Southern Weddings

Magdalena, one of my bridesmaids who was my roommate when I studied abroad in Ireland, is originally from Bulgaria. When my birthday was approaching, I discovered that in Ireland (and most of Europe), "cupcakes" as we know them are nonexistent! They sometimes call them "fairy cakes", but they use different icing and the whole "fluffy cupcake" concept is lost. To find Betty Crocker anything, you have to go to a specialty, international food store! So for my birthday in Ireland, I taught Magdalena how to make Betty Crocker cupcakes! We had a blast, and she got as hooked as I am on them!

My MOH and I spent a month after college traveling all over Europe. We had no reservations, no idea where we were headed next, and we definitely didn’t speak the language(s). But we had our maps and our backpacks, and we survived; 6 countries in 30-something days. It was the most wonderful trip.

I have SIX bridesmaids and they are each from very different phases of my life. Two of them are my future sister-in-laws and they are amazing young ladies. Over the last (almost) four years I have gotten to know them pretty well and feel really lucky to get to call them my family. My favorite memory of the two of them, though, is a few years old. My fiance, his sisters and I were sitting in their parents’ house and the girls were drilling me with questions. I remember they asked me questions like, "Are you in love with our brother?" "Are you guys ever going to live together?" "Do you want to get married?" etc. I was soooo shy back then and I remember screaming "Yes! Yes! Yes!" on the inside, but trying to play it cool on the outside. I think I pulled it off ok, but the funny part of it, to me, is that now that we’ve become closer, there is no holding back! I tell them anything and everything they want to know and really do feel like they are my sisters, too!

Am I the first post? Awesome! Great contest and I really love LH’s work! One of my favorite memories is with two members of my bridal party (hope I’m not breaking the rules): my twin sister (MOH) and college roommate (BM). We went to LA for a long weekend and learned how to surf. We rented a red convertible to tool around L.A. as well. It was a great just-the-girls weekend.My favorite memory with just one person (my MOH), was a trip we took to London over New Years. We were crashing with some friends and wanted to buy some muffins for breakfast as a surprise. We woke up early and headed to the muffin shop and lost ourselves a little walking around the still sleepy streets around Covent Garden.

I am having four bridesmaids in my wedding– my sister, step-sister and two friends. I have been a major part of each girl’s wedding planning. Each time I’ve helped with their planning, we end up going down memory lane, pulling out old pics of us, etc. It has been such an amazing bonding experience to help them plan such an important day in their lives. We’ve spent many hours chatting over wine doing DIY projects and laughing hysterically. I couldn’t imagine 4 girls that would be better standing by my side than them. Laura Hooper is so talented! I love these totes!

I have 7 bridesmaids; 2 sisters, 1 future sister in law, 2 college roommates/high school friends, and 2 friends since grade school. My maid of honor happens to be one of the girls I’ve known since grade school, and we rode the bus together for many years. One day, in eight grade, when we were sitting in the very last seats on the bus (since that’s where the "cool" kids sat), she decided that she wanted to do a somersault. Please note that this girl had/has never done anything too crazy in her life. She was one of the valedictorians in my high school class and she’s running the Boston Marathon this coming April. Generally, she’s always been a good kid. So, the day she decided to perform this acrobatic feat, she decided that I should catch her so she didn’t end up on the floor of the bus in the isle and risk the driver seeing her. Well when two somersaulting legs came flying at me, there was no way I was going to catch her! Naturally, she ended up on the floor, the bus driver yelled and the unfortunate side effect was that my maid of honor sat up front for a few days. I’m still amused by the whole thing 14 years later. She is too.

BEST CONTEST EVER!!!A Favorite Memory with my MOH- (there are SO MANY!)And as I reflect, I realize that a lot of our memories include DANCING! (which is odd, since I, for one, have no dancing talents AT ALL.) We were in musicals together during high school, and our high school show choir "Special Effect" is where we first started to become close- her as the dance captain, and myself as the student director. Dancing on rooftops on warm summer nights working in the Wisconsin Dells together, (as Dancing Water Animals!, none the less! you know- like mascots of the waterpark)…staying up late to choreograph dances for her squad while she was coaching during college, Getting ready in the mornings and bouncing around the apartment, dancing &singing to one another -kareoke style, dancing the night away at her bachelorette party, and of course, at her wedding- playing old school music we never could get enough of!

I LOVE my Maid of Honor. She’s my best friend…and quite literally the sister I never had. We first met in our college dorm hall and she had plans to move in with another girl for our second year. Me and another friend wrote her a letter and slid it underneath her door trying to convince her of how much fun it would be if she lived with us instead. She’s told us many times it was the best decision she ever made breaking her original plans to move in with us! My favorite memory definitely has to be all of our traveling adventures. From spontaneous weekend trips to New York City to studying in Hawaii together for a summer and backpacking throughout Europe…my Maid of Honor is someone I can always count on for fearless fun and emotional support!

I would say that this is a less traditional best memory.My MOH and I have been friends since before Kindergarten. We have some funny memories from daycare, we had times in junior high where we "didn’t like each other" for a day and would be friends again, but my most vivid memories would be through high school where we would be could not be separated. Considering that we grew up in a small town here in Idaho, we could get away with nearly anything!For this contest, I was trying to think of the best story, without telling the juiciest one of them all. After thinking about it, I decided to go for it because my mind kept going back to it.My MOH and I were always known as good girls who never got into trouble (which was true!). One night, our sophomore year, we were hanging out at one of our friends house (while I’m telling this story, keep in mind that we are from a small farm community). Being the non-daring girls that we are, our friends dared us to streak across a 1 acre horse pasture. After begging and pleading for our friends to offer a different dare, we decided to do it together. Across the field we went! Of course there wasn’t anyone in a mile’s radius, but we felt alive that night!That was/is the craziest thing that both of us had done and it was awesome to have done it together.Now here we are, her just starting a new family and me getting married. We’ve come a long way, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.There – I did it! My best memory with my MOH. I know that she would agree with me, hands down.

I have been lucky to know my Maid of Honor since our freshman year of college. In fact, we met before at our New Student Orientation in the spring of our senior year of high school. While sitting in a group and learning about our new college she leaned over to ask me if I had made my bracelet (I did not) but that was enough to kindle a life long friendship. After that comment we spent to the rest of the day giggling and learning about each other. By the end of the day we had signed up to be first year roommates and we continued to live together until we graduated. It is difficult for me to pick my favorite memory of my MOH but I think this one takes the cake sense it sets the stage for all of the wonderful moments memories that followed.

My favorite memories of my girls are so numerous, it’s hard to pick the best! I have 7 bridesmaids, and they’re all special to me in different ways…my funniest involves my very best friend, Lainie (my matron of honor). We had the showbiz bug as 12-year-olds, and we’d set up her dad’s video camera in her living room and make movies all afternoon. We made up dances to songs, lip-synced to each-other’s voices (oddly)…and one day decided make our own music video to the song "Barbie Girl" — I dressed as Barbie, and Lainie put on her brother’s clothes and put her hair in a baseball cap to be Ken. It was hysterical.My other favorite memory is with my b’maid, Sarah, who was my randomly-assigned freshman-year roommate. Clearly she shared my showbiz bug, because on our very first night in college, we went out to the balcony of our apartment and performed exaggerated scenes from Evita. We knew right then we were meant to be close friends (and secret dorks!)

This was hard to narrow down one memory when you have millions of great memories.I will choose the memory from my whole bridal party. Everyone in the bridal party (includes my twin sisters and best friend) went to go wedding gown shopping with me. Little did I know putting on wedding gowns made it seem so more real, I was going to be a bride:) I remember stepping out in that first dress and looking at their faces filled with love and big smiles and a few tears:) They made me feel like a princess that day. Catering to my every need and encouragement of finding the "right" dress! We went to about 8 stores that day! Not even stopping till the end to eat. Not one complaint but they all were wanting to be there for me in any way they could. They traveled hours away to be iwth me on that momentous occasion that I will remember for the rest of my life. THAT IS WHY I WOULD LOVE TO SURPRISE MY GIRLS (MY BRIDESMAIDS) WITH A REALLY SPECIAL TOTE WITH A MAP OF OUR BEAUTIFUL WEDDING LOCATION: AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT REALLY WOULD MAKE THEM FEEL SUPER SPECIAL B/C THEY ARE SPECIAL TO ME!! And that was that the most imp. girls in my life were there for me.. I was there for Nicole when she went dress shopping, not even her mother was there but she def wanted me there. I look at this has a tradition for me and my girls. Still have two more girls to continue this tradition with (my twin sisters)! This is a memory I will treasure forever:)

My lifelong best friend (who will be a bridesmaid) and I were both featured twirlers together in college at the same university. One night, she and I went out to a party and my roomate (on the team also but not a feature) offered to soak the ends of my fire batons in the lighter fluid so they would look great at the football game the next evening. (For those who don’t know about twirling or even the halftime practice of twirling different kinds of batons, with fire, you have special batons and the ends are made of an absorbent cloth material tightly wrapped. You soak it for about an hour and then wrap it up tightly in tinfoil before packing it into the fire baton case. At least that’s how we used to do it.)The next day halftime rolled around and it was my turn to take the field and twirl. That day I was twirling one, two, three batons, and of course the fire batons. THREE fire batons. My coach lit them and threw them to me faster than lightening onto the field because they were literally giant flames with maybe 2 inches in the middle flame free! My roomie had soaked them for THREE HOURS each side! They were like giant flame throwers! Scared, I did perform the halftime show, all the while worried I’d singe my armhairs or worse (think Michael Jackson!)! The flames got a bit stronger as I threw them up so towards the end of the routine, my bff motioned for me to throw her one of my batons. We ended the routine, got the batons put out very quickly, all the while with the crowd cheering and on their feet thinking I had twirled some new and dangerous kind of baton, and nobody knew that my bff had secretly come to my rescue and saved my arm hairs from certain singe!

One of my bridesmaids and I have been friends since we were literally "in the womb". She was born a month to the day before me, and we’ve been best friends ever since. When we were 5 years old, her Dad got a job in Hilton Head, SC, so they moved 4 hours away from us. Whenever we got to visit each other – we had the most fun, picking right up where we left off – playing dress up and getting into as much trouble as possible!One particular time, they were up for a visit, and had to leave our house to visit some other friends. Betsy and I were so upset to be separated, so Betsy came up with the idea for me to hop in the back of their van, and just come with them – a.k.a. STOWAWAY! Our parents tell us that everyone was frantic trying to find me – my parents even organized a neighborhood search party. My sister was coming up with all these wild things that could have happened. Finally, my Mom got in touch with Betsy’s Mom. She pried it out of Betsy that I was STILL in the back of the van (I was too scared to hop out as planned). Thankfully, everyone was so glad I was okay, I didn’t get into too much trouble! Our parents knew from then on that we would always be a handful together.As it turns out, Betsy and I have remained best friends – and we’re both planning our weddings that will take place (once again) one month apart!! And even though I live in South Carolina, and she’s living in New York City, no distance will ever change our special connection. All 10 of my bridesmaids hold such special places in my heart, and I would be overjoyed to be able to give them such a unique and memorable gift – as they have helped make me who I am today. Thanks!

My MOH is actually a Man of Honor! He’s been my best friend throughout college and we always have been there for each other for our relationship advice. In college, he, my *future* fiance, and I were all best friends. We took the same classes together every semester, had lunch together, worked crosswords on boring days, all of that fun college stuff. He and I always had joked about my *fiance* and I dating and I would respond with a "oh, gross!" sort of comment.Well, one new year’s eve I just so happened to sneak a kiss my *fiance*. We originally weren’t going to say anything to anyone, but I just had to tell my MOH. I breached the subject awkwardly and without prepping him over a dinner at Olive Garden the next day. He happened to be drinking some ice tea when I told him and he spit the tea across the table. It was a great reaction!! I’ll always remember it.

My favorite memory of my maid of honor and I dates all the way back to the second grade! We were sitting in the back seat of the car on our way to see Jurassic park. I confided in her that I had accidentally scraped my knee on a rusty fence an hour before her dad picked me up. We had had heard about tetanus and were convinced that I had it. I remember her holding my hand and praying with me. We asked God not to let me die! It’s so funny to look back upon that time because we were really scared. But this is just one of the many examples of how sweet and caring friend she has and always will be! I could never ask for a better friend!

DO-RAG, CAT FOOD, BEACH BALL, AND A JESUS FIGURINE…These are just a few of the items we put in a box and placed in front of Sheila’s house one night.While still in high school, my bridesmaid Sheila was at home recovering from surgery. My girlfriends and I (all bridesmaids of course!) decided to go to Walmart to buy her a present. To make it interesting, we gave each other 10 minutes and only $5 each to spend. Then, we were off — speeding through the aisles, running faster than we ever had before I can guarantee. By the time we got to the checkout lanes, our hands full of absolute crap, we were laughing uncontrollably. We secured a large box, piled everything inside and drove to Sheila’s house. After a few "money shots" of us with the loot in the cul-de-sac outside her home (still on facebook to this day), we placed the box on her front steps, rang the doorbell and drove as fast as we could away from the crime scene. It was one of the silliest nights of my life but to have friends like that, and now bridesmaids, who can just laugh hysterically at each other for hours, is the best feeling in the world. We now spend more money on cocktails than we did at the Walmart that night, but the Walmart trip will always be more fun :)

OoOoO Laura Hooper! How great! Anyways, I remember the first time I went to lunch with my best friend & now bridesmaid Julie was when we were in the process of picking big & little sisters in our sorority. I was really nervous because I really wanted her to like me and pick me to be her little sister! After we ordered the same exact thing, we ended up confessing to each other that we had been drawn to each other because of our pictures…we both posed the exact same way in ALL our pictures! She ended up being my big sister, a roomate, best friend and now bridesmaid. Not to mention that we still pose the exact same way in our pictures, and our friends still give us grief over the "Kelsey Julie Pose."I also have to mention that I have a ton of great college spring break memories with a lot of my bridesmaids! (wink)

My favorite memory is with my matron of honor, my sister, from when we were little. In the summertime, we had to go to bed early when it was still light out. We’d open the shutters in our room, and while she’d start reading, I’d watch the fireflies with my chin on the sill. Later, I’d also start reading, but I’d have to get out my flashlight. We’d each be reading with our flashlights until one or the other of our parents came down the hall. In unison and in silence we’d switch off the flashlights, slide the books under our covers, and get a kiss goodnight with no one the wiser.

Easy…..my maid of honor is my younger sister. As 2 siblings in a family of 10 (yes 10) children, we have been through it all together. Although my sister and I are 5 years apart, we share the same belly-deep giggly laughs together, the same quirky sense of humor, and the same contagiously optimistic outlook and passion for life. Right now we are worlds apart–I, living in TX with my active duty Army and ER resident fiance, and she, as a sophomore in college in PA in the midst of a rigorous nursing clinical bachelors degree…..but our busy lives always find time for each other. We are sisters, we are bonded for life over the ups and downs of our family life, our experiences in working so hard to settle into our careers early in life, and our commitment to our big family. She is my rock, my trusty sister, and my constant source of laughter. I am proud to share the title of "oldest sister" with her as we work together to be positive female role models for both our 4 younger sisters and our 4 younger brothers. I’m one lucky girl to have such a cool and gorgeous sister :)

There are a ton of funny stories here! Thanks so much to all the girls for sharing them!Like many other posts, one of my bridesmaids and I have been through a ton in the 13 years we’ve known each other, high school and college graduations, engagements (3 between us), crazy boyfriends (countless between us), moves, new jobs, drunken nights, and crazy stunts. However, my favorite memory happened at a more serious moment. I had the pleasure of being there, right by her side when her first baby girl was born. It was such an amazing feeling to be there for her birth, to know that in addition to all the crazy stories her mom would tell her (when she was much older of course) she would also tell her how I was right there sharing in her very first breath.

I think one of my all time favorite memories with my bridesmaids were our annual beach trips to Montauk, Long Island. The summerbefore we left for college we had a goodbye bonfire. We walked down to the beach before dark and built a huge fire, had smores and talked all night. When we were leaving we drenched the fire and soon forgot that flashlights would have been a really good idea! It took us close to three hours to make it back to the house because we could not see the steps up to the road. Rest assured the following year we brought flashlights!

I’ve been friends with my Maid of Honor since high school, so there are so many memories to choose from! My favorite memory was from our roadtrip to Vancouver. I had a couple of days off from work and we drove for 16 hours straight and had lots of wonderful detours, including a race to see an erupting volcano! I had soo much fun bonding with her during that trip. I really miss our road trips together, especially since vacation time is so scarce these days!

It was “Seafood Night” at the sorority house one spring evening. It is well-know that I have never been, or have any plans to be, a seafood eater. I can’t quite describe it, but something about eating things in their “original shape” disgusts me. Needless to say, I didn’t partake in seafood night that dinner. Later on that same evening after coming home from a long night, I pulled back my sheets only to find several crawfish all over my pillow. My friends (and soon-to-be bridesmaids) standing suspiciously nearby, were the obvious culprits. I screamed so loud, legends say I woke up our entire small college town. While at the time it might not have been a “favorite memory” of mine, it has now become one that we can all remember and “sea” the humor in.

My favorite memory with my Matron of Honor Karen goes back more than 15 years. We went to an amusement park with our parents and found one of those ‘record your own song’ booths. We chose Amy Grant’s "Baby, Baby" and started singing our little hearts out. Little did we know the staff was piping it through the entire park! We stepped out to applause from our parents and snickers from just about everyone else. Totally embarrassing at the time, but totally fun to remember now.

Thanks for having this contest! What amazing bridesmaids gifts these would be!!My favorite memories with my maid of honor would have to be all the Christmases I got to spend with her and family. I have a small family and my mom frequently worked on Christmas Day. But as long as we’ve known eachother ,(20 years now!) her large, loving, loud, and wonderful Irish family have always invited me and my family over to their house for Christmas Day and made us feel like we were part of their gang.

This is insanely difficult, as I have SO many incredibly memories with each of my bridesmaids! One funny story that stands out involves a bridesmaid with whom I’ve been close friends since age 2! We lived down the street from one another, grew up together, did swim team together, played Barbie Dream House together…as children we were inseparable. That’s not to say we didn’t have our differences, though! One day, my friend was being a bit of a bully and I went crying to her Mom. Her mother wisely advised me to tell her sassy daughter "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." My friends reply? "Well, I’ll just have to go find some sticks and stones then!" Ohhh, I’m never gonna let her live that one down! :)

While you would think this would be easy, the memories I’ve made with my made of honor, my little sister, are the story of my life – so to pick just one is a Herculean task. As little girls, we had a creative streak that never seemed to stop. I praise my parents for keeping our imaginations engaged at all times. But it was the times, that we would be "lost" in the house for hours at a time that made them the most nervous. Even at the ripe ages of 9 and 6 we had PLANS! It was Mothers Day and we locked ourselves away in my room for several hours . . . we would slide pieces of paper under the door to my parents – You are invited to a Mother’s Day pageant! Please be in the family room at 2:00. Thank you. At 1:45 we set up the stage, prepped the audience and did our final run throughs. Then at 2:00 our pageant, full of musical interludes, dances, and the crowning of the World’s Best Mother began.The entire event was lovely, but it was the hours we spent toogether writing a script, choerographing the dancing, and working our "harmonies" on the musical pieces that burns in my memory.

my favorite memory with one of my bridesmaids happened the night I get engaged. Courtney and I live across the street from each other, so when I got home the night of my engagement, I ran over to her apartment. She just had a baby girl, so instead of being loud in her apt, we jumped up and down and laughed and screamed in the hallway over the excitement of my new ring and new fiance’!

The ties that bind my bridesmaid Shannon and I should have been clear from the moment we met 6 years ago working together on Capitol Hill in Washington:: an East Tennessee twang, blonde hair, exercising in big earrings. Shannon and I were simply co-workers, though…..until the day Dolly Parton came to town! It took just one concert to discover we cried at all the same songs and pulled out "Hard Candy Christmas" each year in October. Since then, our friendship has been in perfect harmony! Of all the concerts, ice cream runs, walks on The Mall and road trips South to cure our "Tennessee Homesick Blues" the night we casually spent at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel bar in DC may be the most symbolic of our friendship: bold, adventurous and always fun! The Mandarin Oriental was the host hotel that year for the Kennedy Center Honors honorees and performers. Dressed in formal wear to suggest we’d actually attended the show, Shannon and I spent many hours in the hotel bar (that has a perfect view of the main hotel entrance) blending with actual ticketholders and waiting for Dolly to return. We only wanted a picutre! There wasn’t a celebrity we didn’t see that night….EXCEPT our idol and muse. Dolly had headed home right after the show on her bus; Shannon and I made it home before the sun came up in Eddie Murphy’s limo (without Eddie, but still….). "I Will Always Love" that memory!

I knew immediately after reading the post what post I would be leaving.In college my Maid of Honor (and BFF) and I were joining an organization. We each had to bring something that described ourselves. Across the room, my future BFF holds up a CD and tells us: My name is Liz and I love booty music. From that moment forward everyone called her: Booty. There are still some people to this day who don’t know her real name. :) I knew that this girl and I would be friends fovever! She is without a doubt the funniest and kindest person I know. Although, through the years we have had laughter and tears, she is the person in my life who can always make me smile.So, yes, meet my Maid of Honor…Booty!

My maid of honor is my sister, we are only a year apart so we have always been very very close. Growing up we would always be fighting, then making up, causing trouble, then fighting some more. I know everything about her, the good, the bad, the funny! And she knows everything about me.Now we are leaving in different countries, so we don’t get to see each other more than once a year (we skype every week though!) We are planning on moving back closer and hopefully be neighbors. In the meantime, she is very helpful with all the wedding stuff since she still lives close to our hometown. My wedding is this summer and so most of our guests will be from out of town and I know these little bags would be very appreciated, and most importantly, I know my sister would love them. She has been brainstorming all sorts of ideas for decoration and favors and this would make her swoon!!!Thank you for a great contest!

I can’t pick just one. I have 6 bridesmaids… 2 sisters and 4 friends whom I have known since we were in 6th grade. When I try to pick a memory I filter through years of sisterly fun, church trips (the one where megan walked through the screen door of the houseboat was pretty awesome) school (when natalie and i decided we had secretly wanted to be cheerleaders) and all the way up to vegas for our 21st birthdays. My bridesmaids have been with me through thick and thin and will truly be my friends forever. (cheeesy, i know :) ) I am truly blessed to have such great memories with such gorgeous friends!!! (Oh… maybe the one where we toilet papered Ryan’s place (he is one of the girls and will also be a groomsman :) ) and he chased us 5 blocks… a few of us ended up in the bushes, a few made it to natalie’s house… we were all toilet papered the next week. Good times)

My favorite memory from my first wedding was all of us getting our hair done. We had *such* a great time, and it was all a treat from us to them. A lot of my bridesmaids weren’t exactly wealthy, so getting their hair done professionally was a real treat. We had such a blast!

One of my favorite memories of my MOH is one from when we were both in college. We were attending seperate colleges in different states and she came up to visit me one long weekend. I was going to school outside of Boston at the time and didn’t have a car. We planned this crazy trip into Boston in the middle of a big snowstorm to check out a new restaurant and find a bead store for jewelry we’d been designing together that weekend. We took public transportation, as I didn’t a car. I’m not sure what we were thinking as it was a terrible idea as we are both extremely directionally challenged and we got hopelessly lost between switches on bus lines and the T (subway). By the time we found our way to the bead store, the snow had let up a little bit but there was more than a foot and a half of snow on the ground. The bead store was getting ready to shut down but the owner stayed open longer so that we could shop as long as we wanted. By the time we left the bead store, the sonw had started up again with full force and the restaurant had closed early due to the snow so we had to turn around and try to get back home. We got hopelessly lost trying to find our bus connection (couldn’t even find the stop) and ended up having to call a taxi to get back home. By the time we got back to my dorm, flights had been canceled for the next day and we found out my friend wouldn’t be able to get back home and would have to stay another day (we were of course devastated at that news!!! :)). We ended up staying up all night, cooking a fabulous meal and curling up in blankets watching old movies and making jewelry with our newly purchased items. It was so cozy, it still remains one of my most favorite memories of all times!

When we first began college one of my now bridesmaids and I traveled from our small hometown in Washington state, to the big apple for three-days of metropolitan mischief. We were on such limited budgets at that time, that we stayed in a questionable youth hostel, where I believe we were the only American students. On our second day we ventured to China Town where we’d heard you could barter for fabulous faux designer handbags. Caught at a red light, we were nearly hypnotized by a frail women with a thick accent, "You like Prada? Chanel? Louis Vuitton? You follow me" And so we did, we foolishly followed her nearly six blocks off the beaten path and down an alley. She pullled up a make-shift garage door and led us into a small dreamy room, where the smell of cheap leather filled the air. The beautiful bags were hanging all over the walls and sitting all over the floor, our jaws just about hit the floor! Before we even got a chance to feel one of fake masterpieces in our hands, another woman came in, and the two began speaking quickly with an alarmed toned. "You must leave!" We can only assume that what they were doing probably was illegal because they shewed us out of their faster than kids running for the recess yard and pulled down the door behind us. Of course we were a bit disappointed, but we ran back down that alley laughing our heads off, what an adventure!

I have three bridesmaids, who are such wonderful friends and bring so much laughter to my life. But the ultimate comedian in my life is my "man of honor," my little brother, Eric. He can make me double over giggling with just a look, and he is the star of many of my favorite family home videos. One of my most beloved memories of Eric that’s caught on tape is his participation in one of the many "fashion shows" my friends and I used to produce for my parents. Not only is it hysterical to see him prancing around my parents’ living room in a girl’s bathing suit stuffed with socks, it’s so endearing to see how willing he was to entertain my whims. While I won’t be making him wear lipstick or a dress in the wedding, I feel so honored to have my lifelong partner in crime standing next to me on my big day. I just hope we can keep the giggling to a minimum!

It’s so hard to choose just one memory! But I’d have to say that going through college with my BM Natalie will have to take the cake. She and I would have not have survived being away from home without one another! We’ve been friends since 6th grade, and we lived together all four years of college! Not many people can do that and still call her roommate her friend. Natalie and have been through it all together, and I do mean ALL of it! She knows I’d do anything for her, and I know she’d do anything for me. Even though we live in different parts of the state now, we’re still there for the other whenever and wherever we need it. I can’t imagine anyone (other than FH, of course!) being able to live with me for so long! I’m grateful for her friendship and willingness to experience college with me, quirks & all!

My favorite memory of my bridesmaid (who is also my cousin) would be the intense Easter Egg Hunt when we were 8 years old. I was VERY jealous that she has more eggs in her basket than I did so I proceeded to follow her around and try to go after the eggs she was going after. Of course this turned into a full on wrestling match in the backyard which was being filmed by our parents. The best part of the Easter Egg War was the fact that while we were on in full on WWF style wrestling, all our precious easter eggs were flying all around and our little brothers stood around collecting the eggs and laughing at us. Sadly, we both were left with no eggs and a weeks groundation for our little fight that embarassed our family and ruined our dresses. Looking back on that day always throws us girls into fits of laughter and it stands to remind me of how many things we’ve gone through over the years.

There are WAY too many memories to choose from because all of my bridesmaids are so near and dear to my heart and have been with me through so much! But one of my favorite memories would have to be with my maid of honor (my sister), Lindsey. I was probably 7 years old, and she was probably 9. We had rented a multi-person bicycle/cart in Charleston with my parents, and the day started out beautifully. We had gone some distance away from where we left our car when the clouds started to turn PITCH black. I will never forget peddling our hearts out, trying to get from where we were on the bike and ultimately to the car before the storm set in. My mom was singing the music from when the "wicked witch" in the Wizard of Oz appears, and we were laughing, but at the same time, we were scared out of our minds. I can’t even remember how it all ended…obviously safely…but the intensity of that moment with Linds is something I will never forget!

I’ve known all of my bridesmaids since middle school and we have some great memories as a group! Way back when, we started getting together for poker night. We’d dress up in crazy outfits, play cards for candy, and eat chips till 1 am. We have some great photos from these nights and I am so happy to still be close with these girls. Tote bags would be a great Bridesmaids gift and make great OOT bags!

Out of all my bridesmaids, (I’ve got 8 PLUS 4 girls in my house party!) the best memories would be with my little sister. Hands down, not only has she been my best friend since I was four, she’s been my partner in crime, my confidant, and the only other person as wierd and goofy as I am. Like all sisters, we have had our fair share of arguments, but she is the one person I can’t look in the eye during an argument with out laughing. We simply can’t stay mad at each other. As for the best memory? Its nothing spectacular, but its the one that stands out the most to me, because its just so… HER! When she was around 4 (and I was 8) she was going through this rock collecting phase. Very strange I know. Everyone else was collecting stickers, but not Melissa. She had to have rocks. She would collect rocks on every family trip we took, playing in the yard or where ever she found them. My favorite memory is simply haning out with her in my parent’s kitchen, on the floor, helping her polish and categorize her silly rocks. We’ve def. had more adventerous times, but when I think of my little sister, and now my maid of honor, polishing rocks has been by far the best one!

Sasha my baby sister and MOH and I were so excited about the wedding. Brian and I had planned to have a destination wedding in Gulf Shores, AL. About 5 hours from Atlanta where we live. Because of work ties, he was not able to take the weekend trips with me to do most of the planning. Sasha was more than excited to take his place. We had the best times. Driving, singing, dancing. It was a wonderful way for us to "close" the part of our lives where we lived under the same roof and fought like sisters. We stayed at the resort each time, planned everything down to the drinks we would serve at our pre wedding luau for the guests. We must have had a hundred inside jokes each time we came home. Brian went down on the last trip and loved everything.(More so that he didn’t have to sit through planning what shade of brown the linen’s would be). Then 28 days before our October Wedding Hurricane Ivan hit. It destroyed everything. The pier I was going to walk down, the pool our reception was around was "relocated" a quarter mile down the beach. I was so sad. She was a saint. Found a new location in town and helped do everything to get the new location set up in two weeks. I don’t know if I could have done it with out her. She even painted a sign and set up a surprise at our wedding in town. She brought the beach to us. In the entrance to our reception area I was surprised to find a large metal bucket full of sand with a wooden sign that read "Sorry Ivan beach came here". I just started to cry, she knew how important having the beach at my wedding was and despite the hurricane she made that happen. I will stand as her Matron of honor (5 years later) this September in her wedding. She is getting married on Tybee Island, Ga. ***These bags would be a beautiful present for her beach wedding since she saved mine. They are beautiful. ***

The five girls standing up at the alter with me are my family [though only one is blood related!]. We are there for each other through thick and thin. As we moved from state to state as kids, my [real] sister and I had a motto "We ain’t no pansies." And it’s true! We fought like cats and dogs, but we have grown up into bff’s who enjoy each other’s company while adventuring. The scraps we get into would likely kill our poor worrying mother, so we invented another phrase "DTM" which stands for Don’t Tell Mom. Whether it’s para-gliding over the Andes mountains [that eventually got spilled AFTER the trip!] or being stranded in the seedy parts of Atlanta, we watch out for each other! Finally, after the life of nomads, Atlanta is our home. I’m so excited for everyone to really share in our city and would love to have one of Laura’s maps to show it off in style!!

My MOH and I have been friends ever since she moved in behind my house in elementary school. Would would meet where our backyards touched everyday to play and spend time together, and when her parents decided to fence in their yard her dad even put in a gate so we could still go back and forth to each other’s yards. She is the most supportive and intelligent woman I know and has always there for me no matter what kind of problem I am having. When I studied abroad in Australia in college (where I met my fiance!) I emailed her just telling her about my travels and what it was like living in Australia. I mentioned how frustrated I was trying to eat healthy because food has nutrition labels in joules rather than calories. She immediatley wrote back with the subject line Laura + science = BFF and told me the conversion equation I could take to the grocery store with me. She is always there to make me laugh and really can help me solve any problem I am having!

My favorite moments with my MOH were right after we met. We met in a chat room for a sketch comedy troupe we both loved, the Kids in the Hall. We’d both seen them at their DC show, and sat only feet apart from each other, but didn’t meet. We decided to meet, and if we liked each other, throw caution to the wind and take a trip to see a few more shows. That was eight years ago and we live down the hall from each other now and I’m excited to have her by my side that day!Funnily enough I met my other bridesmaid online through the Kids in the Hall, so I guess they do bring people together, and this past May we were all able to see their DC show together, which was a real treat!

It’s hard to pick my very favorite memory with my best friend and matron of honor…but I’ll try! About 4 years ago, when we were in graduate school together, Kari and I rendezvous-ed at our favorite burrito place. I got there first and was sitting outside waiting for her when she sauntered up to the patio looking especially cute for a given work day. I commented on her cute red shoes and gave her a hug and sat down and she said, "do you like my new accessory?". I thought to myself, "I just complimented her on her shoes! What more should I say?" Then she extended her left arm so that I could see her hand and there was a perfect diamond ring on her finger! I was so ecstatic for her that I started crying and she started crying and we were crying! That’s one of the reasons she’s my best friend…we laugh together and cry together.

My sisters are my maid of honor and matron of honor. And with no hesitation, I can say that they are my best friends. Growing up in a large family of five, I never felt alone – especially with my two sisters close by me. Even though a good 10 years spans between my oldest sister and I, we are the closest I could ever be . And the same applies for my other sister, with whom I live with. And best of all – the three of us live within 15 minutes of each other and see each other all the time.My fondest memory with them has to be trying on wedding and bridesmaid dresses with them – it was such a magical time in my life and one of my fondest memories. Having my two best friends and mother with me as I celebrated the beginning of a new chapter is something I will never forget. And seeing and experiencing the happiness they have for me and my fiancee is incredible. I would have to say that I have two of the greatest sister, best friends standing up with me on my wedding day in my honor. And what a better way to remember that special day and the city where we all live then with one of these fabulous bags!

My favorite memory is with my Maid of Honor Hayley. We both studied abroad, but in different countries. One weekend we met up in London and splurged on having the best weekend. We went and saw Phantom of the Opera and then were randomly given tickets to the British equivalent of the Academy Awards. We went and saw all the major sites, had tea and saw the new Mary Poppins show. We did so many fun things but more than anything it was so good to have that familiarity and part of home so far away.

My favorite memory of my Maid of Honor was when we were in middle school and my parents were out of town. We were known big mess creators and decided to take advantage of my poor Aunt who didn’t know any better than to go along with our seemingly innocent plan. Neither of us had ever baked anything in a real oven together, but we thought it looked easy enough… we were very wrong. The plan was to make chocolate chip cookies for my parents to welcome them home from Hawaii, but we ended up coating my parents kitchen with flour, sugar, and eggs just hours before my parents were to return home. Needless to say, we weren’t allowed to bake anything in my mom’s kitchen until we were out of college, but I still have fond memories of eating all the cookie dough and laughing at our huge mistake. My MOH lives on the other side of the country now, but whenever either of us mentions baking over the phone, the response is "will this resemble the chocolate chip cookie incident?"

Laura has done my wedding Save-the-Dates and is working on my actual invitations and I have to say she is completely fabulous. My invitations are so beautiful and each one has a special touch. She has been a true pleasure and talent to work with.

I’ve known one of my bridesmaids since I was only about 1 year old. Her wonderful mom ran a small daycare at the time that I was a part of. We’ve been close ever since. When I was 3, my family moved to a small country in Africa for 5 years and we only saw each other on the rare visits back to the US. During one of those visits, we went to a movie at the small local theater in town (that happened to be just blocks from her house). I remember that we were allowed to go to the movie by ourselves (or so we recall?) and the theater was absolutely empty–it was just the two of us. I can’t remember what the movie was anymore (she always remembers though!) but what I do remember is us dancing up and down the aisles singing along to a Madonna song that was in the movie!

My maid of honor and I met the day we moved into the college dorms seven years ago. We were both scared and nervous, leaving home for the first time. At the time we both had boyfriends, and about a month into classes, we both got dumped. Her on Friday, and me on Saturday. We didn’t share a room then, and despite the fact that she had spent most of the previous 24 hours crying, as soon as she heard about me, she came to my room, crawled into my bed and we cried together. A few hours, and a box of girl scout cookies later, we were laughing hysterically. We have spent the last seven years laughing, crying, and everything in between together in each other’s beds! I don’t know how or why, under a fluffy comforter is just where we have the best time (and the girl scout cookies make an appearance whenever possible)! It’s those moments that made me know that I needed her standing next to me on the altar, supporting me on the biggest day of my life!

I have many memories with my matron of honor. Not only do we have many memories, we assume (d) many roles in each other lives (e.g., many titles – best friend, I was her maid of honor, teammate, classmate, neighbor, etc.). However, one of my favorite memories I have of her/share with her is becoming her first born’s godmother. I thought I would have accomplished many things by the time I turned 30, but to no avail. Yet, on my 30th birthday, October 22, 2006, the day we christened her daughter, I realized that I in fact had accomplished those various things; the accomplishments were just presented in different packaging (i.e., I was a parent at 30).My goddaughter will be in my wedding as well, adding yet another fond memory to our lives. And lhe map that will appear on the tote is like a methphor for our relationship (yes, I’ve know her all my life); there’s direction, exploration, and the journey still continues.

Julie is one of my bridesmaid’s. We went to preschool, elementary school, middle school, high chool and college together! Go Dukes! One of my favorite memories and earliest childhood memory is of her valentines party in preschool. She had our entire class over and we all wore red or pink. We all made valentines cookies and decorated them together and exchanged valentines. I still have the valentine Julie gave me from that party over 17 years ago!

One of my bridesmaids came into my life in a pretty unusual way. After Hurricane Katrina, Amy, a freshman at Tulane University, was displaced to my college, Stetson University, after only a week and a half in New Orleans. We met and I thought she was a great girl and was disappointed that she was going to be leaving as soon as Tulane reopened. As I got to know her better, I was even MORE sad- she had quickly become one of my best friends and I was going to miss her so much. Amy was having trouble deciding if she wanted to join a sorority because she was still planning on leaving- but of course I wanted her to join mine!!! Long story short, on Bid Day that year I was extra thrilled- not only did we have a great new pledge class but Amy was one of our new members- she decided to stay at Stetson! Amy became my sorority little sister and now after all these years she is a big sister to my biological little sister who joined our sorority as well (and is my MOH). We have shared so much over these years- including holding all the same offices in our organization as well! She is truly like a sister- I am so thankful to have a friend like her and I think we were really meant to be friends forever!

I went to high school and college with one of my maids of honor, Diana. We didn’t know each other very well in high school, but we knew each other’s faces. I went on a ski trip with one of my friend’s churches, and Diana happened to be on the same trip. One afternoon, at the ski lodge, I was done for the day and relaxing. Diana comes up to me and asks me to hold on to her gloves and scarf. Next time we spoke to each other was when I joined the soccer team 4 years later. She was surprised the second day of practice when I returned her stuff to her! We’ve been best friends pretty much ever since, and we would both do anything possible for the other!!

I met one of my bridesmaids our first day of college and we instantly clicked. We attended one of the military academies–she is outgoing, bubbly, and energetic, I’m a little more subdued. It’s been almost 15 years and we’re still the best of friends, with so many adventures between the two of us! For some reason, she’s always managed to get me to do things that are a little bit goofy. My favorite memory (and she’ll shriek if she knew that THIS is the one that sticks out in my head!) is when we escaped from our dorm rooms one night after lights out. Being a military academy, we were NOT supposed to be exploring on our own or breaking the rules! For us, we thought a bit of adventure would be to climb one of the giant trees on base and just sit and talk and stay up late, without getting caught, of course. Great idea, until I boosted her up into the tree first and she got stuck with her torso over the branch and her legs hanging down! We were laughing so hard that neither of us could breathe when we realized she looked like Pooh getting stuck and being made into a shelf. Funny to think how daring we thought we were being… I still smile everytime I think of it–she can always make me laugh! She’s been married for 8 yrs now and yet we still take time every year to travel together and have our own adventures. No matter how far apart we live, I am blessed to have a friend like her. It means so much for me to have her be there for my big day, and I hope she realizes that. Here’s to you, Maddy!

I was in the 7th grade when I met my best friend who moved mid year to join the 8th grade class. We were best friends through high school and then went to different colleges. When we moved home from college we decided to get an apartment together in our hometown. We decided that we wanted to have a party and my best friend mentioned that her cousin was coming into town with a couple of his friends. I remember thinking… "I wonder if he is HOT!" and long story short… her cousin is now my fiance :) and of course my best friend is also now a bridesmaid!