Whitley's Week: Flower Girl Fun!

Whitley has the great fortune to be the flower girl in my cousin Jamie's wedding on July 21. She was soooo excited about the entire event, from picking out her dress and shoes, to following the bride around during pictures. This was an experience to remember!

The wedding was in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, so we caught a ride with my parents for the twelve-hour drive. Whitley didn't mind the long trek a bit, happy to spend the time snacking and watching movies. She was also excited about staying in the "show-n-tell" with everyone. That phrase cracked us up! She kept talking about "when we get to the show-n-tell," but I had no idea what she meant until we pulled in to the hotel parking lot, and she used the term to usher us inside. (Glad she liked them, because we got to stay in many "show-n-tells" this trip!) It was fun staying in Hattiesburg with the Davises. The kids played some extreme hide-n-seek in the suites with some help from Day Day. He was putting them on the top of the fridge and folding them in drawers... Funny!

As a member of the bridal party, Whitley was invited to various celebrations, starting with a ladies' brunch on Friday morning. All the bridesmaids were very sweet to Whitley, complimenting her on her dress and hair. No one was kinder than Jamie, though! Every time she saw Whitley, she knelt down and lavished attention on her, which my daughter ate up! (She was so taken with Jamie and still talks about the "wedding princess.) Jamie presented her with gifts at the brunch, too, and Whitley loved them! She received a darling t-shirt that read, "I'm in charge of the petals," and two bracelets, one of which was for her to wear during the ceremony. At the rehearsal that evening, Whitley, Drew and David all did an excellent job of paying attention and following instructions. They took their roles seriously, and didn't mind being the center of attention for their short walk down the aisle at all! (I was still nervous, though, about how it'd go on the big day!)

On the day of the wedding, Whitley needed to be at the country club at 3:00 for pictures. She hung out in the ladies' locker room with the rest of the bridal party, hugging on Jamie and watching a movie on the portable DVD player when she wasn't needed. But once things got going, there were plenty of pictures to be taken! It was a gorgeous day on a beautiful golf course- I'm sure the newlyweds are happy with how their pictures turned out.

By the time the ceremony rolled around at 6:00, I was a nervous wreck. I told a guest that a reality film crew could have followed me around that day- I felt as crazy as a "Toddlers and Tiaras" mom or something. But all the worry was for nothing, as Whitley didn't cry, freak out, freeze, or anything. Just grinned her way down the aisle and gave a "thumbs up" at the end. (She also didn't actually drop any petals, but I felt like that was OK in the grand scheme of things. hee hee) David and Drew were perfect, of course, and Drew and Whitley even stood up for the ceremony and exited together. So cute! At the reception, Whitley dance a little, hugged on Jamie a lot, and even got to sing on stage when the band played her request, "California Girls." :) Here are some of the pictures.