Seller Silkandmore

I figured we could use these robes as we are getting ready for the wedding and the girls will most likely use them again! Most of my girls travel as performers on touring shows and cruise ships. I'm sure it would be helpful to have a nice robe while traveling. The hardest part was choosing the color. I decided to get my MOH pink because it's her favorite color. For the other four ladies two of them will get green and the other two blue. I got myself an orange one of course.

For my parents I decided on embroidered handkerchiefs. My Mom's says, "May joy be in your tears today as you share with me my wedding day. Thank you for teaching me to live, laugh and love." My Dad's says, "Today a bride, tomorrow a wife, always your daughter. Thank you for giving me the wedding of my dreams." I plan on putting them in a shadow box frame with a picture after the wedding. I hope they like them!

Image via Etsy/Seller Inspired Stitches

Mr. Castle decided to get his Dad something really special. Mr Castle and his Dad are die hard Angels fans. We found this awesome Etsy shop that sells cuff links made from baseballs used in actual games!

Image via Etsy/Seller Qacreate

His Dad probably won't actually wear them, other than our wedding, but I think they are pretty cool to have as a keepsake! Especially being the huge Angels fan that he is.

Mr. Castle's Mom's gift is not ready yet. He decided to create a sort of college with a photo from each of his grandparents wedding, his parents wedding, his sisters wedding, and eventually will add our wedding photo. I think she will love the sentimental value of this gift. We haven't been able to put it together yet because we are planning to buy the frame when we get to California. We already have so much to bring out we didn't want to add a picture frame to the list. I promise to post a picture of the finished product after it has been made!

Lastly, we wanted to give our good friend who will be singing during our ceremony a gift of thanks. He's a dapper fellow and we thought he would enjoy having a nifty pocket watch to add to his accessories. We had his initials engraved on the front.  

Image via Etsy/Seller Discovercitywatch

As you can tell Etsy was our go to for gifts. We had great luck with every shop we ordered from. I would happily recommend any one of these shops to work with. They all were such nice people!

What are you gifting your VIP? Was it important for you to give them something they could use for the wedding? Or did you prefer giving a gift that has nothing to do with the wedding?