Hawkily Ever After: Rehearsal, Dinner, and Cocktails

The wedding rehearsal wasn't really what I expected. Perhaps I had overly-romantic notions of what it'd be like. Or maybe I just underestimated my clumsiness.

It all started with a missing groom. The wedding party agreed to meet in the hotel lobby prior to walking over to the chapel, but Mr. Hawk was nowhere to be found. Since the hotel restaurant/bar was open for business, we had a sneaking suspicion of where he might be hiding out. One by one groomsmen and bridesmaids "went to check" the restaurant and never came back out. Eventually I went in myself and found them all sharing beers at the bar. Apparently my uncle had found Mr. Hawk waiting alone and invited him to join the family for a drink. At the time I was annoyed. (Seriously Mr. H, how could you possibly be distracted by a tasty cold beer?!) Looking back at it just makes me laugh. They were ready for the festivities to begin!

Luckily for them, I think we must have had one of the shortest rehearsals on record. It went by so quickly I didn't even think to take any photos. We basically practiced our entrances and exits and called it a day. Did anyone have a more involved rehearsal? The brevity of it really blew my mind!

Post-rehearsal we walked our way over to the Green Leafe for dinner and drinks. While everyone was getting seated, I attempted to walk over to the manager to retreive our drink menus. I say attempted because about two steps in, the heel of one of my shoes got caught up in the bow of my other shoe. I landed in a heap on the floor. I swear the entire restaurant turned silent until I hopped up. My wedding party stroked my ego by telling me it was a very graceful fall, but I felt like an idiot. I think it was at that moment when I finally let a lot of the wedding stress go. I was so thankful to only have a couple bruises and also grateful that I got my embarassing moment out of the way before the wedding!

Still laughing about my fall

I'm happy to report that the rest of the evening went exactly as planned. We met up with family and friends for a post-rehearsal dinner cocktail hour at the groom's favorite haunt, the hotel bar. It was a really nice chance to catch up with family who traveled in for the wedding. It was also a great way to blow off some steam!

As always, it started off so innocently with a few cutesy photos.

BM T, MOH A, and I

BM R

  

But we definitely had our share of fun!

So excited with MOH A

All the beautiful bridesmaids

 Some of the bridesmaids even decided to have a little karaoke jam session!

I love the intensity!

Around 10:30, MOH A and I decided to call it a night and left the festivites, but the party continued without us. Mr. H and most of the wedding party closed down the bar around 1:30! Thankfully I left my camera with Mr. Hawk, so I didn't miss out on these gems.

M checking out BM R and T in the background. Hilarious!

Crazy face.

More karaoke and dancing!

Did y'all have any drama-filled moments before the wedding? Please tell me I'm not the only one who completely embarrassed myself during one of the wedding events!

Rehearsal Dinner Decision

Before even beginning planning the specifics, I was pretty darn excited about the rehearsal dinner. I mean for one, I love food and obviously there would be dinner. Secondly I was stoked to be able to enjoy one of the yummy Williamsburg restaurants that I don't get to frequent now that I'm no longer in my college years.

There are so many great options in Williamsburg that it could be overwhelming, so I decided to limit myself to options within walking distance of the chapel and our hotel. Also I was hoping for something on the fancier side for a more formal sit down dinner.

One of my top contenders was Fat Canary. Cozy and intimate, it would be the ideal location for a formal rehearsal dinner. And did I mention that the food is crazy-good? Yum. I also considered  Blue Talon Bistro. Blue Talon is another intimate restaurant with an upscale feel. Located just steps away from campus, they serve what they call "serious comfort food." I just call it seriously delicious!


Image via Blue Talon Bistro

 I thought I had it pretty much narrowed until I started requested price quotes and inquiring about setting a menu. I cannot express how shocked I was by the minimums. We're talking about thousands of dollars, y'all... thousands of dollars that we don't have to spend. I quickly decided to scrap "fancy schmancy" as one of my requirements and do a little rethinking.

I had previously considered having a little Friday night get together to welcome our out-of-town guests at one of my all-time favorite hangouts, Green Leafe.

Image via Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce

It may not look like much from the outside, but the Leafe serves my favorite pub-style food in the 'burg, and has the most extensive beer menu in the area.

Image via Green Leafe Cafe

I began to think it was time to give the Leafe a little more credit. I contacted the catering department and found that they could accomodate us on our date AND would be within our budget. YAY! Once it was set, I couldn't believe that I ever had thought about holding the dinner anywhere else. It will be perfectly casual and laid-back. There will be no fussyness, just "Good Beer. Good Food. Good People. Bad Parking." (If you get this reference, then I owe you a pitcher. ;))

Did you have a rehearsal dinner? How difficult was it to find a restaurant that met all your requirements?