Sneaky bridesmaids

I love my bridesmaids but they are tricky little devils. Let me set the scene for you:

Maid of Honor Big Apple: Hey, so Matron of Honor Banannie and I were thinking that it would be fun to get together for lunch so you can fill us in on wedding plans and we can talk about your shower, bachelorette, etc.

Me: Oh yay, that sounds super fun! Loving that idea – when and where?

Maid of Honor Big Apple: Okay, we’ll figure it out and send you the details!

A few days later I got an email from Big Apple letting me know that it would be brunch at the resort she worked at – sounded great to me! I woke up that morning, threw on my bathing suit under my dress (wishful thinking since it was a resort), kissed Frogger goodbye and headed out to meet my two MOHs.

I pulled up to the property and had a text letting me know they were in a poolside cabana waiting for me. Yay!

I walked into the pool area and saw Big Apple waving me over. As I walked up…I saw not just Big Apple and Banannie but Creeker and Belle too! My sneaky bridesmaids had decided to throw me a surprise engagement party! (Bridesmaid Berk was the only one that lived out of state and as luck would have it, is getting married just a couple of weeks after me so she couldn’t fly in but I knew she was there in spirit!)

I settled in from the shock of this impromptu fiesta and my friends know me well…wine was chilling, my glass was full and food was on the way.

Me and Big Apple – the girl is pretty even with her eyes closed!

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the poolside cabana, yummy spa food and a glass or two of wine (I refuse to provide the true amount of wine consumed to protect the innocent-ish). As a fun twist, the girls decided that my gifts would be knowledge and advice from their relationship experiences and the experiences of those they are close to. As it turns out, Belle, Creeker and Banannie are all married so they were able to provide first-hand accounts of married life, while Big Apple surveyed friends, family and co-workers to get the goods and compiled a long list with words of wisdom.

Wine chilling, everyone smiling – yes, today is a good day

Here are some of my favorite little nuggets:

• Ask for help.
• You are two imperfect people making an imperfect union, and that’s wonderful!
• Marriage is a partnership. Commit to each other and to your marriage from day one, and work on your relationship every day. Wake up every morning and ask yourself, “What can I do today to make my spouse’s life better?”
• Before I said “I do,” my mom (who’s been married to my dad for 55 years) told me to take out a piece of paper and write down the top three things that bugged me about my husband-to-be. Then she told me to forget the things on that list and forgive him for not being flawless. Once you make a commitment this big, she explained, you can’t let petty things get in the way. In our eight years of marriage, my husband and I have had two kids, tackled cross-country moves and started two businesses – so far, so great!
• Love means never having to say you’re sorry…Oh please! In marriage, love sometimes means having to say you’re sorry even if you don’t know what you did or you didn’t mean to do it.
• Don’t order chicken wings and mac & cheese from room service the night before your wedding – just trust me on this one!
• Have a glass of wine before you walk down the aisle.
• Beware of invisible tan lines.

Creeker and I about to crash out at the resort for the night – what a fantastic day!

I don’t know about you but I absolutely loved the idea of getting advice after being newly engaged. How about you, did you receive any great advice from friends or family after getting engaged?