The last wedding trip...

It's hard to believe, but this past weekend we found ourselves making our final wedding trip of the year over to Raleigh, NC to see Johnette and Brooks get married. For those of you who may not remember Johnette, she was Emily’s maid of honor at our wedding, and has been friends with Emily since grade school.

For Emily, it was a return trip to Raleigh, while for Chris, his first time to the area.

Upon arriving unscathed and without cancellation on Thursday afternoon (luckily we flew with US Air, aka “US dare” instead of American), we figured we’d drive around and see what we could of downtown Raleigh and Chapel Hill until Emily’s friend Sara (also a previous bridesmaid of Emily’s and friend from undergrad) got off work. Upon leaving the airport, the first thing that you notice is how many trees there are along the highways and local roads. In transit between Raleigh and Chapel Hill, you feel like you’re in a forest preserve, unable to see the developments and civilization that resides beyond the dense foliage. Of course this was the perfect time of year to visit (unless you have seasonal allergies) as all of the flowering trees and bushes were in full bloom. Not only did the air seem cleaner (not a big accomplishment coming from Dallas), but there was also the smell of Lilac in the air, also adding to the spring ambience. It was immediately apparent to Chris why this area of the country is one of the fastest growing.

After touring Chapel Hill and Raleigh, we met up with Sara, who was nice enough to put us up (or put up with us) for two days during our stay. That night we headed out for some food and drink(s?) at a local microbrewery in downtown Raleigh with some of her friends that she’s met since moving down to area.

1) Sara & Emily 2) Chris, at ease with his microbrew

Friday morning found Chris fulfilling his unspoken duty as chauffeur as he took Emily to meet up with the rest of the bridal party at a local nail salon and took care of minor shopping necessities such as candles and bubble bath mix at Target. After a mid-afternoon siesta, we headed over to the wedding rehearsal and “Pig-Pickin” dinner that followed in the nearby suburb of Clayton. The wedding was to take place at an old historic mansion in downtown Clayton called The Wagner House. There, Emily met up with her other friends Melissa and Nikki, who had flown in from Iowa and Colorado, respectively.

Before we knew it, our stay was half over, and Saturday found Emily heading over to Clayton in the morning to get her hair and makeup done, and take care of all of her bridesmaid duties. This afforded Chris the opportunity to grab some sandwiches and go for a hike with Sara for a few hours at Eno River State Park, just outside of Durham. While the forecast had called for rain for the past few days on Saturday, and the clouds were definitely starting to roll in as the day progressed, Sara and Chris decided to chance it and head out onto the trail. This was a mistake… 30 minutes into the hike, and 25 minutes after crossing the only bridge in the park, the sound of thunder loomed ever closer, and then…a sheer downpour began. At this point…soaked to the core, Chris and Sara decided to just cross the river by foot rather than retrace the trail back to the bridge to the car; it really didn’t matter at that point.

The Eno River

1) Eno Park Footbridge 2) Chris cleaning up before the wedding 3) Sara, showing her guns

Luckily for Johnette and Brooks, their ceremony didn’t suffer the same fate as Chris and Sara did on their hike. The ceremony went off without a hitch, both in the weather department and logistically. The ceremony was held in the backyard of the mansion, and the reception was divided between the first floor of the house and the large rap-around porch. We of course got our groove on the dance floor, including a rare appearance of the highly anticipated Elaine (from Seinfeld)-esque dance by Chris for Melissa’s entertainment. The reception was capped with some after-partying at the hotel in Johnette and Brooks’ room (of all places).

Before flying back to Dallas on Sunday, our time was divided between the gift-opening reception in the morning at the hotel, and a brief get together one last time with Sara and a few of her friends. The trip was a great break from Dallas, and we wished that we didn’t have to leave so soon after arriving, but such was the reality. We enjoyed seeing everyone, and definitely wouldn't mind visiting Raleigh again.

Note: All of the wedding photos can be viewed and downloaded in their entirety by clicking on the picassa web album slideshow below. Donations are also welcomed…