The Wedding Event of the Year

In early August, our family headed south for a very important event. Greg and Whitney were finally getting married! Bryan, Emme and I decided to take our time getting to Gulf Shores, so we stopped for lunch in Memphis and enjoyed some great food at Rendezvous, then stayed our first night in Jackson, Mississippi. It's funny how Emme is only 2 and 1/2 and it is already a 'must' to stay in a hotel that has a pool!
On day 2 of our drive, we took a wrong turn and had to taking a ferry across Mobile Bay which ended up being a lot of fun. Emme loved the ride and we saw dolphins! The first thing we did when we arrived to Kiva Dunes that afternoon was hit the beach. This was Emmerson's first time seeing the ocean and I wasn't sure if she was going to like the sand because she can't stand feeling dirty, but she LOVED IT! She definitely screamed her protests when it was time to leave the beach.
The next few days were full of wedding preparations... the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, some very relaxing time at the spa, manicures, pedicures, all sorts of fun stuff! The BIG EVENT was on Monday, August 8th at 6:30 in the evening. The weather was perfect, the sun was about to set and the bright blue dresses with the pink and purple flowers were perfect for the beachy festivities. Whitney was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen and everything was going smoothly... as perfect as anyone could imagine... and then there was the "melt down". Emme was so very excited to be a flower girl, but anxiety got the best of her, so it seemed. About an hour before the ceremony she was the crabbiest that I think I have ever seen her. We tried everything to calm her down and I thought we were good to go, but right as it was my turn to walk down the isle... tears and panic!
So somehow I managed to carry a 2 and 1/2 year old and my bouquet down the sandy isle wearing a long dress that I was tripping over. All was good beside the fact she didn't walk down the aisle tossing her pedals. The ceremony was beautiful and the live guitar music set the very relaxing and romantic mood. Emme's meltdown ended up being because she was starving! I didn't realize how used she is to eating early dinners... waiting until 7:30 totally through her off! The reception was at Kiva Dune's clubhouse later that evening and was a great party. Emme rocked the dance floor and Bryan and I closed down the after party at 3am. The wedding was amazing and we still had a whole week to continue our vacation!
We spent the week relaxing on the beach and playing in the pool in our backyard. We stayed in an awesome 5 bedroom home that had an elevator in it- super handy when trying to bring groceries up to the third level! We even had a surprise 82nd birthday party for my Grandma.
On our way home, we stayed the night in Memphis. We enjoyed dinner on Beale Street at the Blues City Cafe and then Bryan took Emme and I on a horse and princess carriage ride! We toured downtown and Emme loved looking at the horse, especially the little puppy that was sitting by the driver. It was a great 2 week vacation that was long overdue. Emme LOVED playing in the sand and "digging holes", Bryan got in plenty of golf time, and I worked on a fabulous tan, but the BEST part of it all was the wedding and we are so excited to welcome Whitney into our family!