Viva Las Vegas - Friday
So we had a fantastic time on our Vegas adventure.
It started last Thursday when I drove down to the twin cities after my dress fitting & dinner with Steve. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive and since my brother-in-law was kind enough to drive us to the airport, I really didn't feel like getting up at 5am so I could make the time when we'd have to leave for the airport. This was much better.
My sister flies stand-by (because my bro-in-law works for the airline) and she decided it would be safer (more seats) to fly on the 7am flight. She departed for the airport EARLY. My cousin Lindsay & I left around 8am.
Our flight was not until 11:35 so we had plenty of time to get checked in & through security, to have a leisurely breakfast and sit at the gate. We met Allison (Steve's sister) in the airport as well. Sarah (my bridesmaid) was running a little behind. As we were boarding the plane I called her and she was still on the light rail! Not even to the airport yet....luckily they were holding the plane for some late connections and she made it on at the last minute! Whew.
The flight was very uneventful which is good. We landed at about 1pm Las Vegas time. Kathy (my sis) was waiting for us by baggage claim. We grabbed a taxi and hit the road.
We stayed at the Westgate Flamingo Bay which is a time share/rental property. It was perfect. We had 2 2-room suites (2 bathrooms in each - whew) for 9 of us. It was so incredible to see my LA friends! They were there waiting for us and the hugs & squealing that commenced were exactly what I imagined them to be.
Our first order of business was the grocery store where we stocked up on enough food & beverages to last a week. It was nice to have full kitchens where we could have essentials like bacon (for the morning) and ice cream birthday cake (which we forgot to eat until Sunday morning!).
Friday night I was literally showered with gifts. At first I wasn't looking "bride-y" enough so my very dear friend Sam (and the planner of the weekend events) gave me a gift bag full of things to spruce up my attire. A tiara & veil w/sparkles on it, a purple boa, a "bride-to-be" blinking sash (to be worn with my swimsuit I was informed), a button, a "bride" t-shirt, bath & body goodies and candy. Each of the girls also got bags which included tiaras, boas, matching pink t-shirts (saying things like "bridesmaid," "cousin," "groom's sis," "matron-of-honor," and "girlfriend") - it was really amazing. I also gave out the gift bags I put together for everyone. The Aleve (!) was a big hit - ha ha!
And I got birthday gifts! My friends are incredibly generous and are truly amazing. I even got a sleek black iPod Nano! (which I love love love!) but the best gift (besides just BEING THERE) was tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE! AMAZING. If you don't know about this show, you should. It's all Beatles music w/the most incredible spectacle EVER. The tickets were for the show the following evening. I of course immediately started crying my makeup off.
I was overwhelmed and SOOOO EXCITED!
The rest of the evening was spent enjoying cocktails, gettting ready to go out and dancing the night away! We all wore our pink t-shirts, boas, tiaras and veil (for me). It was so much fun. We took the shuttle to the Rio and planned on going to the dance club. We couldn't get into the VooDoo Lounge that night (well, we could but it was a $25 cover charge and we just couldn't do that...pooh). The club wasn't open quite yet so we sat at the Masquerade Bar. Finally it opened and we waited in the "free" line (as opposed to the "VIP" line - well some of us anyway. Eventually we got in and hit the dance floor. The boas were a big hit on the dance floor. So much fun to have a prop out there. I got a LOT of attention due to the veil and I think the girls did too due to their matching shirts! And their general hotness, naturally.
There was a little drama but not too bad (considering the amounts of alcohol) and we all (eventually) made it back to the condo unscathed.
More later...work beckons...(pooh)
It started last Thursday when I drove down to the twin cities after my dress fitting & dinner with Steve. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive and since my brother-in-law was kind enough to drive us to the airport, I really didn't feel like getting up at 5am so I could make the time when we'd have to leave for the airport. This was much better.
My sister flies stand-by (because my bro-in-law works for the airline) and she decided it would be safer (more seats) to fly on the 7am flight. She departed for the airport EARLY. My cousin Lindsay & I left around 8am.
Our flight was not until 11:35 so we had plenty of time to get checked in & through security, to have a leisurely breakfast and sit at the gate. We met Allison (Steve's sister) in the airport as well. Sarah (my bridesmaid) was running a little behind. As we were boarding the plane I called her and she was still on the light rail! Not even to the airport yet....luckily they were holding the plane for some late connections and she made it on at the last minute! Whew.
The flight was very uneventful which is good. We landed at about 1pm Las Vegas time. Kathy (my sis) was waiting for us by baggage claim. We grabbed a taxi and hit the road.
We stayed at the Westgate Flamingo Bay which is a time share/rental property. It was perfect. We had 2 2-room suites (2 bathrooms in each - whew) for 9 of us. It was so incredible to see my LA friends! They were there waiting for us and the hugs & squealing that commenced were exactly what I imagined them to be.
Our first order of business was the grocery store where we stocked up on enough food & beverages to last a week. It was nice to have full kitchens where we could have essentials like bacon (for the morning) and ice cream birthday cake (which we forgot to eat until Sunday morning!).
Friday night I was literally showered with gifts. At first I wasn't looking "bride-y" enough so my very dear friend Sam (and the planner of the weekend events) gave me a gift bag full of things to spruce up my attire. A tiara & veil w/sparkles on it, a purple boa, a "bride-to-be" blinking sash (to be worn with my swimsuit I was informed), a button, a "bride" t-shirt, bath & body goodies and candy. Each of the girls also got bags which included tiaras, boas, matching pink t-shirts (saying things like "bridesmaid," "cousin," "groom's sis," "matron-of-honor," and "girlfriend") - it was really amazing. I also gave out the gift bags I put together for everyone. The Aleve (!) was a big hit - ha ha!
And I got birthday gifts! My friends are incredibly generous and are truly amazing. I even got a sleek black iPod Nano! (which I love love love!) but the best gift (besides just BEING THERE) was tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE! AMAZING. If you don't know about this show, you should. It's all Beatles music w/the most incredible spectacle EVER. The tickets were for the show the following evening. I of course immediately started crying my makeup off.
I was overwhelmed and SOOOO EXCITED!
The rest of the evening was spent enjoying cocktails, gettting ready to go out and dancing the night away! We all wore our pink t-shirts, boas, tiaras and veil (for me). It was so much fun. We took the shuttle to the Rio and planned on going to the dance club. We couldn't get into the VooDoo Lounge that night (well, we could but it was a $25 cover charge and we just couldn't do that...pooh). The club wasn't open quite yet so we sat at the Masquerade Bar. Finally it opened and we waited in the "free" line (as opposed to the "VIP" line - well some of us anyway. Eventually we got in and hit the dance floor. The boas were a big hit on the dance floor. So much fun to have a prop out there. I got a LOT of attention due to the veil and I think the girls did too due to their matching shirts! And their general hotness, naturally.
There was a little drama but not too bad (considering the amounts of alcohol) and we all (eventually) made it back to the condo unscathed.
More later...work beckons...(pooh)
Comments
A song you might look into for the reception is Heaven or Las Vegas,by the Cocteau Twins its heavenly!