The Cassidy Family: Olivia and Tim's Wedding: The Day Before

WARNING: This is VERY LONG BLOG, but it's well worth it! :)

Wow - that word just about sums up the entire weekend. It was such a memorable and wonderful weekend for not just me, but everyone involved. The wedding just turned out absolutely gorgeous and every little detail went very smoothly. Words just cannot express how genuinely happy I am for Olivia and Tim as they start this new journey together as Husband and Wife! Wow - that just sounds so cool to finally say now! Olivia was a beautiful bride and Tim was a handsome groom! Now they are relaxing while they honeymoon in Antigua and I am jealous. Now is definitely the time to go while it's cold back here in the States! Here's a summary of how the weekend went:

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Friday morning Olivia treated Mom and I to pedicures and manicures at a place over on the East side of town. I enjoyed spending time with the two of them and also having my feet rubbed. My mom has only had a pedicure one other time, so to see polish on her toes was interesting. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen polish on her toes! She's a tomboy and has always been so, so having the two of us has brought out the girlie side in her! It was a nice morning out and a nice way to kick off the wedding festivies! Thanks Liv!

All us gals getting our feet rubbed

Me and the lovely bride-to-be

Liv getting her nails did

Mom FINALLY gets a pedicure with us!

Me cheesin' it up!

Mom and Daughter

I love my baby sis!

Later that day was the rehearsal at the church. All the ladies looked so beautiful and the guys were so handsome. We ran through what we were supposed to do for the ceremony. It didn't feel like the real ceremony, but I was starting to get emotional and had to hold back the tears as much as I could. Our family's dear friend, Sam Davis, was the officiant and he is just so much fun! He made us laugh and knew just the perfect things to say. After the rehearsal, it was time to head over to the Converse Alumni House for the dinner and to get our grub on!

We all walked into the house and it was absolutely beautiful! The house was already decorated for Christmas and Tim's dad and step mom Cathy did an outstanding job decorating and cooking. Tim's dad loves to entertain and this is his passion, so he really took off with it. They had a real pig cooked and we picked from it. Olivia was sad ol' Wilbur had to die for us to have a good meal. :) They also had Beaufort stew (AKA - low country boil) and all the fixin's, as well as carrot cake for the grooms cake, which is Tim's favorite. It started off with cocktails and mingling and then dinner was served. After dinner, the speeches began, and so did the tears. Tim started first with a beautiful speech about Liv leaving not a dry eye in the house, and all of us wondering who wrote it for him! It was just sweet and meaningful and genuine. It makes me so happy that he loves her as much as he does. Olivia gave a speech about Tim - short and sweet because she was about to break down in tears. Then Liv and Tim gave out their gifts, which were awesome! Liv gave all the girls an ivory pashmina, which is a fancy word for wrap, with our monogram on one end. Tim gave the guys a soft cooler with their monogram on it. Very useful and thoughtful gifts! Then everyone from a few bridesmaids, Tim's grandfather, my mom and dad, Tim's brother and best man, Mark and I gave speeches. I HATE being in front of people so I was very nervous about my speech, but just like on Wedding Crashers, I decided to not be funny but speak from the heart. Once I stopped crying to get my words out, I was able to say just what I felt. And I didn't hear crickets! Christina, one of Liv's long time friends and bridesmaids, played a very cute game where they both stand with their backs to each other and take their shoes off. She asked questions like "Who gets in the last word" and so on, and they were to vote for either Liv or Tim by raising their shoes and without the other seeing them. It was very cute and funny! After the dinner and many picture sessions, we all went out for drinks at Gerhard's.