When a Luna girl gets married, it’s something we don’t take lightly—as evidenced by the fact that my sister’s own wedding week kicked off with a series of events on Wednesday night.
The week started with a cookout for the families at Josh and Kari’s new house, followed by a BBQ at my parents’ home the next evening for all the Charleston crew and other out-of-towners. I was still doing Whole30 then, so let’s say the party really started for me on Friday at the bridesmaids luncheon.


Kari had 10 bridesmaids—me, two sister-in-laws, five childhood friends, a college roommate and a grad school pal—two juniors and a flower girl, and we all convened at Caroline’s mother’s house (the same one who threw such an awesome wedding in Georgia the previous week).

The rehearsal that night was the first time I’d seen the venue other than once during the height of winter with nothing set out. It was a blank slate then, so I was surprised—in a good way—to show up and see it transformed into a magical place where fairies and sprites likely frolic. Totally a midsummer night’s dream, right?



The rehearsal dinner that night was at Cortner Mill, and then we went to bed relatively early as we had a 7am start time the following morning. If you know anything about me it’s that I’m a night owl and don’t function before 8, so this was a stretch!


The day of the wedding was pure chaos: We had the bride, the 13 in the bridal party, various friends and families, four hair and makeup artists, and the photographer and videographer crews all milling about my mom’s house. But if there’s anything us Luna girls thrive on it’s insanity!





My good friend Brenna was responsible for Kari, my mom and me, and we couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.

We thought the day of the wedding might be a bit cool after having a week or two in the 70s…HAHA, joke was on us—it was high 90s, and we arrived at the venue around 2pm, the hottest point of the day. But we rolled with it, as we do.





Kari and Josh did a first look and then we had a lot of time to kill under the tent as we all tried to battle the heat, keeping our hair as frizz-less as possible and blotting our shiny foreheads.
The ceremony was very quick and performed by our good family friend and pastor, Kal, who is just the bee’s knees. SVV and I spent the two weekends before the wedding building the pergola and our only requirement was making it tall enough that he could fit beneath it!




Josh went to the Citadel, so his groomsman Joe planned a surprise from them: Six cadets showed up to perform the ceremony ritual. Kari knew it was coming, but the look on Josh’s face when he heard them marching down the aisle behind him was priceless! I love me a little shock value.





The rest of the evening passed in a blur, but I can honestly say I’ve never had such a great time at a wedding before. My mom—and her interior designers/wedding planner pals Myra and Lynn—sure know how to execute a vision.






We’ve already gotten the preview gallery back from the wedding photographer, Joe Hendricks—who took that awesome image at the very top of this post (the rest SVV and I snapped over the course of the weekend)—and the photos are so stunning I nearly cried. I promise to share them here, as well, once I have the blessing of the bride and groom!



Um, can you do it all over again and invite me?!? Kari looks stunning, love your dress, Scott snapped some great BTS photos and i just love the whole thing. Can’t wait to see the other photos!
I am officially retired from wedding planning 😉 But I will help you plan Baby A’s first birthday instead, ha!
You can see the happiness radiating off all of you! I love these pics- can’t wait to see more. (You and your sister both look gorgeous, btw!)
Kari looks so beautiful, I love your dress (where is it from?), and great job on the pergola!
Thank you! It’s Adrianna Papell and it comes in myriad colors, both long and short. Here’s the long version (which I also have in purple!):
http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/adrianna-papell-spaghetti-strap-beaded-blouson-gown?ID=643761
Finally, a bridesmaid dress I’ll actually wear again =)
I love all the shots – but especially the first one, the look on your sister’s face is priceless!
Hahaha, she even knew it was coming, too, and she still looks quite shocked!
Love everything about this!! Looks like it was a perfect day! And you betta werk in that dress, girl! 😉
Thank you, Jess! I’m pretty stoked I can actually wear this dress again 😉
Kristin, I’ve never seen you look more gorgeous! Whole30 sure looks good on you!
You’re the sweetest! Also, Brenna is a wizard with hair and makeup, so there’s that, too 😉
This is an absolutely gorgeous wedding. Everyone looks like they had so much fun. The first photo and the flower girls with their cowgirl boots are priceless.
Thank you, Erica! We all pitched in, which made it doubly meaningful, I think =)
What a colorful wedding, and I must admit that I fell in love with that dress. I always say that the uniqueness of a wedding is what makes it memorable and perfect, and that was one amazing one that I wish I had attended 🙂
Cheers
Fiona
Exactly! It was amazing to attend and be a part of. I wish we could do it all over again =)
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful post.
Mostly weddings are organised like this only, there are lot of preparations to made and also to recheck everything as nothing has to go wrong on the big day.
Very nicely the whole story was narrated and of course the photos shot by your photographer are so nicely executed and it themselves tell the whole story. I have become a fan of your photographer.
Thanks once again for such an inspiring article. Keep posting and Have a nice month ahead.
~ Harshwardhan
Hi Kristin, I am happy to see your photograph, you’re looking so beautiful. Thanks for sharing
beautiful pictures! Thanks so much for sharing, I’m sure it was a wild, hectic, and beautiful adventure to watch your sister get married!
This looks like an awesome wedding! I loved looking at all the pictures. Thanks so much for sharing!
That’s a lot of people for your mom’s house, but the wedding day itself and the photos are well worth the experience. 4 makeup artists and hair stylists seems like a good number for the crowd.
Beautiful and inspiring! Good Read!
Your experience of being on dietary restrictions during part of the wedding planning is something many bridesmaids and brides will understand. At least, you had yourself a real party letting loose at the luncheon.
Hii,
This is awesome! Congrats for the wonderful wedding and your sister looking beautiful. All the photos are very nice. Your wedding should be a reflection of your style and personality, and I must say your planner did a great job.
Regards,
Jennifer Taylor
Hi,
I really like all the pics oh!GOD you have 10 bridesmaid.I think it was very hard for you to chose a perfect dress for each. Your pics shows that you done your job well!!! you are looking awesome in the pictures.
Thanks for share.
What a beautiful wedding! The bridesmaids’ dresses are such a lovely color and the photos all turned out really nicely.