{My Beautiful Bride}

Let me explain. My girls are somewhat obsessed with princesses and everything super-girly. They are just at that age when fairy tales are real and the best thing in the world is pretending to be Cinderella.

So when Sasha asked to be a bride for her birthday a few months ago, I wasn't at all surprised. A bride party actually sounded fun!

For the past two months I have been busy making plans for a bride party that would live up to the fairy tale Sasha surely has been envisioning. I've been scouring the clearance aisles at all the local stores for end-of-season wedding supplies; I've created invitations (that sadly never were sent via mail due to a faulty printer); I've ordered a wedding cake; I've purchased wedding dresses and a veil; I've made a menu. From establishing a color scheme to creating place cards and goodie boxes to hot gluing ten veils for her "attendants", every detail for a perfect party was examined closely. At times I really did feel like I was planning an actual wedding!

The perfect venue for the day was my dad's backyard. It is beautifully shaded by big trees and there is a stream that bubbles for a romantic atmosphere. Not that I was going for romance. Nope. Not at all. The backyard was simply a gorgeous place to have a bride birthday party.

Thankfully we had picture-perfect weather and all the girls and boys Sasha invited were able to come. With the exception of a handful of family members who weren't able to make it, Sasha was tickled with how everything turned out.

And without further ado, here is my beautiful bride!

I love the little details of this picture, like Sasha's missing front tooth and the engagement ring on her thumb. I didn't even know she had the ring on until I posted this picture here. It's just perfect.

I wanted the tables for the kids to look like reception tables. Each place had a wedding plate, a box they would later decorate and fill with their favors, a mesh bride dress with six cookies and cream Hershey Kisses, a mini champagne glass, bells, and bubbles. The girls' chairs had a veil lying on them that they put on when they arrived and the boys' chairs had a top hat. I then sprinkled heart confetti and candy engagement rings all over the tables.

Sasha had a big bouquet complete with a blue and white satin wrap and accent pearls.

The color is terribly off in this next photo, so much so that the red roses look black. Let's look beyond the bad colors and check out the food! On the menu: heart shaped sandwiches, fresh fruit salad, sweet red pepper dip with veggies, chips, pretzels, peanuts, and a variety of blue and white candies.

The kids patiently waited to be served. Don't they all look wonderful dressed up?

We had to get a standard wedding party photo before things got too wild and crazy. All but two of the kids are pictured here. So stinkin' cute!

Finally it was time for presents! Sasha sat down in a spot that was flooded with light and gave me her typical girly-girl poses. Check out her friend peeking in on the side. Adorable!

The birthday girl had to have a Wedding Day Barbie, right? And one of her friends got her the groom! Sasha was thrilled beyond belief with all the wonderful, generous gifts her friends and family gave her. She is now stocked with a fresh art supply and lots of crafts, jewelry, and other goodies.

As she opened each gift, she thanked her friends and gave them a big hug. I could post a dozen photos of those sweet hugs, but I'll choose just two.

Isn't this gal beautiful?!?

And get a load of Mr. Blues Brothers himself! Yes, folks, Billy showed up in a tux and he ROCKED that thing!

Now for the cake. I asked my friend Kristi, who makes amazing cakes, if she would create a miniature wedding cake for Sasha. Thankfully, she said yes, and what a cake she made! The bottom tier was called a tuxedo cake. It was white and chocolate cake layers with mousse between each layer. Drool. The top two layers were chocolate with chocolate mousse filling. More drool. The icing was buttercream, and there were tiny handmade blue and white roses decorating the whole thing. I knew I wouldn't be able to have the typical "Happy Birthday, Sasha" message on the cake, but I totally didn't expect what Kristi did instead. Check out that "6" and the monogram! It was so elegant and absolutely perfect. The photo simply doesn't do this masterpiece justice.

Cory and Sasha cut the cake together.

And then they took turns feeding each other the first bites. Yeah, a girl's first love truly is her Daddy. Look at the complete joy on this girl's face. Sigh.

The only mishap of the day (as far as I know) did involve the cake, though. Poor Kristi decided to go for a run in the morning and ended up on crutches with what I believe is a torn ligament. (I could be wrong about that, but I think that's what the injury is.) I pray you heal quickly, Kristi!

Every wedding has to have a bouquet toss, so all the girls -and boys- took turns trying to toss their bouquets into a basket. Their first attempts were done the traditional way: backwards over their shoulders. But after two rounds and zero bouquets in the basket, the kids just started tossing any which way. And as it turned out, the extra confetti I had left in the basket became the focus of the play and they had to be torn away from the little sparklies. I guess a party is a success if you leave with confetti in your hair!

Every year Cory and I give Sasha roses for her birthday. We used to give her a rose for each year: one for her first birthday, two for her second, and so on. But it's way easier to simply buy a dozen roses, so that's what she gets now.

Happy Birthday, Sasha Rose! You make a stunning bride. And I know that on the day you actually do get married, we'll pull out these photos and remember the joy you had as a six-year-old bride. Oh, how the tears will surely flow . . .