North Carolina Wedding

I didn't hesitate to RSVP 'I will attend' upon receiving Em's wedding invitation in the mail this Fall. My former bedroommate, we had grown close during one year of morning and bedtime routines, sharing the details of our days, laughing, singing, and taking Saturday morning walks to our favorite bagel shop one mile up the hill.

The harder invitation decision was choosing between filet mignon and salmon for my dinner entree.

Although the bride would be my only friend at the wedding, I didn't have to attend alone. She e-introduced me to her fiance's friends, and the 3 of us rode down together, getting to know each other through iPod shuffles and deep conversations.

Despite the icy scare and a couple hours of terrible visibility, we made it to Durham, North Carolina in one piece - more specifically, the Duke University campus where my friend and her new husband met at law school.

The snow hadn't accumulated much, so it was more pretty than it was a nuisance.







We checked into the lovely Washington Duke Inn, whose halls were beautifully decked for Christmas. I wandered through the hotel for awhile, admiring the fabulous trees and decor.

In addition to setting me up with carpool buddies, Em also suggested I share a hotel room with her former college roommate. The situation worked out well, and we laughed as we both remembered Em as a morning person who would cheerily greet us each day with a "GOOD MORNING!" and sleepily bid us goodnight with a sweet "Sleep Well".

We awoke on Saturday to attend an amazing brunch at the hotel, filling our plates with beef tenderloin, ham, eggs benedict and pancakes, as servers offered us mimosas and bloody marys for drinks.

I assumed I would be seated near some of Em's other D.C. friends at the wedding, but she asked that I move my place card to Table 1 and take my seat next to her at the reception. I felt so blessed!

The salad, filet mignon, potatoes, and green beans were delicious, in addition to the ice cream and raspberries that followed soon after and prior to the red velvet cake.

There was dancing to be done on the dance floor, in between acquainting myself with some of the groom's college buddies, and soon the bride and groom were out the door and off to a honeymoon in the Caymans.

I'm thankful I was able to witness the union of my dear friend to the godly man she'd been waiting to meet so patiently.

{Oh and um, gorgeous dress! Maybe my favorite ever!}