My Wedding Rehearsal

(All photos by Raya Carlisle)

I know. I know. It is ABOUT TIME, Ale! This is true. But hopefully you'll forgive me because going through hundreds of wedding photos, making photo books for parents, and life in general can make posting your wedding photos a bit daunting. So let's not dwell on that and start with the rehearsal! :) :)



How cute is my flower boy?!? That's my cousin David with his older sister Crystal.

I decided to have my brother walk me down the stairs while my dad would wait at the bottom to walk me down the isle. He couldn't make the rehearsal so my uncle (David & Crystal's dad) played that part. Apparently he had some jokes!



If only I could remember what Jose was saying :P



My lovely flower girl... waiting.



Our photographer is SO good! :)



Amazing support from my friends and family :) :)



Then it was time for lunch! We chose BBQ because a wedding coordinator told me some pretty great advice: do NOT have the same style of food you're serving at your wedding so people will not compare one from the other and feel like they're having it twice. Smart! We had a Latin-American fusion brunch at my wedding.. clearly BBQ is very different. Plus, I couldn't think of a better way to introduce Texas to my out of town friends than some BBQ grub!



Gifts were exchanged and great conversations were had :)



VERY amazing people that mean the world to Jose and I!!



And theeeen, Raya took a few quick photos before we left! :)



In case you're wondering -- I found this dress at one of those "formal dresses" stores at Grapevine Mills Mall. Couldn't believe I would find something this unique there!! That's actually where I also found my garter belt!







I remember feeling SO amazing that day despite some rough moments of stress. My advice for future brides is to DELEGATE a phone person for your rehearsal! We all plan for the "big" day and forget that the rehearsal can be stressful too. My cell phone was *blowing up*, eeeeveryone was getting lost and calling me. We only had an hour to do the rehearsal and I was worried the lack of rehearsal would mess up the real thing. And it didn't... at all :)

At the end of the day, Jose marched me to the hotel my mom was staying at and said "I don't want you to think about anything but sleep and getting ready for tomorrow." Considering how much we did the week before -- I listened to him! Minus the actual sleep part. I tried. Too many emotions! Around 10 that night he sent me a text that said: The next time I see you, you will be Mrs. Vidal. I love you :)

-Mrs. Vidal ;)