You Make My Dreams Come True: The Guys

I absolutely love the pictures of David and his groomsmen. I'm so glad they had fun and that you can see their personalities through the pictures - And they all look SO darn cute too! Luckily you can't even tell they were all dripping with sweat by the time they were done with pictures.

Brandi got some pictures of David by himself, and he looks so incredibly handsome! He hates pictures, especially ones just of him, but I think he even agrees that these turned out awesome!

Right before the first look Brandi grabbed a couple more pictures, and these are some of my favorites! I'm not sure what was going on or what the groomsmen were doing, but the first one is SUCH a typical David face and the other ones just make me smile.

It was a big deal to me that we both got individual pictures with all of our bridal party members. We'll (hopefully soon) get around to framing them and gifting them to our grooomsmen and bridesmaids.

David's best man and older brother, J

David's best man and younger brother, K

My younger brother, groomsman M

David's friend since kindergarten, groomsman J

David's childhood friend, groomsman J

My nephew, jr. groomsman M

Did your get some good pictures of your groom and his groomsmen?

*All pictures in this post were taken by Brandi Coldwell of Lola Jo Photo Design*

Need to catch up?

We started on Thursday.

We decorated Friday morning.

We rehearsed.

We got pretty!

I put on my dress. 

We had our first look!

Vendor Review - Tuxes: Gentry Ltd.

We decided to use Gentry for the guys' tuxes after seeing them at a bridal fair (and because one of David's friends works there). They were offering a deal for everything (including shoes) for $64 each and a free groom's tux with the purchase of 6 or more rentals for a wedding party. They're one of the nicest men's clothing stores in town, so that was a nice surprise! David paid for all of the guys' tuxes, and it was really reasonable.They had a huge selection of colors for vests and ties, and the tux options were perfect for what we wanted.

They looked really good together, and I was happy with the tuxes overall. We did different colored pocket squares for the two best men to make them stand out a little, and I really liked how the three different patterns (white for David, solid pink for the best men, and pink striped for the groomsmen) coordinated.

My only complaints are that they forgot to order the pocket squares when they put in the original order and that our junior groomsman's sleeves weren't the right length. They fixed the issue with the pocket squares and had them delivered the day before the wedding, and the sleeve issue wasn't entirely their fault since they didn't measure that particular guy. I do wish they would've done more to fix it when he tried it on in the store, though.

I was happy with the service and really happy with how the guys looked. I'd recommend them, but I'd also recommend that you double check your order and make sure they've got it down if you're adding something (like pocket squares). And if at all possible, I'd suggest having them measure all of the groomsmen. It just wasn't feasible with two of the guys living far away, and it ended up working out, but I think the results are better when you leave it up to them.

My rating: A-

Bouts or No Bouts?

Before planning my own wedding, I thought everyone used boutonnieres (I hate spelling that word - I'll be copying/pasting for the rest of the post!) for their groomsmen. I never really liked them, though. What guy really enjoys wearing a flower? And they always end up smashed by the end of the night. In high school, my mom and I (uh, I'm not sure how much I helped..) always made David's boutonnieres - There was no way we were going to pay close to $20 - probably more than that now! - for something we could make for less than $2. They always turned out well, too:

 

*I apologize for the awkward half-boob shots - Didn't we coordinate well, though?*

So, I'm sure, that between my mom and I, we could easily DIY the boutonnieres (since we're DIYing all the flowers). I just don't think I want boutonnieres, though. I asked David what his thoughts were, and he said he'd be totally fine with just having pocket squares. Fine by me! I made the pocket sqaures for my sister's wedding in May - They were super easy, and turned out well:

*Gotta love the awkward sneaky shots from wedding guests while the photographer is trying to organize the formal bridal party pictures*

All DIY pocket squares require are fabric and pinking shears. I found some pinking shears on the Hobby Lobby website for $10, but any fabric or craft store would carry them.

I'll probably use a pink damask print fabric similar to this one, because I think it'll coordinate well with their pink vests:

source

I used 12x12 inch squares for the pocket squares I made, but I read that they're usually anywhere between 10 and 18 inches. I'm not sure what type of fabric is 'best' to use, but I'm just going to look for something wit a silky finish.

David hasn't picked out what his groomsmen will be wearing yet, so they may come with pocket squares. I might still be stubborn and insist on making them, though. I'm only a bride once, right? I think the damask print would look better than a plain one in the same color as the vest. Or maybe I'm just overly obsessed with damask. :)

Do you like the look of pocket squares in place of a boutonniere? Have you ever made your own?

The Groom's Guys

I blogged about my ladies almost 2 weeks ago so I suppose I should introduce the guys, too! David had pretty much decided on his groomsmen before he even proposed. The majority of them are family and the other two might as well be - He's be friends with them since kindergarten! I'm so excited to have them play a big part in our special day.

David's having his two brothers as his best men. I'm having a maid of honor and a matron of honor, so he asked if it was "ok" to have 2 best men. Of course I said yes - We're making our own rules for the big day! David is the middle brother so he has special, yet different, relationships with both of them and this is a way to honor both. His older brother will take care of most of the 'big' responsibilities like planning the bachelor party (especially since his younger brother is only 16). Without further adieu:





His groomsmen include my "little" brother (who is actually a good 5 inches taller than me) GM M and his two childhood friends, who have the same initials! Both are GM J.


*I just realized we have very few pictures with my brother - This is probably the most recent one I have of either of us with him and it was taken almost a year ago after our older brother's wedding! Please excuse the sweatyness - I told you I love to dance!

I wish I had pictures from kindergarten of David and his other groomsmen to post, but these will have to do:


*I promise they're just friends... There's never a dull moment with them, though!



And David's JrGM is my nephew, M! JrGM M and David's sister, JrBM K, are almost the same age, so they'll be so cute walking down the aisle together.



Our crazy (but precious!) ring bearer is my other nephew who will be 2 in April. He loves David! I can't choose which picture to use, so I'm posting 2!





And there you have our bridal party! It's definitely a group of fun and supportive people who will make our big day SO much fun. I can't imagine a better group of family and friends to stand up there with us!

Did your FI/groom have his groomsmen "chosen" already? Or was it a tough decision for him?