Burning River Wedding: The Gals (and A Guy) Get Pampered

A few weeks before the wedding BM Nikki and I decided to plan a Rehearsal Day papering session for the bridesmaids, moms and Tyrone. I knew I would have all wedding tasks/errands done by then and I really wanted to spend some time with my girls before things got nuts.

The morning of the rehearsal I was a *bit* sluggish because of the night before, but nothing a nice cup of coffee couldn't cure. Earlier in the week I tried to pack as much as possible (for the honeymoon, wedding, wedding night, etc), but of course there were some things that had to be left out until that day. I ran around like a mad-woman stuffing things in random bags and boxes. I think I kept my cool for the most part, but I can't promise I didn't snap at Josh and/or my mom. Sorry, guys!

Once everything was packed and ready to go, we set out for lunch at First Watch (ugh the site has auto-play music. Click with sound off.) All of the girls except BM Helen were able to attend and we had a LARGE party.

From L-R: BM Bree, BM Ena, BM Claire, BM Despina, *me*, Mama P, BM Nikki, Tyrone, MIL Nancy

I gave the girls their gifts, which I never actually talked about on here. I gave them silver frames with an IOU for a wedding picture, a pretty hanger for their dresses (which I'm not sure anyone used), an a gift card for the mani/pedi's we were about to get. I also paid for their wedding day hair, but I couldn't exactly "give" them that. 

After many laughs, hugs, tears, and kind words, we took our full bellies over to Venetian Nail Spa. The place is huge and was able to easily accommodate all 9 of us. Believe it or not, this was my first time EVER getting a pedicure! I'm not a foot person and my feet are extremely ticklish. I was so nervous!

My bff Claire sat next to me as this was her first pedi, as well! We were in this together and there was NO turning back. I think she was actually more nervous than I was!

Turns out, I love getting pedicures! I picked OPI Miami Beet for both my toes and fingers. I always knew I wouldn't wear a typical "bridal" color on my wedding day. I enjoy soft pinks and French tips, but they're just not *me* and it was so important to show off my true self on one of the biggest days of my life. 

I didn't take a pic of my fingers or toes (bad blogger) but here is a close up of the color:

(Source)

Yay! I love it and I've received a lot of great feedback from people who've seen pics. I also encouraged my girls to get whatever nail color they wanted. A few went with purple, some went with red, and others kept it classic in pale pink. Everyone looked gorgeous.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed with the salon and the quality of the mani/pedi. It was great because they were able to accommodate many people, but I probably wouldn't go back.

Things were going well and we were on time. I couldn't believe it! My mom and I were the first to finish and we left immediately. We still had to pack up our stuff, get to the hotel, check in, change for the rehearsal, and get TO the rehearsal. I think it was at this point that I realized "oh my effing God, this is totally happening." 

Burning River Bride Tip #2: This is going to sound a lot like yesterday's tip, but spend some time pampering yourself and your girls before the wedding. It was great to have some ladies-only time (Tyrone counts as a lady in this sense) especially because not all the girls knew each other that well. Pedicures are great, too, because your feetsies are about to be under A LOT of pressure over the next few days.