Today on the blog it’s the final post from Dawn who will be marrying Harley THIS Sunday 9 July 2017, in a Jewish wedding at the Delray Beach Marriott in South Florida, USA!
THREE FACTS: (1) Dawn & Harley met on JDate (2) Dawn is having 11 bridesmaids. (3) This is Dawn’s last post *sniff*. She has been blogging her wedding plans on Smashing The Glass for the last 12 months and we are SO excited for her wedding this Sunday (that final paragraph from Dawn in her post below means so much to us… we love you Dawn!)
We’re almost there…
This. Is. It. Only 19 days to go! My Wedding Wire app just reminded me. Our lives have been completely consumed with vendor meetings, dance lessons, Etsy orders, dress fittings, and the most meaningful task of all… filling out what I call “The Why We Love Each Other” packet for our Rabbi. I truly wouldn’t have it any other way and am not sure what I will do with all the extra hours in my day when the best day of our lives has come and gone. So why don’t I just ignore the fact that our beautiful engagement is coming to an end by sharing with you some of the fun pre-wedding festivities that I DIDN’T have to plan… my Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party!
A beach theme bridal shower
Having a big sister is like have a built in best friend from birth. Luckily my sister, Jill, is loving, crafty, and so much fun! She and my mom hosted the most amazing Bridal Shower in my honor on April 8th, exactly one year after her own Bridal Shower. Luckily we’ve got “the in” with an amazing invitation vendor (My Mom – Personally Yours) and decorative sign company (My Grad School Roommate – Ink Barrel Designs). My mom made the invitations for our Save The Dates, Wedding Invitations, and my Bridal Shower Invitations, which really removed the pressure of finding an Invitation Vendor or figuring out how to make them on our own. My friend, Kaitlyn, made beautiful hand-written signs for our Engagement Photoshoot, Bridal Shower, and wedding, which saved hours of sifting through Etsy and messaging back and forth with strangers!
My Bridal Shower had a beach theme and was an outdoor event at the Jupiter Beach House Island Bistro and Tiki Bar. Everything was beautifully decorated according to the theme, from the handmade centerpieces to the “Sign a Sand Dollar” table in lieu of a guest book. This was the moment our wedding felt real to me. We had already been engaged for thirteen months. With most of the major planning done in the first five months, our wedding had seemed like a far-off dream for quite a while. Being surrounded and showered by so many of my best friends and family members quickly brought our wedding back to life. It hit me that all of these amazing people weren’t there for the funny games or delicious cake; they weren’t even there for the champagne. They were there to celebrate Harley and I finding our b’sheret and support us through a very exciting, yet sometimes stressful, time in our lives.
A Bachelorette Party to Bahamas
The fun times and feelings of immense love for my friends continued in May with my Bachelorette Party! On May 5th, I set sail to the Bahamas with my twelve of my closest friends and sisters. How many people can say they’re this lucky?! Most of the Bachelorette Party was organized by Jill (MOH of the Year!), and many of my friends helped out as well. We had full Bachelorette Party Swag including personalized tank tops, monogrammed beach bags and tumblers, hats, sashes… you name it, we had it! We danced every night (and some days) away, went to comedy shows, relaxed by the pool, and completely took over my favorite bar in the world (you can see the ocean from the stage to paint a picture of it’s fabulousness). I’ve been on many cruises and vacations, but I can honestly say there’s nothing like having all of your best friends together for your own Bachelorette Party. Can I hit rewind and do it all over again?!
So many emotions…
I think most brides can relate the feelings I’m experiencing right now. I’ve never been so excited for something in my life, yet I find myself wanting to slow time down. I know we had a sixteen month engagement, and I thought people were being extremely cliche when they said it would go by fast, but it really is the truth. These sixteen months have been some of the best and craziest times in my life. They have been so filled with love, excitement, fun, and growth as a couple that I don’t think I’m ready for the anticipation of our life together to be over. Just today I cried with my dad while trying to decide on our Father-Daughter Dance song, got frustrated when I kept missing a step in our dance lesson, felt the warm and fuzzies when listening to Harley and his grandma chat about our wedding, and completely let an appointment slip my mind the second I heard our Ketubah was ready to be picked up. SO MANY EMOTIONS, and I welcome them all.
My experience as Real Blogging Bride
I am beyond grateful to have been selected as one the first Real Blogging Brides for Smashing The Glass. Blogging has been much more for me than summarizing how to plan a Jewish wedding. It has given me the opportunity to take a step back every month and reflect on our time as engaged couple. We will never get this time back. On July 9th, everything and nothing will change. We will still be the same couple who loves each other (and a good vacation) deeply, but we will also be husband and wife… a family. Thank you for coming along with us on this journey. I hope you’ve found a nugget of good advice or inspiration for your upcoming wedding and marriage. May we all have our dream weddings, and more importantly, our dream lives with our significant others!
â¤ï¸Ž ALMOST Dawn Kesselman
Click here to read all Dawn’s planning posts to date.
