had myself a ball in a small town

One of my very favorite fellow County girls is getting married this fall, just in case ya didn't know. And I get to have the honor of standing witness to her union with the love of her life, one of the many reasons being a bridesmaid is such a thrill (aside from, of course, the supreme fun of a bachelorette party!).

Part of my weekend up home (as we northern Maine folk who have migrated south would say) was to help throw a bridal shower worthy of my sweet Amanda Panda. Being hours away from the shower site, and, well, the bride, meant that I relied heavily on another bridesmaid for the important details like location and menu, so all the credit for the fabulous day most certainly does not rest with me. But I feel like we done good by our girl, who deserves to be showered in love every day leading up to her big "I Do!"

She and her love even crashed my high school reunion (Amanda graduated a year behind me, and her fiance is a transplant from NY):

I wanted to share some pictures from her special day, which was a part of making my weekend at home so special. She was (as expected) such a gracious and sweet bride-to-be, appreciative of every gift and grateful for all the love sent her way on her day.

The shower was held at a local cafe that has to-die quiche and scones, and was just right for a full-service meal and then cozy gift-opening. We decided to forgo the silly shower games, and relied instead on friendly conversation and admiring the guest of honor's gorgeous niece as ways to pass the time.

My mom and I picked lots of flowers the morning of the shower (in our jammies, no less), and I whipped up some tissue paper flower bouquets as decorations.


The cafe was just right for a simple, elegant shower. The owners/chefs are old friends and colleagues of my parents (including a former professor of my mother's!), and have created such a unique space in The County.

Fellow bridesmaid Ashley went above and beyond in planning the shower, putting attention into every detail. She printed up pictures of the happy couple, which were strung up near the guestbook table, and all along the long table where we all ate. It was such fun to see the pictures of Amanda and George throughout their relationship!.

Us bridesmaids and the beautiful bride in the center. This is bridal shower #2 for Amanda, who did a bit of traveling to meet up with her other bridesmaids in New York State a couple of weeks ago. The full gang of us will be joining forces in Rockland (!!!!) in 3 weeks for a bachelorette night on the town! I am so excited to show these ladies all my new hometown has to offer.

The happy couple. They are the sweetest!

My reunion and Amanda's bridal shower, in addition to the annual Potato Blossom Festival, were my primary reasons for making the trip north this time around. It was a jam-packed weekend! But we also managed to have ourselves quite a bit of downtime around the fahm, and I have more pictures to share of Natalie exploring her mama's birthplace.