Jenn and Dave: Just Married

Last year when my good friend, old roommate, and sorority sister Jenn called to tell me she was engaged, I was over the moon excited.  Jenn has been one of my best friends for 7 years, and Dave is truly her soul mate.  As she described how the weekend would go, where we’d be staying, where the reception would be, I told her I’d probably get up early Saturday morning and take pictures of the sun rise on the Plymouth waterfront.  That’s when she told me no, that wouldn’t be a possibility- because she wanted me to be a bridesmaid, and so I’d be helping her get ready that morning :) As the year flew by, I watched Jenn and Dave plan their dream wedding, with no detail overlooked.  Jenn slaved over pinwheels, she labeled wine bottles, she scrapbooked her guestbook, she cleaned out Old Navy on $1 flip-flop days so that every guest could dance their feet off on the big day.  Her wedding was truly a labor of love, and I cannot believe how much effort she put into making every last detail perfect.  A few days before the wedding, I went and stayed at Jenn’s house and we talked about the wedding.  I asked Jenn what she most excited about, besides getting to marry Dave.  She told me she since she is a tomboy 90% of the time, she was excited to feel like a pretty girl for a day.

Jenn was one of my first friends at Bridgewater.  She befriended me at a rush event, no questions asked, and a few months later we were roommates.  Let me start out by saying that Jenn is physically gorgeous.  Sorry Dave, not trying to hit on your new bride, but you know it’s true :)  I don’t know many guys that don’t go for the blond hair, blue eyed type, especially when they have a smile like Jenn’s.  But her exterior beauty is not the only thing that has made her “a pretty girl” for the past 27 years.  She is the kind of person that draws you in immediately, the kind of person you notice before they notice you, because they always have people around them, because people always want to be around them.  She is smart, she is generous; she would give you the shirt off her back if you asked her.  She is caring, she is considerate; even on her wedding day, she kept checking to make sure other people were taken care of and having a good time.  She constantly puts others above herself, she never complains about things she can’t change, she always sees the good in everybody, and she loves her family and friends unconditionally.  She has truly found her counterpart in Dave, who constantly puts himself above others, never complains about things he can’t change, always sees the good in everybody, and loves his family and friends unconditionally.  Dave takes care of Jenn, he understands her, he makes her laugh like no one else can.  And I know that every time Dave as looked at Jenn for the past 5 years, even when she’s in an old beat up t-shirt and jeans, he has seen not only a pretty girl, but the prettiest girl in the room.  And now the prettiest girl in the room is his wife, and I know he will continue to look at her that way for the next 70 years.

Since I had bridesmaid duty for the weekend, I didn't snap too many pictures with my professional camera this weekend (although there are about 250 on my point and shoot... I blame the open bar) but here are a few that I did sneak away to take...  the first is a pic of the awesome bridesmaid/ MOH bags that Jenn made us... filled with all kinds of fun goodies!

The beautiful bride getting ready for the big event!

Jenn's bouquet was GORGEOUS... I am such a sucker for hydrangeas.  Swoon.  Anyways, she also took the time to pin pictures of her late grandparents to the bouquet, so they could be with her on her wedding day.  And I truly think they were, because it was definitely a blessed event.

The invite...

So when the flowers came, Jenn got another surprise.  Dave sent over a dozen white roses for his bride, along with a new pair of diamond earrings.  I mean, seriously... could the guy be any more perfect?  This is Jenn and her dad seeing the earrings for the first time...

Fast forward to the reception... as a bridesmaid I clearly did not take pics at the church, but I was so excited to get a few minutes during the cocktail hour to photograph some of the amazing details Jenn spent so much time and energy on.  First, the pinwheels, which served as people's placecards.  Did I mention that she also grew the grass they were displayed on?  Incredible.  I wish I had had my flash with me to even out the light a little, but you get the picture...

Wine bottle shot...

Their cake was probably the one thing in the room that Jenn didn't make herself... but it was still pretty spectacular ;-)

It was really hard to get time to take any pics, so I snapped this of Jenn super quick, in the bridal room right before we were introduced.  Is this a pretty girl or what?!

I grabbed this of the groom a little later... he's not too shabby either :)

After the reception was over, Jenn and Dave held an after-party at the East Bay Grille in Plymouth.  Since it is right in front of the jetty her and Dave got engaged (and also where I took some engagement pictures of them last summer) and their photographer wasn't coming to the after party, she asked me if I would mind taking a few of them in their wedding attire on the jetty.  Mind?  Puh-lease.  Check out their fabulousness on the jetty...

This one's for the brother of the bride, Bobby :)

Okay, so I'll end with one of my favorites from the day.  We were walking back towards the grill and there was a few older gentlemen sitting out by an old antique car.  I asked them if we could use it for a couple pictures and they said sure.  Then I told Dave to lean on it and the tension was palpable haha.  So I told him to "pretend to lean" on it and I took a couple of pictures.  I loved every single one so I'm going to post different versions on my Facebook and website, but on here I will post the "Seventies" version of one of those pics.  Oh, come on, I had to use it for at least one! :)

Jenn and Dave, thank you for allowing me to be part of such a special day.  I am truly honored to have you as friends, and to be able to stand next to you as you started your lives as husband and wife was an incredible blessing.  When I am with you, you give me hope because you show me that true love does really exist, and it is something to be cherished.  I hope some day I am lucky enough to find what you two have, and when I do I know that you will both be there to celebrate with me... and who knows, maybe by that time you'll have a little flower girl or ring bearer that I could borrow... hmmm??? ;-)  (sorry Jenn, had to do it!)

To the parents of the bride and groom: I had an incredible time with you all this weekend.  Thank you so much for welcoming us as family and for putting on such wonderful events.  The rehearsal dinner, the girls lunch, the wedding, the day-after brunch; none of it would have been possible without all of you, and we all had a fantastic time.  Thank you for raising such an incredible son and daughter, and congratulations on the joining of two amazing families.

XOXO!!!