Have A Little Faith in We

Its about time we get back to collecting the memories from this past year. My sister got engaged last summer and her wedding was early January, so the past few months provided some wonderful moments of celebrating her and her family to be!

Katy is my middle sister, 7 years younger than I, fabulous hair dresser, great mom to our family’s little love bug Lola, and now sweet wife to her husband Kyle. She is one of the strongest people I know – facing the world with courage and determination, but also has the most grace filled heart. She really has the gift to see people for who they can be and the patience to wait for them to get there (believe me I know…. I have been a recipient many times of her grace, patience and forgiveness). So I have been so excited for the opportunity of this big life moment to also take a bunch of little moments and celebrate her! Starting with her fall bridal shower at my house.

Fall is Katy’s season! She loves all things cozy with rich flavors, warm colors, and intoxicating scents of pumpkin and spice. When it came time for her bridal shower hosted by fellow maid of honor, and other sister, Bridget and my mom we all quickly agreed a fall shower fit her perfectly – and thanks to Pinterest, we created the perfect theme: Fall in Love!

We opted for Sunday brunch surrounded by  lots and lots of fall …. and I was lucky enough to host! As the older sister those sorts of exerpiences mean a lot. Big sister is a role that I have had for as long as I can remember…. before wife, before employee…really even before friend…. sister is one of the longest running titles I have held – minus daughter and Catholic- and it has always being important to me that I am successful with this responsibility. There is something that  happens to my heart when I can give advice, send a treat, or share in my siblings’ joy- so even though our house is modest in size and my cooking skills leave a lot to be desired… I was grateful Bridget and Mom gave me the chance to take the the lead – and I am especially touched that my sister Katy wanted me to plan her day.

Ya’ll the Heppes love to entertain! It is certainly a big part of  my parent’s life and something I hope to carry on and what a perfect way to start: for my sister!

The house looked great and although it was a few long nights in preparation – I have to say some of the most fun included the set-up with Mom and Brig! We laughed a lot…. snacked way too much…. and cherished the chance to find little ways to honor the bride. Yes, marriages are most importantly about the future…. about the family being built – but there is something so beautiful about the tradition of celebrating the bride. I truly believe it is through the heart of a woman that a group of people can be molded into a family – and this is the start of Katy’s family life.  The gifts she received on this day isn’t just stuff… but its the tools that will help her create a life …. gifted from the people who have chosen to surround and support her. What a really special tradition!

One of my favorite touches from the party included the coffee bar. Katy is just like me – a big coffee fan – so a fun assortment of creamers and coffee additions for extra tasty Sunday Brunch coffee was a hit! We also included some yummy food like french toast casserole and monkey bread. Then mixed it up with the hundreds of fall decorations that Mom and I had between the two of us (and the ones we may or may not have added from a pricey Michael’s run) and as you entered our house it felt like you landed in a snow globe designed fall. Dan wondered if we were gonna need to rake our living room!

This was a great day of enjoying the warm home Danny and I have been able to create for parties such as this….. of celebrating all the special moments to come for Katy  and Kyle…. and for enjoying the bond of the Heppes girls. Thank you so much Mom and Bridget for making this day perfect for both Katy the bride and I as the hostess  (my decor skills and cooking abilities did not have the stamina to go it alone) and cheers ya’ll to FALLING in love!

Thank you so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!

Jackie