The Haskell Family ::Est. 2007::: A Fairytale Wedding

On June 24th one of my childhood best friends tied the knot! I had the privilege to stand up in her wedding and share in the joy of her special day. The couple chose the Galleria Marchetti in Chicago for the location, and it was spectacular!
The wedding fun began on Thursday, June 23, for the rehearsal. I left Josiah with my mom for the night (first time ever without my son for more than 6 hours, eeek!) and drove down to the city with one of the other bridesmaids. Chrissy then took the girls to get pedicure's at the Nail Bar in DT Chicago, great nail spa ladies! Afterwards we went back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner, at South Water Kitchen, yum yum! Dan met me down there to spend the evening with us in anticipation of the wedding the following day. I spent the night at the hotel with Chrissy and the bridesmaids, that way we could get up in the morning at our leisure and not be rushed to get back into the city. It was a fun night! Although I missed my lil prince, I knew he was in good hands.

We had a relaxing morning of going to Starbucks and shopping at Nordstrom, yes I said SHOPPING!! It calms the nerves! Haha We got back to the hotel to start getting ready around 11:30 and enjoyed the afternoon with lots of laughs and good conversation! As Chrissy got her gorgeous white dress on, I couldn't help but get teary eyed. She looked absolutely stunning!
We drove to the Galleria by taxi's and as the guests were arriving we tried our best to keep Chrissy out of sight. I felt like we were a part of the royal wedding and no one could see the princess before she walked down the isle towards her prince! It was fun! The ceremony was beautiful, and included a reading from "The Notebook" and the children's story "Winnie the Pooh", a favorite from when we were kids! Immediately after the ceremony the cocktail hour began. We enjoyed live music, food and drinks while we took pictures and celebrated with the new husband and wife. Everyone was then ushered into the big white tent where the reception would begin. And boy, was it absolutely breathtaking in the big white tent! It reminded me of Father of the Bride, an absolute fairy tale! I love how much thought and detail Chrissy put into the wedding too. As the bridal party was announced we walked in to a specific song and had to do a little dance/skit with the item we were given as the d.j. said a little something about our relationship to the bride/groom. I was given keys, and I believe the meaning behind them and what the d.j. said is that I am the key that unlocks the door to Chrissy's past! Haha It was such a fun wedding and am so glad I could be a part of it!
My parents, Dan and Josiah met me at the wedding and we all stayed the night at the Hampton and had a great day in the city on Saturday. We went to Millenium Park and saw the Bean and then walked through the Taste of Chicago and to Buckingham Fountain. We walked down Michigan Ave and went to Chick Filet for lunch. It was another beautiful day in Chicago and we enjoyed every minute of it! Wow, what a whirlwind of a few days, but it was a blast. Enjoy a few pics from the weekend in the Windy City!