Koval-Graff Wedding

Saturday, July 25th I was honored to return a favor to my dear cousin, Jessica. She was a Bridesmaid for my wedding in June and I had the privilege of being a Bridesmaid for her wedding! The whole experience was wonderful and I was delighted to be a part of her big day!

Thursday, July 23rd we had Jessica's Bachelorette Party. Kathleen and I drove downtown to Jessica's apartment where we met up with her and Kimmy [Jessica's Maid of Honor and one of my Bridesmaids]. From there we met up with the rest of the Bridesmaids and Jessica's friends for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant. There we chowed down on chips and salsa and some excellent tacos. Once we were all done eating, Jessica opened her gifts for the whole restaurant to see! What a good sport!

After dinner we walked Jessica over to her big surprise of the evening! Since Jessica is a huge fan of dancing, Kimmy organized a private dance lesson for all of us at Studio L'amour. Together we learned the art of the tease as Lady Ginger taught us a boa dance. We all had a good laugh and those who were nervous really came out of their shell and enjoyed themselves.

That night Kathleen, Kimmy, and I stayed the night with Jess. We had a blast, as usual. It's no surprised that the four of us always seem to keep the party going after hours.

Friday, July 24th was the rehearsal and dinner. Everything seemed to work out nicely. A few minor set-backs are expected, but in the end we all seemed to be ready for Jess and Andrew to tie the knot the next day. Again, Kathleen, Kimmy, and I stayed the night with Jess. Trisha joined us as well. She is a wonderful camp friend who came out to help Jess with her hair and make-up for the big day!

On Saturday, July 25th Jessica and Andrew's day had arrived! Thankfully all the rain, thunder, and lightning seemed to have stopped over night. So we had sunshine, warm weather, and a nice lake breeze in the city. I snapped a few pictures while we all got ready. There was this stone wall in the room where we all got ready... I loved it for photos!

The ceremony was beautiful and Jess was beaming as she walked down the aisle with her father. Andrew could not even look at her without tears, he was so excited to see her! My dad captured a few photos from the ceremony, here is one for your viewing pleasure:

We managed to snap a few family photos during the reception. Kathleen's boyfriend, Brad, was in town from Minnesota for the wedding, so it was nice to include him in our group photos.

Needless to say, Dan and Brad definitely get along. I just had to post this photo so that everyone could get a taste of how silly these two can be. Sometimes they can cause some serious mischief together. Ha ha!

Once the wedding reception came to an end, the after party got underway! In honor of my mother's birthday the six of us had dinner at Shaw's Crab House. It was all very delicious and we had a great time together. There were times when we all laughed so hard it started to hurt! That is one of the best feelings... I love it!

Dan, Kathleen, Brad, and I still kept the good times rolling as we moved on to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock building. There we took on the fabulous view as we enjoyed each others company.

When the evening came to a close, the four of us took a cab back to the church where our cars where still parked. Brad had us laughing during the whole cab ride... including the driver! That night the four of us stayed the night at mine and Dan's apartment.

The next morning we all went to our parents' house for breakfast. It was my mom's actual birthday and we put together a lovely spread of delicious breakfast foods. My job was to make the waffles, yum! My dad made his own version of Egg McMuffins and everyone else was in charge of fruits and spreads. We even used the fine China for this extravagant meal!

After breakfast and presents, Kathleen and Brad hit the road as they journeyed back to Minnesota. Sad to see it all end... it was an amazing weekend for all of us!