My Best Friend's Wedding

Mandy Muehlbauer & Greg Friend got MARRIED exactly eight days ago! It's shameful that it's taken me eight days to write this post, but where do I even begin?

Mandy is my longest & closest friend. Not many people can say they've known anyone other than their parents their whole life, but I can. We have been friends since Day 1...well, my Day 34, when she was born. Strangely enough, there are no photos of us as friends when we were little, but we're told this is the truth. We were the last ones to be potty trained out of our playgroup and all the other moms thought we were going to be stupid, but we sure showed them by going to Northwestern and Vanderbilt - hah! You don't need to be diaper-less to be smart.

Mandy, her sister Carrie, and her mom Edie are the closest thing to me besides my own family. They practically are my family, and I certainly consider Mandy and Carrie my sisters.

Mandy, Edie, and Carrie - all dolled up for the Big Day

They know my heart & soul deeply, know how to comfort me, and most of all know how to make me laugh, which we do frequently. Edie recently told me that whenever I used to go out with friends, my mom would worry - except when I was with Mandy. She always knew I was safe & in good hands. What a high compliment to give. Despite living in different parts of the country (and world!) for the last five years, we have remained steadfast friends even when we fail to keep in touch for months at a time. She is my confidant, she is my sister, she is my friend.

And now she's a married woman! Whoa! Greg sure is one lucky guy and we're all grateful he's in Mandy's life. They've been dating for nearly seven years - since junior year of high school. He is such a deep part of Mandy's soul and such a great person to have in our lives, even if he's a little competitive at our annual gingerbread house competition.

I was so fortunate to be able to go home to Chicago for nearly a week to celebrate their wedding. (Side Note: had I still lived in Namibia, it would have taken me three days of hitchhiking & plane-riding to make it to this wedding. And I would have been dealing with some pretty harsh culture shock and jetlag. Let's all pause for a minute and say "hallelujah" for me being in the States for this!)

If you asked Mandy on Friday morning to express how excited she was, she would have looked like this:

This girl was PUMPED about marriage and could not stop talking. Literally. You couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Their wedding & reception took place at beautiful Independence Grove located north of Chicago. We had a hot, hot, hot rehearsal on Friday evening, but were all amazed at the beauty of this location.

The bridesmaids with bouquets made from all the bows & ribbons from the shower gifts

We even found a place to take their photo by a rock. Greg proposed to Mandy by THE Rock at Northwestern, which is why this was significant.

The Proposal Rock

The Rehearsal Rock

We had the rehearsal dinner at Mandy's aunt's house where the bridesmaids were given beautiful jewelry for the Big Day and the groomsmen were given these neat custom-made shoes for the reception - soooo Greg.

The Big Day was Saturday, August 6, 2011. It involved a day of getting ready, giggling about marriage, the Big Event itself, and a reception and epic dance party that lasted well past midnight.

There's a wedding dress in the Matrix!

The Hair

The Bridesmaids (sister, sister-in-law, childhood friends, rugby/college friends)

BFF

The Dress

The Bridesmaids' Shoes & Flowers

The Wedding

Mr. & Mrs. Friend!!!

Love them.

The First Dance

Check out their kicks!

So congrats to my bestie! I am so excited for the years and adventures to come for the Friends!

PS - an update, since I know you must be asking yourself, " what about the shoes?!" They turned out to be fine for walking...but awful for standing in during the ceremony! Oh well. The price women pay for cute feet, I guess.