Ring Around the Risings: Bridal Luncheon

What a sweet and relaxing time my bridal luncheon was! Anyone who knows me knows I usually do everything BIG! I invite everyone I know; I make sure everyone is included. For my bridal luncheon, my mom and I decided to just have it be my bridesmaids and flower girls, aunts, grandmother, and mother-in-law. It was the perfect-sized gathering, and I loved getting to spend quality time with all my girls before our big day! The luncheon was hosted by my mom and my Aunt Wanda. We had it at the Boundary House in Calabash, and it was so yummy! This was the first place I had seen many of my bridesmaid the week of my wedding! I was SO excited to have them all there to celebrate me and Al.

After we got done eating lunch, I took some time to pass out my gifts to each of the ladies at the table. With each gift, I spoke a little about the person I was giving it to... just explaining what she meant to me and why I was so glad to have her as a part of my life. I am extremely emotional, so I could feel myself getting the lump in my throat with each girl I talked about. As soon as I felt like I was going to lose it, I would just say, "And that's all I can say!" I wrote individual blog posts about my relationship with all my bridesmaids, so I knew it would be okay for me to stop so I didn't turn into a blubbering mess. After I passed out all the presents, everyone opened them up and got to see all the goodies I had been so excited about for so many months.

For my grandma, I framed her two of my bridal portraits. She and my dad were the only two people who got framed portraits, so I had to make sure to tell her not to show anyone until the next day!
For both of my flower girls, I bought bows that matched their mamas' dresses, flower girl baskets and petals, coloring books (Peppa for Sophia, Minnie for Lorelei) and crayons, and Ring Pops.
For all my bridesmaids, I got them monogrammed button downs, personalized hangers, monogrammed flasks, and earrings. The flasks were obviously a big hit haha!
For my mother-in-law, I also got her a monogrammed button down in a different color and a personalized hanger. I called this her "getting ready" present because I bought her other stuff too, but Al and I decided to give his parents their presents at the rehearsal dinner that night.
For my mama, I got her the same monogrammed button down as Lana, a personalized hanger, and a monogrammed handkerchief. I also had another present for her that I gave her the morning of the wedding!

Gift giving is not my love language, but I was so excited to be able to present my girls with these gifts as a token of my appreciation for everything they had done for me leading up to that moment. When I first got engaged, I knew without a doubt who my bridesmaids would be. I know a lot of people hear nine bridesmaids and think, "Wow she's crazy," but I truly couldn't have imagined my day without a single one of my girls. I truly have the sweetest friends and family, and I was honored to get the chance to spend some quality time with them all before the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and wedding day!

Next up, I'll be sharing about our rehearsal dinner hosted by Al's parents! It was so lovely, and I can't wait to tell y'all all about it!

Xoxo,
Mrs. Rising