Now that we are back into the swing of things, I am finally taking time to reflect on our wedding and all of the events surrounding it. First up: the night that kicked it all off, our rehearsal dinner.
Paul and I love the Northshore so we knew we wanted to keep all of our wedding events local. The wedding itself was planned to be formal so we didn’t want our rehearsal to feel the same. We had a small group of about 30 who would be attending and wanted them all to have a good time.
That’s how we landed on True North Ale, a favorite Northshore brewery.
In The Details
Our “Brews Before I Dos” rehearsal dinner just had to include a barbecue, no question. What better than flavorful ales and a plate full of smoked meats? We had Big Pig Barbecue and they were great! Paul loved the ribs and I loved the mac ‘n’ cheese (both of which we tried beforehand, of course).
We decorated all of the tables with red and white tablecloths. These ones (HERE) from Amazon had a cute scallop edging and were of great quality for washing and using again. Each table had two mason jars with a colorful mix of summer flowers. They were easy to pull together and brought color to the space.
True North Ale has an awesome backdrop with their cans and brewing barrels. The whole space is lit up and feels so welcoming, even before decoration. Their picnic tables were a great fit for a small group and for our gift and food tables. For dessert, we had an assortment of Table Talk Pies which was so cute! My parents and I drove out to Worcester to pick a bunch up in person.
Wedding Party Gifts
I partnered with David’s Bridal on the bridesmaids and MOH robes so I didn’t include getting ready attire as their gift. Instead, I put together picnic baskets with wine and accessories. I chose bottles that I knew each individual liked and included picnic glasses, a blanket, a wine opener, and the world’s cutest mini cheese board.
The groomsmen and best men (Paul’s brothers) had to be different so we put together a crate with True North Ale brews, beer glasses, bottle openers, and our favorite road snacks: jerky, slim jims, potato stix, and a jar of local trail mix from Henry’s Market in Beverly.
Though it is not shown in the photos, I went to Cellar Door in Ipswich and put together a beautiful Italian wine crate gift basket for Paul’s godfather & uncle who officiated our wedding. We could not be more thankful for all of the time. he put into our speech and for always being there for us.
Read about our Swingin’ Rat Pack Wedding Shower for more wedding fun!
