Scott Gaines A Kate

This past weekend in Cleveland, one of my very best friends got married to her dream man and I felt so fortunate to not only be there for the wedding, but also to perform the ceremony. The event began on Friday morning with manicure and pedicures for the bridal party. We were all besides ourselves over seeing one another and laughed for hours while we got pampered.

The rehearsal went off without a hitch on Friday afternoon and afterward we had cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at a swanky Little Italy restaurant. It was an early evening, which was important since we needed plenty of sleep before the big day.

Preparations began at eight on Saturday morning. Kate had gotten matching robes for me and the two bridesmaids so we all felt pretty even before we got our hair done and put our faces on. Kate was super chill and we were able to take our time getting ready, just laughing and crying, eating pizza and drinking the bottle of Dom Perignon Kate's husband-to-be sent up to our suite.

A couple of hours before the ceremony, the photographer came and snapped some shot of us getting ready, then took the wedding party around to some of the most beautiful University Circle locations for the formal photos. Cary's husband Rich came along to carry extra shoes, bags, and flowers, and also to play Pokémon Go.

Don't I have the prettiest friends with the prettiest little sisters?

It had been raining all week but cleared up fifteen minutes before the ceremony, which was outside on the lawn at Glidden House, started. Kate walked down the aisle to a string quartet looking as stunning as I've ever seen her. "This is so much fun!" she said, as she walked toward Scott, on her dad's arm. The ceremony went well and felt almost like a conversation between Kate, Scott, their guests, and me. There was lots of laughter and a few tears and I got goosebumps over how perfect they are for each other. Afterwards, I breathed a sigh of relief that my part was over and grabbed an Autumn Bourbon, their signature cocktail from the bar.

Mom and I drove all over town to find a clutch, then Kate ended up lending me this stunner that had belonged to her grandma.

After the cocktail hour, we headed indoors to a gorgeous banquet. The food was amazing, the speeches were heartfelt, and the bluegrass band was kickin'.

Later in the evening, when the band had finished their set, most of the guests moved outside to the patio where the band and string quartet had gotten together and started jamming. I'm not sure if it was planned or not, but it was one of the coolest things I can imagine happening at a wedding and everybody loved it.

The last portion of the evening began at eleven when a shuttle came to pick up guests and take them to Happy Dog, a bar and music venue that happens to serve delicious hot dogs. There was a tater-tot and hot dog buffet that rocked my world, and a really laid-back atmosphere, and it was the perfect end to one of the best days of my life.