Wedding Day (April 2, 2011)

I know they say it’s supposed to be, but I can honestly say my wedding day was TRULY the best day of my life thus far. Every single detail was perfect. It started pretty early because of course I was having trouble sleeping at this point. I was way too excited! My dad got up with me again and we had coffee together and just talked about what was about to happen. I treasure the time I had with him that morning.

Soon enough it was time to start getting ready. Suzanne, Ren, Devin, Anna, and I jumped in the car and headed to the salon to begin the pampering. Once we arrived at the salon we all began getting our hair and make-up done. I was recommended to this salon by a sorority sister of mine. Her sister in law is the owner. Recently she opened her make up shop next door called Blush. Having both right next door made it so much easier! It was really nice to sit around with the girls and kick off the wedding day with excitement. I’m not exactly sure it quite felt real just yet. A few hours later we were done and ready to head to the Brooklyn Arts Center.

During this time the boys were meeting up at the Hilton to begin getting ready before the photographer arrived at 1pm.
Once we (the ladies) arrived at the Brooklyn Arts Center I took off for the church so I could see what the set up looked like. You spend months and months trying to put together a wedding but you don’t really know what it’s going to look like until it’s actually done. I walked in and was immediately amazed. I could not have imagined it being so incredibly beautiful and elegant all while keeping it rustic. I was blown away by the cake, the colors, the table and centerpiece set ups. I could go on and on about how incredible and personal it looked. I can only imagine Kevin felt the same way when he saw it.

Next to the Brooklyn Arts Center church was an old house that we were fortunate enough to use to finish getting ready. It was perfect for this. There was an area with mirrors from floor to ceiling and a vanity where we got dressed. There was a dining room with a huge old antique wooden table where we were able to get a quick bite in of sandwiches and cupcakes. There was even a living room area with comfy couches to hang while we waited.

Once we finished lunch we turned up the music and began getting dressed. I was really getting excited at this point seeing all the girls getting ready. Finally it was time for me to get my dress on. My sister and mom helped me in and the photographer snapped away.

Soon enough we were all ready. A few minutes later Chase walked in with a special treat. He brought the ladies a bottle of Cristal champagne.

We popped the bottle and toasted to the day. A minute later one of my best friends gave me some very important news. She pulled me aside and poured her champagne in my glass. I looked at her and she informed me she was pregnant!!!!!!!!!! My best friend Brittanie was pregnant with her second lil baby. I was so excited but had to keep the news a secret as she was not very far along at this point. She knew she needed to tell me because she was not going to be able to drink during the day and she knew I would wonder. After receiving this special news we were off to the Brooklyn Arts Center to take a few pictures. Guests were arriving at this point so we had to be careful about getting next door without anyone seeing me. We headed upstairs to take pictures on the balcony.

As soon as we were done we headed back to the house next door. During this time the boys took pictures with the other photographer outside of the hotel on the water.

Before I knew it, it was time line up. I couldn’t believe it was time but I thought here we go. My dad came over and grabbed my arm, at which point I almost lost it.He leaned over and gave me a kiss and told me he loved me. I think I had perma-grin from that point on. The rest of the day went so incredibly fast. I walked out the door to the beautiful steps and looked straight at Kevin and the huge grin on his face. It looked just as beautiful out in the courtyard. The flowers, the white chairs, the rustic accents, it was all perfect and just what we had envisioned.I began walking down the steps, down the aisle, towards my husband! It was amazing. I couldn’t believe this moment I had waited so long for was finally here. He looked amazing and I couldn’t believe this was my life. I felt so incredibly lucky at that moment.

The ceremony was beautiful. Our pastor’s words were perfect for us and soon enough he said “you may now kiss your bride”! Before we knew it we were walking back down the aisle to go begin the reception.
The wedding party and our families met back in the Brooklyn Arts Center to take pictures up on the balcony while the guests enjoyed drinks and H’orderves in the courtyard.

After the inside pictures our guests were invited inside to begin finding their seats. At this point our wedding party headed to the courtyard to take a few outdoor pictures.

Next we headed back to the BAC to have the wedding party announced and our grand entrance. Immediately following was Kevin and I’s first dance. We danced to Ingrid Michaelsons version of Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. That moment was one of my favorite moments of the reception. It was just Kevin and I for a few minutes. I have to admit it was a little nerve racking with all our guests watching us, but it was neat at the same time. Following our Kevin and I’s dance my dad and I danced the father/daughter dance to something very special. It has been my dad and I’s song since I was little. We danced to Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. Following my dad and I, Kevin and his mother danced to My Wish for You by Rascal Flats for their mother son dance.

Following the first dances everyone took their seats and my dad began his incredibly sweet speech. It was quite long, but truly from the heart. He said the kindest most heartfelt words I’ve ever heard from him. It was definitely an amazing speech that I will never forget. Once he ended, Kevin’s dad said the prayer and it was time for the buffet.
After everyone ate the real party started. The DJ turned up the music and everyone began dancing the night away. Kevin and I quickly rushed off to take a few photos down by the water with our photographers as the sun was setting. Once we returned we saw that they had set out the flip flop party favors and all the girls on the dance floor had popped off their heels and were enjoying dancing in flip flops.
During the remainder of the night we had the usual bouquet and garter toss, cake cutting, maid of honor and best man speeches. Yes, I did shove the cake in Kevin’s face and no he was a lot nicer and spared me.

We danced and danced the rest of the night. I don’t think I left the dance floor more than a few times to talk to some guests.

Before we knew it, the night was coming to an end  We were escorted out of the BAC through our guests lined up with sparklers. At the end was our trolley.


We jumped on and asked our guests to join us. At which point we headed to a bar in downtown Wilmington for a few more drinks. They even talked me into going with them…in my wedding dress. Not sure how I felt about it at first but I sure was the talk of the bar. People I didn’t even know were trying to buy me drinks. A couple drinks later Kevin and I said goodbye to our remaining guests and we headed back for the hotel.

It was the most perfect night we could ever have imagined. We woke up the next morning with smiles from ear to ear. We headed downstairs and met some of our guests for brunch before we headed off for our trip back to Maryland to get ready for the Honeymoon.

April Fools (April 1, 2011)

In my last post about the rehearsal dinner I skipped over the April Fools jokes Kevin and I played on each other the day before our wedding. I know...horrible! Before I begin I have to say it was all in good humor haha.

It all started when I was at my bridesmaid luncheon and Kevin's groomsmen (with Kevin) decided to try and play an April Fools joke on me. Little did they know there WOULD be payback. About halfway though the luncheon my sister noticed I had about 10 missed calls from a few of the groomsmen. She finally decided I might want to call them back in case something happened. I called Kevin's groomsman Jeremy who immediately begins telling me that Kevin had an accident and severely cut his finger while shucking oysters. At first I thought really??? But oh well go take care of it and meet me back at the house for the rehearsal. He proceeded to tell me it was pretty bad and didn't know if they would be there in time because he was going to need stitches. Then I started thinking this had to be April Fools. Jeremy kept assuring me this was not an April Fools that he sliced it really bad and they were on their way to the ER. Eventually I began to believe him and think this may not be an April Fools joke after all. At this point I stared freaking out and wondering what to do...was he going to be late or miss the rehearsal...do I postpone the afternoon events...was he okay? Once Jeremy could tell that I was believing him and freaking out he decided he had messed with me enough to let me know this was in fact an April Fools joke...GRRRRRR I tried so hard not to fall for it, but in the end they got me. I decided I HAD to get him back... only my joke had to one up theirs!

After the luncheon a few of us headed back to the house to begin getting ready for the rehearsal at the church. We were almost home when one of my bridesmaids came up with the best way to get Kevin back for trying to pull an April Fools joke on me the day before my wedding. She pointed out that we could us one of my bridesmaids, Anna, who was 5 months pregnant. What better way to scare a guy than to make him think not only is he walking down the aisle in 24 hours but in 9 months he could be expecting a baby. Well... this was BRILLIANT! So we ran to the dollar store to pick up a pregnancy test (we knew the brand of test wouldn't matter if she was 5 months pregnant she WOULD test positive).Just our luck they didn't have one. So...we headed back to the house so some of us could start getting ready and Suzanne and Annette (my god mother) ran off to find a test. Once they got it they took off for the hotel to get Anna to take it so they could then bring it back to me for ammo on my joke against Kevin. I could not believe we were doing this but it was oh so funny. They soon arrived with not one but two positive pregnancy tests. I hid them in the bathroom and told my sister when Kevin arrived to tell him to come up and see me immediately. An hour or so later Kevin arrived and as requested ran upstairs to see what I needed. Long story short I got him to believe I was pregnant and the AMAZING guy he is did not freak out at all. He simply replied..."we were going to start a family at some point...why not now!". I couldn't believe he was so great about the whole thing. I decided to let him go with believing me for a bit just so my family could watch him sweat for a minute. We composed ourselves (haha) and then headed downstairs to begin preparing to leave for the rehearsal. We were almost out the door and my mom asked Kevin to come take a family picture with us before we leave. He puts his arm around me and smiles, at which point I turn to him and shout "APRIL FOOLS". He turned bright red and then white...and then sort of laughed. I couldn't believe I had gotten one over on him so well. Everyone thought this was harsh but the greatest April Fools EVER!!!!!!SUCCESS :)

This is sure to be an April Fools that Kevin and I will never forget...and I hope not a tradition!

Bridesmaid Luncheon/ Rehearsal/ and Rehearsal Dinner April 1, 2011

In the 3 months since Kevin and I have been back in the daily grind after our wedding and honeymoon, life has been a bit busy to say the least. I am obviously WAY behind on posting about the rest of our wedding weekend, but here goes my attempt to catch up...

Let me begin with the day before our wedding. It turned out to be quite a busy day as expected. There were a few things left to do, we had the bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner. We started the morning with breakfast and coffee with the rest of our guests that had made it in town the night before (Suzanne, Annette, Jim, Ren, and Justin). Soon enough I was off to the airport to pick up an extra special guest...my cousin Meredith. She had flown in on an overnight flight from Colorado so my dad and I jumped in the car eager to meet her as soon as she landed. Once we returned from picking her up it was time to get ready for the bridesmaid luncheon. A few of my bridesmaids met us at our house and we piled in the car and headed to The Wilmington Tea Room where we meet the rest of the ladies. It was the cutest little tea and sandwhich restaurant located on the waterfront in downtown Wilmington. My guests included my mom, sister (maid of honor), Annette (god mother), Suzanne (bridesmaid), Anita (Kevin's Aunt), Daniela (Kevin's cousin), Karen (Kevin's step mother), Celeste Leich (bridesmaid), Brittanie Coleman (bridesmaid), Anna Crawford (bridesmaid), Meredith Sanner (bridesmaid), Ren Hucker (bridesmaid), Claire Flye (bridesmaid), Lindsay Morgan (reader). We were served tiered trays of yummy sandwiches, desserts, and fruit. And of course the tea of our choice in beautiful antique tea pots. It was a great way to kick off the wedding weekend with my favorite ladies.

My beautiful bridal party outside the Wilmington Tea Room

My bridesmaid from high school, Brittanie, has a tradition with her college friends that she was sweet enough to pass on with me. They pass down the head of a Ken doll to be placed in your bridal bouquet symbolizing that you have found the "PERFECT" man. I will post the card/poem that goes along with it in another post.

Ken...the perfect man!

Where's Ken?!?!

I felt incredibly honored to be included in such a special/sweet tradition. I can't wait to pass Ken to one of my best friends!

A few April Fools jokes later (I will fill this in on another post) we were all off to the Brooklyn Arts Center for rehearsal. It was a surge of excitement the moment I walked in and saw all of our closest friends and family all dressed up and there for us! We ran through the ceremony with the wedding coordinator Sara and our Pastor Jeff. Then we headed inside to show everyone where the reception would be and where the wedding party would be announced.

Soon enough we were off to the rehearsal dinner that was held at The Halyburton Events Center in Wilmington. Kevin's parents, aunt, uncle, cousins and a few others did an amazing job setting up the rehearsal with tents, centerpieces, tables, chairs, and more while we rehearsed for the wedding. The events center looked PERFECT, just what we wanted for our rehearsal dinner. It was the perfect mix of elegant but low key. We had a pasta bar that turned out AMAZING. Most of our guests went back for seconds. I had ECU themed cupcakes made for Kevin's grooms cake. There was a bride, a groom, pirates and purple and gold polka dots in chocolate, butter cream, strawberry and lemon meringue. Oh they were SO yummy. Thankfully we had a few leftover ;-)
Once everyone was done eating the speeches began. Kevin's step mom talked with some of our friends and family before the event and asked each one of them to come up with something to say. There were about 10 guests that all stood up and said incredible things about Kevin and I throughout our lives. The people that stood up and the speeches that were given reminded us again of how incredibly lucky we are to have each other as well as the incredible friends and family in our lives. We are truly blessed.

After the speeches we played a slide show that one of my former co-workers put together. It started with Kevin from baby to adult, me from baby to adult and then moved into our lives together. Needless to say after 7 years together we had PLENTY of photos together. It ended with the video of Kevin proposing to me on Paradise Island in the Dominican Republic. I loved that everyone was able to see that. To this day I still get the chills when I watch it and think of that moment when Kevin asked me to be his wife.

After the slide show the rest of the night was spent dancing and chatting. It was the perfect way to kick start our wedding weekend. Everyone was so happy and excited and I couldn't have imagined how great it would feel to have the most important people in our lives all in one room to celebrate our life together.

And the rehearsal begins...

My dad and I about to practice walking down the aisle!

Hours from becoming Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Hatcher

My lil and I...best friends!

Can't wait to marry this man

My father in law and I at the rehearsal dinner

Daddy's little girl FOREVER!!!

The AMAZING ECU Pirate themed cupcakes! See the bride on the right of Petey and the groom on the left :)

Suz, Dev, and I

My brother in law and I

Linds and Bre... best friends for 15 + years

Ren, Anna (the mama to be) and I

My bridal party at the rehearsal dinner

Next up...Our Wedding Day!

5x7 Folded Card

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Wedding Weekend Part I (Wednesday 3/30 & Thursday 3/31)

The weekend technically began for Kevin and I on Wednesday prior to the wedding (March 30th). We worked half a day and then began loading the boxes and boxes of wedding items we needed to get down to Wilmington. We were so fortunate that one of Kevin's contractors uses a long term rental and was willing to switch cars with us for the weekend in order for us to use his suburban. There is no way we would have been able to fit everything we had to get down to Wilmington without that HUGE vehicle. We had it packed from floor to ceiling with a small space left for Ellie.

Once the car was packed we were on our way to Wilmington. The 7 hour trip flew by for Kevin and I. Of course we were super excited to get down there, but we also had great conversations the whole way down about the past 7 years of our lives together and how it was all about to change...for the better of course!

Once we arrived we went straight to the house my parents rented in downtown Wilmington, which was super cute and huge. It was only a mile from the wedding venue which was another added bonus. At that point my mom was the only one in town. My dad stayed back in Raleigh for a few extra hours to pick up Devin and Dwayne from the airport. It was nice to have just our family in the house for the first night.

The next morning after little sleep (I had been a bit anxious and wasn't sleeping great) I popped up and went for my usual early morning run. I decided to head towards the water because I would pass The Brooklyn Arts Center on my way. I hadn't seen it in about 2 months so I was dying to see how much had been done since we'd seen it last. Unfortunately when I got there no one was there yet so the doors were locked. However, I hadn't seen any of the final product for the courtyard (which is where our ceremony was to be held). I walked around back and was in complete awe of the how it turned out. I loved every little detail from the shells in the cemented ground, to the beautiful landscaping, as well as the gorgeous steps. Let's rewind a little and go back to when we first looked at BAC they showed me the courtyard that consisted of an open area with scraps and a dumpster, one of the reasons I wasn't too sure if I could see myself getting married there. I could not have grasped how beautiful it would turn out. On one of our visits Rich (he runs BAC) took me out back and showed me the winding steps over to the side that I was going to have to go down. I made a comment about how accident prone I was and that it may be a challenge to get down those winding steps without falling or tripping up. I guess I also commented that it would be odd to come out of a door directly behind the guests and then to have to walk over to the side, go down those steps, and then walk back over to where the guests/aisle would be. Well... Rich definitely listed to what I said and had beautiful grand steps built so that when brides walk out the door they can go straight down wide, non-curvy steps. I thought that was really neat that he listened and wanted to do something about it. To top it all of he had done a little more than just build the steps. Now let's fast forward back to when I was out for my run and stopped by the BAC to look at the courtyard. I walked around and looked at every detail knowing in two days I would be back to walk down that aisle and marry Kevin. To the right was a cute little bench. I looked closer and there was a plaque on it with someones name. I didn't know the name but thought it must be someone special to BAC. Then I walked over to take a look at the final product of those steps they had built. I looked closer and there was a plaque on the steps as well. I looked even closer and realized MY name was on them.

Rich had named the steps after me. I couldn't believe it. To most it may seem like no big deal, but to me it meant a lot. From the day I called Rich sobbing hoping he had some amazing venue I could use (right after we were canceled on by Orton Plantation) he was so good to us. And to think he named the steps the "Bre Gurley" steps and that plaque would be there forever. I was pretty excited. I made sure to take a few pictures with my i-phone and took off for the rest of my run

You can sort of see the plaque behind me in this picture

Once I was back to the house I couldn't wait to share the news about the plaque on the steps. My dad was up at this point so I showed him and he was just as excited as I was.

I spent the rest of the morning getting things put together for the wedding weekend. A lot of it had to stay packed up so we could get it down to Wilmington. I started by putting together the hotel bags. They turned out so cute. They were little navy bags with a B&K sticker on the front. Inside they had a map of downtown Wilmington, directions to the rehearsal dinner as well as the wedding from each hotel, a water with our B&K logo, crackers, candy, gum, pretzels, chips, etc. As everyone began waking they began helping. We ran out of maps so Dwayne jumped on his skate board and wheeled on downtown to grab us a few more. I thought it was so cute.

Once we were done putting a few other things together we had to sort everything into where it was to be delivered. We loaded the car and headed off on our pre-wedding errands. First stop was the Brooklyn Arts Center to check out the final product inside :). WOW is all I could say. It was incredible. It truly made me realize that "everything does happen for a reason". I would never have picked an indoor location, but this was perfect. It was rustic, and beautiful, with some outdoor aspects as well as indoor. And...we were the FIRST to get married there...how cool! My whole family was in awe. We couldn't wait to see what it would look like on our wedding day. Once were were done there my mom, sister and I headed off to meet Claire and get our nails done. We all got manicures and pedicures. It was so fun to sit and talk about the upcoming days with such special people all the while getting pampered. Once we were done there we headed off to make a delivery of wedding goodies to Salt Harbor Designs. They were doing all of the floral, table set-ups, favors, etc for us. We brought them the programs, lemon topiary, favors (flip flops and koozies) and a few other items.

Once we were done there we headed down to see my cousins, aunts and uncles that had rented a house on Wrightsville Beach. We spent the rest of the evening hanging with them eating crab cakes and other goodies and playing with the dogs on the beach. It was such a fun time being surrounded by all the people I love for such a fun occasion. Later that night we headed back to the house to wait on the arrival of the Fishers as well as Ren and Justin. I couldn't wait for them to arrive. I knew it would begin to feel like it was my wedding weekend as more of my favorite people got there.

Below are a few pictures of how the Brooklyn Arts Center @ St. Andrew turned out... we could never have imagined it becoming this breathtaking!

This is main room where our receptions was held. The DJ set up in that alcove in the center and up and to the right is a HUGE balcony overlooking the entire room. You can see the combination of circular and rectangular tables for our guests. The windows are the original stained glass windows.

This is the area where we had the buffet set up

The house next door is where the girls got ready. This is a comfy little living room in that house where we lounged.

This is a beautiful emblem of the BAC on the floor.

To the left is the Brooklyn Arts Center and to the right is the little mansion house we got ready in and spent the day. Behind the house is the courtyard where the ceremony took place.

This is the emblem on the doors into the BAC

Next up-Rehearsal Day...