Yesterday Ryan and I arrived in Chicago bright an early after catching a 6 a.m. flight out of Tampa. We wanted to be sure to get to the Windy City early enough so we wouldn’t miss any of the activities and events Leah and Matt planned for the weekend.
My friend Michaela picked us up from the airport and brought us back to her house where we hung our until Michaela and I had to leave to attend a wonderful bridesmaid luncheon hosted by Leah’s mother at Season’s 52 (yes, the same restaurant I LOVE in Orlando!).
Fortunately Michaela’s boyfriend Kyle arrived about an hour or so after we left, so Ryan had a guy to hang out with while we were away. We laughed and said they were going on a “blind man date” because the two of them have only met briefly when Kyle came to our wedding with Michaela since we were clearly a little busy that weekend. Luckily they got along great!
Bridesmaid Luncheon
The bridesmaid luncheon was a really neat way for Leah’s bridal party to all have some special time with the bride, her mother and future mother-in-law before the craziness of the wedding starts in.
Leah was absolutely glowing (she’s sitting on the far right) and said that she felt like she was having an “out-of-body experience.” I completely related to what she was saying because I remember planning and planning for our wedding and when the day finally arrives it almost feels surreal.
If you were a blog reader around the time of our wedding, you may recognize the two girls to my left in the above picture! Michaela and Carrie (as well as Leah!) were also bridesmaids in our wedding. It is so fun being part of the wedding of such an amazing couple with so many people that I absolutely love.
At Season’s 52, our group shared flatbread appetizers before digging into our meals. I had a piece of the steak and crimini mushroom flatbread that was fantastic! I even debated ordering one as my actual meal.
I eventually decided on deconstructed fish tacos with guacamole and salsa.
The dish was a little too spicy for my personal taste, but it was really delicious and I ate every bite.
Rehearsal
After the luncheon, we drove back to Michaela’s house to pick up the boys and quickly change into fancier dresses for the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
Leah and Matt have a large bridal party, but everything went really smoothly with the rehearsal!
This is the first time I’ve ever been a bridesmaid in a wedding, so I am a little nervous for my walk down the aisle! I hope I don’t trip in my clunky heels!
During the rehearsal, Ryan and Kyle were troopers and hung out in the pews together. Ryan snapped some pictures, including this one that I think captures all of the love and emotion inside of Leah.
She is going to be the most gorgeous bride!
Rehearsal Dinner
Once the rehearsal was done, Ryan, Michaela, Carrie, Kyle and I all piled into Carrie’s car and headed downtown for the rehearsal dinner at Petterino’s, a nice Italian restaurant located in the heart of Chicago.
We got stuck in some pretty awful traffic, but our group was a lively one and had a lot of fun making up wildly inappropriate nicknames of each other. I love every moment with these guys! I just wish we all lived closer so I could see them more often.
When we arrived at the restaurant, I enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine during cocktail hour before we took our seats for dinner.
Don’t my nails look fantastic? Okay, fine, so those aren’t my nails. I’m going to use my friend Carrie’s hands as my hand model this weekend because she always has the prettiest nails. She gave herself that French manicure!
Dinner itself was delicious! We all enjoyed the most amazingly doughy rolls and fresh salad before our entrees arrived.
(Notice my hand model again?)
I opted for the parmesan encrusted chicken which was a great choice.
Dessert was also delicious!
This cheesecake wasn’t too dense or overwhelming. It was light and fluffy and I practically scraped my plate clean!
If the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner are any indication of Leah and Matt’s wedding today, I think it’s going to be a day full of love, laughter, emotion and excitement. I can’t wait to watch Leah walk down the aisle!
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Your first bridesmaid gig? Have so much fun! Especially in my favorite city . . . Chi-town!
Have fun! Here’s hoping you don’t get your wedding stomach bug! 😉
Looks like you’re having an amazing time! Weddings are always so incredible!!
Have so much fun, Julie. Congrats to your friend! I am loving your pink dress, too!
Man, I love weddings. My best friend is getting married in October and I’m her MOH—can’t wait!!
Aaaw congrats to your friend! 😀
Can I just say how refreshing it is to read a blog where the person genuinely enjoys food? I *love* it =) Thank you so much for illustrating how hard work (your ridiculously early workouts), healthy eating and “fun” choices in moderation can be a pleasant experience.
You are totally going to rock the aisle, no tripping for you!! Looks like it has been a PARt-ay so far, so keep it going, and have a blast: ) Can’t wait to see pics!
I’m so happy youre back in the Chi! If you have time you and Ryan should go to Southport Cafe and Grocery for brunch!!!
I always love reading your posts, especially when they feature my hometown! But the real question is…WHOSE ADORABLE BABY IS THAT in the picture of you walking down the steps?! My God, did you see the cheeks on him? What a cutie pie!
isn’t he adorable!?!? he’s leah’s nephew and he’s the sweetest baby in the world
Haha “the blind man date” my husband has had many of those at the weddings I’ve been in. I always felt so nervous for him! Luckily he’s friendly 🙂 have a great time at the wedding today!
Mmm I love parmesan encrusted chicken and that flatbread looks delicious. Weddings are such a joyous time. I love reading about your wedding experiences 🙂
Am loving the pink dress you’re wearing – so cute! And yes, your friend does have pretty hands and amazing DIY manicure skills…. *slightly* jealous!
I love weddings! It must be so wonderful to play such a pivotal part in this one – such a special experience 🙂 You eats look delicious as always! I really enjoy reading your posts, as you balance eating healthy with indulging, and you do it so well! <3 Thank you for being a continual source of inspiration and inspiration 🙂 Hope your bridesmaid duty goes well – good luck with the clunky shoes, lol! I'm sure you'll be great – and graceful 😉 xyx
Looks like the perfect rehearsal! I hope you have a great time at the wedding and I’m sure your shoes will be fab 😉
I love this, Julie! Everything and everyone looks so beautiful and enjoyable 🙂
Hahaha omg, is your chicken sitting in a puddle of BUTTER? LOVE it, looks amazing! Have a great time!!
Have fun – your pictures are making me hungry…YUM!
First of all, if I had known that there was a Seasons 52 in Chicago, I totally would have gone last weekend!! I loved that place when I lived in Florida!!
And it looks like you’re having a great time. I love weddings, especially when it’s one of your closest friends getting married! Enjoy!!
Did you go to the Seasons 52 in Schaumburg? I’m heading there in a few weeks.
What part of Chicago did you grow up in?
Happy wedding day to Leah! I think you’ll be just fine walking down the aisle!
yes! i grew up in palatine, a northwest suburb of chicago.
You, the bride, and all of the other bridesmaids are sooo pretty! Good luck walking down the aisle :). You will be great!!
Looks like it will be a awesome wedding! Have fun!!!
Great great post, you musy have had so much fun, you all look gorgeous!
Ahh, I love weddings, and your dress is gorgeous!! Have fun!!
Have fun!!!
That is a huge wedding party! Wow!
Try and go to Yolk if you can while you’re there – it’s a breakfast/lunch type place and there are 3 locations in the city. Great food – they have a veggie breakfast skillet with potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, onions, and cheese with eggs on top – and it’s HUGE! Very highly rated on Trip Advisor!
Love these pics! have fun 🙂
Looks Like such a great day! Hope the wedding is going well. 🙂
P.S. I LOVE Leah’s shoes!!:)
Hope the wedding was all she ever dreamed!…. and that today isn’t stressful for you either; I always got a little stressed when I was a bridesmaid. So much love for the bride, I wanted her day to be PERFECT!
Looks like a good time with great food and friends! Can’t wait for pics from the wedding!
Enjoy your time in Chitown! Gosh I miss that city so much. I never made it to Petterino’s (though I passed it about 234092384 times, give or take), but it looks like a really nice place. Can’t wait to hear how the wedding went!
awww I love a wedding weekend! Looks like such a great time. Seasons 52 is a fave of mine, as is being a bridesmaid. Especially when it’s with the same group! We had 3 couples in our wedding party and were all in each other’s – awesome!
Love the look of that cheesecake!
Love the pink dress. I hope you had a fabulous time as a bridesmaid.
I’ve always wanted to eat at Seasons 52 but there are none in the Miami area 🙁
Everyone raves about that place (and not gonna lie, that flatbread looks delicious
I want to go to Season’s 52 so bad but my hubby thinks it would be too girly for him. What does that even mean? lol
he’s probably afraid that the portions are too small which was ryan’s main concern. ryan just always gets an appetizer AND an entree to solve that problem. 😉
Those deconstructed tacos look delicioso (despite being too picante for you!)
Enjoy your time back in Chi-town! everyone, especially Leah, looks so beautiful and, even more important, HAPPY!
Looks like a fun rehearsal! I can’t wait to see the wedding pictures! I love weddings! 🙂
I feel like you are always in Chicago! It is my favorite American city by far. Have you tried any of Karyn’s restaurants? (Karyn on the green, karyn’s cooked, karyn raw) She has amazing vegan food that will fool any carnivore : )
I absolutely love Leah’s wedding rehearsal dress! Do you happen to know where she got it?