Mackenzie’s Bridal Tea

The room was filled with absolutely beautiful flowers, perfectly decorated cookies, a tasty mimosa bar, tantilizing sweets made by beloved friends and the laughter and chit-chat of lovely women. What a spectacular day to celebrate our beautiful daughter and her upcoming marriage to a man we dearly love. She was so excited for this day to come and I am so grateful that it all went so well and that all of my planning and hard work paid off! She was worth all of it! Watching Mackenzie intermingle with her friends and the women who have had tremendous influences in her life was such a treat for me. She’s so grown up! As a mom it was bittersweet to watch my baby girl listen to her friends share wonderful stories and sentiments with her, to see her open gifts from people who did such a great job encourageing her and to just admire the woman she as become, soaking in the limelight, drinking it all in. A day all about her, a day where we all acknowledged how much we love her and how happy we are that she is marrying Antonio.

Both of us have been dreaming about this day and especially this season for a long time. Ever since Mackenzie was a young girl, she has loved everything “wedding.” We would have dates where we sat in Barnes and Noble pouring over the bridal magazines and envisioning what it would be like when it was her turn to walk down the aisle. What dress did she like best, what type of flowers, cake, bridesmaids dress, colors, decor, etc.? Her style changed year after year, but never her fasicination with weddings. It’s no surprise that she’s a registered wedding coordinator now! Of course the most important question was who the GROOM would be! Never in a million years would either of us have thought about Antonio about four years ago. They had always been acquaintances and eventually friends, but he is two and a half years younger than she was, so he just wasn’t in the picture…until he WAS! I was completley shocked when she asked him to prom but after that point things started to move. Slowly at first and then what seemed to me very quickly. Since Antonio’s parents are close friends of ours, the match seemed to be PERFECT for ALL of us! We’ve watched him grow up and we know his character and we absolutely adore him. We couldn’t be more thrilled for them both…and for US! He is a wonderful and welcomed member of our family and we love him immensely.

With all of that in mind, I set about to make this day very special for her. For the last several months my house has been filled to the brim with an ecclectic array of teacups and teapots that I gathered from friends and family members. That was just the beginning! I also called on friends to ask to borrow items and was so encouraged by how much my friends and family helped me out with chargers, paper flowers for the backdrop, serving dishes, coffee pots for hot water, charcuterie boards, and sugars and creamers. It takes a village and I have the most amazing community surrounding me! My close friends really kicked it up a notch as Lisa from Lemon Drop Pastry Shop made absolutely beautiful and tasty cake/chocolate hearts, cupcakes in teacups, lemon cookies, and lavendar cookies. Amazing! Sandra brought in scrumptious fruit tarts and I purchased the most beautifullly decorated cookies from Rachel at Sincerley Whisked Baking Co.! I have been waiting years to have a good reason to order cookies from her and I finally had my moment! I was not disappointed! My mother and my stepmother spent hours making the sandwhiches and they were sooooo good!! The bridesmaids were so helpful with Alyssa making the charcuterie board, Jazmin bartending, Lexi driving all over tarnation picking up cookies, Jovannah running last minute errands, Bella running the games and Emma working endlessly to set up and break down. Again, it takes a village and the village SHOWED UP!! Lastly I just need to honor Kelly for the immense amount of work she has put into planning the flowers for the shower and the wedding. I can’t begin to explain her heart and her talent!!

My heart was especially touched by my longtime and precious friends Kim and Lori who came down from Los Angeles and Camariilo. They came in on Friday afternoon and stayed up late with me organizing and cleaning and helping me stay sane! The next day would not have been possible without them. They worked tirelessly to make my vision come to life. I was amazed at how they directed the bridesmaids to help set up and how they beautifully decorated and the room and then orchestrated the break down. Amazing!

The day was PERFECT everyone, a million thank yous!