bride... with an exclamation point.

Bright and early Friday morning, Ting and I hit the road for Newport Beach, California. The car was loaded to the max and I barley needed coffee because I was so excited for all the festivities on the itinerary. 

As planned, the boys played golf while us girls enjoyed the California sun and got pampered before a wonderfully girly dinner out. Holy smokes did we laugh. Despite the fun, we forced ourselves to call it an early night since the main event of the weekend was the next morning - Colby's Bridal Shower. 

While Colby was Skyping into her midwest shower hosted by her stepmom Jodi (how cute is that?), Steph and I were off to the stunning St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point to get everything set-up with Colby's mom, grandma and sister. For months now, I've thought about this event every single day and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out for Colbs. It was a perfect summer day, the venue was gorgeous, the service was top-notch and everything went smoothly.

Colby and her 30 guests enjoyed an afternoon of High Tea & 'Tinis, delicious food & desserts, fun bridal shower games, tons of laughs and a few tears of joy. 

A huge thank you to Stephanie, Joan, Ashton, Susan, The St. Regis staff and everyone else who helped make this such a special and memorable event for Colbs. It wouldn't have been the same without each of you. 

{could our view be any more gorgeous?}

{stephanie put colby's bridal look perfectly... bride, with an exclamation point. those shoes?!}

{the inspiration board coming to life}

{our guestbook table}

{same wording as our invitations seen here}

{the dessert table}

{guests were asked to sign specific pages with advice for various areas of love & marriage}

{hand-stamped love bags}

{mini Sprinkles cupcakes compliments of Susan, mother of the bride}

{mother of the bride's toast}

{mother of the bride, maid of honor and grandmother of the bride}

{the bride's seat and her crystal bowl of bubble gum for the game}

{favors & thank you tags for guests... cocktail rings in honor of colby's love for fun jewelry}

{game #1: how well do you know the bride & groom?}

{game #2: how well does the bride know the groom. his answers on DVD for all to hear}

{the bride is shocked by his answers}

{each wrong answer is another piece of gum... look at that wad!}

{game time}

{yes, ashton and i are wearing a dress by the same designer. same fabric and color. we're that good - ha!}

{little tags for the maids}

{colby and her uofa sorority sisters. car, shmiz & lis - we really missed each of you}

{jenny's first bridal shower and she did a fantastic job with the bow bouquet}

{donna stepped right in to help keep the gifts moving}

{tiff, the worker bee. gift organizer.}

{pear, key lime & passion 'tini}

{hand-passed martinis by christine. she was so wonderful}

{colbs with her high school girls (and tone)}

{after surfing all day, the boys showed up to help load all the gifts}

{all her gifts... no big deal!}

And here's what Stephanie had to say about Colby's shower. 

What a magical day for Colbs. Love you, girlfriend!