Over the weekend, DH and I went to a friend's wedding at the charming and historic Hollin Hall. The ceremony was held at the outdoor garden -- an intimate setting with the afternoon sun as the perfect backdrop.

Bodo, the bride's dog, loped down the aisle as the ring bearer to collective awwws from the crowd. A few minutes later, sighs could be heard throughout as my friend made her walk slowly towards her husband-to-be. Moments like this occur at every wedding, and when I'm lucky to be a witness, my heart pitter-patters and tears threaten to fall. Without fail. Every time. I'm such a sap.

Sadly, Bodo is advancing in age, and so my friend was adamant about including him in her special day. Here I am with him as he relaxes in the partial shade at cocktail hour. He nuzzled my knee, decided I didn't smell all that great, then turned away, haha.
NoVA/DC/MD brides: from what I understand, Hollin Hall is one of the rare "affordable" wedding venues that also allow for pets and outside caterers. As a guest, I highly recommend it!

I learned my lesson last year after I wore 3" stilettos to an outdoor grassy wedding. Every step I took, I had to exert unnecessary effort to undig my heels. Never again! So this time around, I made sure to choose from chunky heels, wedges, or flats. I chose metallic wedges, even though the rose gold color doesn't really match the gold nor silver embellishments of my dress. Ehh... metallic colors can pass for one another from afar... or in dim lighting... right?