Post Wedding Day Brunch

Our wedding day was of course a very special day for Zac and I but it was also one of the most fun days as well. From start to finish we had a blast. We were both pretty worried that due to the amount of pictures we needed to participate in as well as the planned activities (cake cutting, bouquet and garter tosses, etc.) that we would feel pulled in all directions. We were thankful that although we needed to be in certain places at certain times we also had PLENTY of time to mingle with our guests, get our dance on and have an all around great evening. By the time we left at the end of the night we were exhausted.

The following morning we left our hotel and headed back to our house where our bridal party and families had stayed and were already setting everything up for our Cinco de Mayo post wedding day brunch. We seriously couldn't have been more grateful for all of their hard work and support. We're sure they were all pretty tired from the day before, too. Thankfully all of the decor was up and ready from our fiesta themed rehearsal dinner two nights prior. Still, there was a lot to do to get food and drinks ready for our guests. Zac's parents together with his siblings and their spouses were getting food together when we arrived. Along with muffins, bagels, and other traditional breakfast foods that Zac's dad picked up, the menu consisted of left overs from both our rehearsal and wedding dinners. It all came together to create a pretty yummy Cinco de Mayo brunch buffet. Of course it was all topped off with a full bar with beer, margaritas, champagne, and other beverages.

 By 10:00am our guests were starting to arrive. The music was going, the margarita glasses were full, and everyone was having a great time.

A few of our guests filled us in on their night after the wedding was over. It turns out that most of my coworker buddies had quite a fun after party and some of them were MIA from the brunch because they were just getting to sleep. These two strong ladies were not only wide awake but they were ready for more.

These ladies weren't the only ones getting down. Zac still had some party left in him, too!

A highlight of the day for me was visiting with this little man. This is Tyler. 

Zac's cousin Scott and his wife Amy (both in our bridal party) announced in September that they were expecting an addition to their family . (Read about it here.) They were blessed with this little guy on Sunday April 15, 2012. The girls and I were coming back from my bachelorette party in San Diego (which I'll be sure to fill you all in on later) when we got the call that Amy was in labor. By the time we go back into town Tyler had been born. I couldn't be happier to share a birthday with this adorable little guy. Just look at all that hair. Such a handsome little man!

We were so happy that the cantina was complete in time for our fiesta. The sign that Zac's parents created for the space was perfect.

The cantina gave us plenty of extra seating space for guests and everyone really seemed to enjoy hanging over by the pond.

The day was a success. We loved the additional opportunity to hang out with everyone after the wedding and continue the celebration. A lot of the special people in our lives live out of town so the time with them was pretty special as we don't often get the chance to see them. We appreciate all of them being there for thar amazing weekend!

The next adventure? Our honeymoon! Just two days later Zac and I were on a plane to Maui for a much needed ten day getaway. Can you tell that we were ready for the vacation?!

Our Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner

It was on this day last year that Zac and I headed out to Wolf Lakes Park with our families and bridal party for our wedding rehearsal. We were both very excited that the time had finally come to get this show on the road.

The rehearsal went very smoothly and ended pretty quickly. After the it was over, Zac and I had invited our clan back to our home for a backyard fiesta themed rehearsal dinner.

Zac had worked hard to get the back dock completed over the last few months. The cement had been poured, the pond was finished, and the seating had been built. On their last visit, Zac's parents had brought up this amazing sign as a gift for the area. The "Zac & Cristina's Cantina" sign went perfectly in the space!

We had set up a few tables and chairs in the backyard with bright yellow linen, sombrero centerpieces, and bright multi-colored floral arrangements.

All of the decorations, including the multi-colored lanterns that were hung from the awning, doubled as decor for the post wedding day brunch on Saturday. As Saturday was Cinco de Mayo we thought that it would only be fitting to have a fiesta theme for the event. Making the rehearsal dinner the same theme we were able to get all of the decor and set up complete the day before the wedding and it was all still in place and looking great for the brunch two days later. We knew that we might be a little tired after the wedding so keeping set up minimal for the brunch was fantastic!

At the dinner we all had time to relax a little and enjoy some food and margaritas. Zac and I also gave out some gifts to our bridal party, officiant, and parents.It meant so much to have all of these people participate in our day. All but two people from our bridal party live out of town so we felt pretty lucky that they could all make it to the rehearsal.

For my girls, I had large men's button down white shirts embroidered on the pocket with their initials. They wore these shirts while getting ready the next day along with a pair of boxer shorts that I included in their gift bags.

They also received personalized wooden hangers that I made for their dresses. The hangers went pretty well with the "Mrs. Chapman" hanger I had ordered from Etsy for my own dress.

The parents received frames. Zac is the last one in his family to get married. We thought that his parents would love a frame filled with photos from all of the weddings in their family. The first photo was from their wedding, followed by a photo of his sister Sarah's wedding, a photo from his brother Eric's wedding, and a blank spot ready for a photo from our wedding. From their faces when the gift was opened, we think they liked it.

I am the first one in my family to get married and my parents don't have any photos from their wedding so our gift to them was a little different. My mom is quite the picture lady and we knew that she would want to display a bunch of pictures from our wedding as soon as possible. We left 3 of the 4 spots open for her to fill as she desired. In the first spot we placed a printed saying: "Today a bride, tomorrow a wife, always your little girl."

The rehearsal evening was a fun night and made Zac and I both pretty excited for the next day. We're so glad that everyone from our bridal party and both of our families were able to make it out that evening to share in the rehearsal and enjoy some yummy fiesta food. We were also super grateful that our videographers from Ahwahnee Films, were able to capture the whole night.

Once the sun set and the night came to an end I said goodbye to Zac as he headed to the hotel with his groomsmen since the girls and I had a bridesmaid slumber party planned at the house. I had a difficult time sleeping that evening. I was far too excited for the next day.