a+e make it official

Festivities’ for our special day kicked off Wednesday afternoon once we were both officially off of work and our fun loving son arrived in SoCal.  We enjoyed having a few days to tie up any loose ends and spend time with Gav and his Mama.  Friday we all headed to LA to meet up with the rest of our family and friends and begin the celebration.  I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon with my gals getting pampered before meeting up with my soon to be hubby for our rehearsal dinner at Cafe Del Rey in Marina Del Rey.  The fun grey and yellow décor paired with the view of the sun setting over the marina and a room filled with our closest family and friends set the stage for the evening – and what an evening it was!  Thank you to Jim, Barb, Donette, and Nick for hosting such a lovely dinner in our honor.  We were definitely feeling the love! 

Then came Saturday – the big day!  While us gals and adorable flower girl Jordan again got pampered and beautiful the boys worked their behinds off to set the stage at Smog Shoppe and make sure that every last detail was perfect.  Major thank you to all the groomsmen and my hubby for bringing our vision to life!  An additional huge hug to Megan who did double duty as a bridesmaid and our coordinator, keeping me out of any details that were being taken care of the day of. Our day went so smoothly and we are beyond appreciative that Megs and Stacy went above and beyond to make sure we just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

Before I knew it Evan and I were having our first look just outside of our venue with our fab photographer Kristin Rogers who captured this private moment – what a stunning man I was going to marry!  He looked so handsome in his grey suit, paisley tie, and yellow suspenders…not to mention the awesome boutonniere by Third Day Floral (thanks Alvia!).  We then proceeded to take several photos where the personalities of our goofy group definitely came to the surface – check out some of the pics below.  Who comes up with an idea to take a pic with all of our eyes closed? Oh that’s right, that would be us!  Having fun with our friends beforehand definitely helped ease the nerves about everyone staring at us while we said our vows, thank goodness!  Around this time I was elated to see that my group was complete when Lisha (ready to pop with twins) and Phil arrived – it wasn’t till the last minute that we knew if Lish could make it, but that is one determined girl and she made sure to be there for me as she always has been.  All of my girls helped keep me calm during the planning and showered me in love and support - I love you all beyond words (special shout out to the best MOH ever James)!

Ok, sorry detour…back on track - our ceremony was truly one of my most cherished moments from the day.  Rabbi Mayersohn brought love, humor, and honesty to every moment of our ceremony and I could not be more grateful to him for making this one of the best moments of my life.  Those who were there probably mostly remember how I was ready to guzzle down the wine - which is only funny since I’m not a drinker, but I was parched from nerves and couldn’t help myself.  My nerves calmed though as soon as I could hold Evan’s hands and look into his eyes as the Rabbi provided a flawless ceremony.  We stood under my favorite piece in the wedding, our chuppah, made from my mother’s wedding dress and my grandpa’s tallis – truly priceless.  I was also able to share some funny looks with my brother-in-law, AJ, throughout the ceremony.  It was so nice to have his fully engaged face to look at in the background. 

Shortly thereafter we were being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Raabe, dancing the hora, visiting with our family and friends, and enjoying a memorable cake cutting.  Oh and I must not forget to mention that early on in the reception our son tore up the floor with his break dance moves and accurately retold this story to me later where he was sure to let me know that he used his tie as a prop – he is such a ham and I love it!

Just like my mother, my favorite part of any meal is of course the dessert and I don’t think there is a friend or family member who didn’t mention to me just how delicious the desserts were – fist pound to Theresa’s Custom Cakes for not only providing yummy desserts but also ones that were lactose free!  

Although I know Evan and I didn’t want it to end, the evening whizzed by in a whirlwind of fun and excitement and we then got to enjoy leaving the best event of our lives as a married couple.  I would not have changed a single thing and can’t thank our parents, family, friends, and vendors enough for helping us to create a wedding of our dreams – we love you!  Thank you also to my amazing husband who was truly a partner through the planning. I’m so glad that we were both highly involved and that our wedding day was representative of both of us and our love – love you babe!

Our vendors rocked!

Wedding Coordinator – www.kensigntonryan.com

Kristin Rogers Photography – www.kristinrogersphotography.com

Third Day Floral – www.thirddayfloral.com

Huntington Catering – www.huntingtoncateringcompany.com

Theresa’s Custom Cakes – www.theresascustomcakes.com

Rabbi Mayersohn – www.californiarabbi.com

Chuppah – www.four-branches.com

Smog Shoppe – www.smogshoppe.com

Tact Event Management – www.withtact.com

The Dresser Bridal  – www.thedresseronline.com

Bridesmaids Jewelry – www.31bits.com

Groomsmen Socks – www.express.com

Groom and ring bearer tie’s – Me and Matilda – www.etsy.com