A Wonderful Wedding in Charming Charleston

Megan & Jared Davison

September 10, 2011

Charleston, South Carolina

I had the amazing experience of flying to Charleston this past weekend to be a bridesmaid for my dear friend Megan. She lives out in Philadelphia so not only was it wonderful for her to wed but it was just as great to see her in person. 

Holden Beach, 2001

Megan and I met when my family first moved to South Carolina when I was about to start 6th grade. I knew that our neighbors had a girl my age so I moseyed on over to introduce myself and ask if she wanted to go on a bike ride. And yes, I did still have a hot pink Huffy.

She agreed and our friendship has continued to blossom ever since. Our families are close as well and needless to say, I knew this experience was going to be emotional.

And it was.

Luckily I got the worst of my pathetic and pitiful sobbing out at the rehearsal because I was truly afraid of not being able to contain myself. It was just too weird to know that my Megan was getting married. Of course I couldn't be happier for her and Jared, but it was still strange coming to terms with it all. 

The trip was busy and filled with luncheons and rehearsals and Citadel boys and shrimp & grits. It was a very southern weeding weekend. And I loved every minute. 

Usually I am not very fond of the south. I think the people are very nice but I prefer my west coast status.  I thoroughly enjoyed zipping around Charleston and seeing the colleges in the area. These included College of Charleston and the Citadel. Megan's little sister attends CofC (Like Megan did) and her dorm is right next to an EINSTEINS BAGEL! ... but she has never been. WHAT? Also it accepts her meal plan... Let's just say if that were me, I would be cramming my face full of 'garlic toasted with plain shmear' every freaking day! She crazy.

Jared graduated from the Citadel and the Citadel Chapel was where the two had their ceremony. It was beautiful and needed no decoration. Also during the rehearsal I tried to convince the Priest that he should begin the ceremony with "Mawwiage, Mawwiage is what bwings us hewe togethew today" Like on the Princess Bride:

Hahaha, I think he was actually considering it.

The rehearsal dinner was out at a restaurant on the water. It was the perfect place for dinner, which was Low Country Boil. I am sure many of you have never had Low Country Boil and what it literally consists of is shrimp, boiled red potatoes, half corns on the cob, and sausage slices. That's it. I am used to it from our stays at the beach but it is not necessarily my favorite meal. So after I had my fill of potatoes and sausage (and I did eat 2 shrimp, Mom!) I was left to hang out with the flower girl and ring bearer.

The cutest little things I ever did see. Eventually there was a break dance contest between the three of them. I'll let you decide who the winner was:

All the moves in all the right places.

The ceremony the next day was just beautiful. We had a very relaxing day since the wedding was not until 6pm. The reception was at this old Charleston house, the Wickliffe House, it was the most stunning venue imaginable. 

They had a the tent setup outside with the band and a dance floor. Abar outside and a bar inside. Food stations to include shrimp and grits. I have completely forgotten that grits even existed before my trip but those were the best grits I have ever had. Megan's mother told me it was the cream that made it so delicious.

After they announced the wedding party onto the dance floor, Megan and Jared had their first dance to Free by the Zac Brown Band. And then Megan danced with her father to Steven Curtis Chapman's Cinderella. 

That would have been the time where I lost all of my bearings completely. I was bawling my eyes out. It was so touching. And then Megan's mother went out an joined them. Perfection.

The rest out the night was just nonstop excitement. Since I did not know many of the guests, I was hanging out with majority of the groomsmen all night and playing wingman for Megan's younger sister and cousin with the Citadel cadets. I told them I was a good wing man because I go in so completely obnoxious that the guys will have to choose to hang out with them in order to get away from me.... I think it worked.

Also by the end of the night, I convinced one of the cadets to let me try on his coat and hat, brilliant idea.

Needless to say it was a fun filled night. The happy couple drove off in an old black cab into the night. And they are still married to this day! (One week later)

Congratulations Megan and Jared, best wishes!

Boom. Posted.

What Happens in Vegas... goes on this blog.

I have done a bit of traveling lately and the weekend during Blake's visit, we were going up to Vegas for his little brother's 21st birthday. Vegas is not usually a place that I am very fond of. I do not like crowded places, loud music for a long period of time, paying too much for anything, or inhaling large amounts of second hand smoke. Too bad that is pretty much the life blood that keeps good ole Vegas' devil heart pumpin'.

Regardless I was excited to celebrate Ryan's birthday and experience Vegas with Blake. The first night we ran across the strip to Surrender at Encore for a Lil Jon & Skrillex concert. The venue was around the pool and the place was packed. Naturally filled with too many people and blasting loud music but I was handling it okay. That was until the 5 hours of being in my 5 inch heels started to kick in, and then it was quittin' time. Lil Jon came on first and announced that he had been drinking all day and had no idea what he was going to play for us. The whole time he was up there there was a guy in like a Lil Jon mascot face and I know at the end of the show they put the real Lil Jon in there so he could make a clean getaway. I just know that's how they did it.

After the concert all I could say the whole trip was "My... Name.. Is... SKRILLEX" (Click on the link to hear the song) Just could not stop.

Then the next night we were supposed to either be hooked up at the Marquee in the Cosmopolitan or just wingin' it. We ended up stumbling upon the Chateaux at Paris where Akon was playing. That place was beyond crowded but we showed up just in time for Akon to start walking through the crowd to leave and guess who got a picture with him. ME.

Okay, okay. I know you can't really tell its him, but I would never lie about meeting Akon. Also I was talking to him for all of 3.5 seconds and I told him he looked great (apparently that is what I tell celebrities because I also said that to Craig Robinson when I met him earlier in the night)  And he and Akon both said "You too, baby." Both of them!

I case you don't anything about my favorite show, Craig Robinson plays Darryl Philbin on The Office. I was so mad I did not ask him if he becomes Regional Manager or not. I bet he would have told me. Probably.

We went to Bond at the Cosmo later that night and that little bar was pretty cool. Anything and everything at that hotel is cool. We also checked out Shadow Bar at Caesar's Palace, now that place is crazy.

I also got a picture with Nicole whoever, the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. She wasn't as impressive.

Well I guess she was really unimpressive because I must have deleted the picture I actually got with her. Or its on Blake's phone. Either way, unimpressive.



We went on the New York, New York roller coaster this trip which I was not able to do one of the times I was in Vegas before for a gymnastics meet. Nor was I allowed to go on any of the rides at Circus Circus, and this was how I felt about that:

Not. Happy.

We stayed at Bally's which was a prime location and the view out of our window was the Eiffel Tower from the Paris Hotel. One the second night after   Chateaux we were headed back to our room when I noticed one of the doors in the hallway propped open with music and voices coming from it. So me and my bold self decided to knock and then proceed to open the door to see what all the scuttlebutt was about. Turns out these guys had this party going on in their humungous suite (with full up bar) right down the hall from us and I quickly made friends. They invited us in and the party continued where we met some girls from Malibu. The next day at the pool, these girls recognized me (the notary, however, was not necessarily mutual) and they were our new tagalongs for the rest of the trip. Well Ryan made some fast friends.

The girls supposedly set up a reservation for us to eat at Tao but when we get to the Venetian and then to Tao it turned out the reservation was just NEAR Tao. Just near it. At this Cheesecake Factory type place called the Grand Luxe. The food was good but we had our group of five, these five girls, and then these random Asian guys that the girls had met earlier. Our server brings one check for the 15 of us and we are just about to start divvying everything up when one of the Asian guys plucks the check off the table and sticks his credit card in. $400 tab at least. Ballin'.

Later that night we met up with one of Blake's friends who lives in Vegas who knows all the bartenders and bouncers around so we get free drinks all night at V Bar. The Tropicana was the next stop (I'm thinking 'oh great, really?') so we hop in a cab and the girl says we are going to have to take the freeway. Well these guys are telling her 'no way' and tell her she has to make a u-turn or they won't pay her a dime. Meanwhile I am scared out of my mind in the back seat as the girl flips the u-turn on two wheels practically and radios for the police to meet them at the Tropicana. Perfect.

She drives like a maniac the whole way there, I am trying to tell the guys to shut up but they live there so what do I know, and the guys keep going on and on about her ripping them off, and I want to die.

We finally skid into the drop off at the hotel with no cops waiting for us so I sprint to get inside and away from all the nonsense while one of the guys from my group (who isn't totally rude/crazy out of his mind) tries to pay her with a good tip because he felt so bad but she wouldn't take any of it. Nightmare.

But the Tropicana was so nice. They had done some serious remodeling and the club there would have been awesome had there been more that 20 people there. The club had windows out to the pool that had also been remodeled and had teepees for cabanas. Teepees! But we ha more free drinks and I was sick of people anyway so I was good to go. Also we closed down the place so Blake got the DJ to place Tipsy for me. It just felt like a good one to end the night on.

Then everyone left one by one the next morning and Ryan and I were so Vegased out that we headed to the airport 3 hours early. We were hurtin'. Also I saw Ice T and Coco at the airport. I should be a celebrity blogger like Perez Hilton at this point.

Boom. VEGASED.