My sister Lauren got married last October, and I just realized yesterday that I never even showed you guys any photos from her big day! So obviously I pushed my scheduled post for today so that I could share them. Her wedding was a beautiful 300 person black tie affair in Philadelphia and couldn’t have been more different than my more casual, intimate, ocean-side wedding in Newport six years ago.

I loved what she did because it was so much fun and so her. When she described the vibe she wanted to florists and lighting vendors, she used the phrase “spooky romantic” and I think they nailed it. There were Game of Thrones vibe candles and market lights everywhere along with simple greens mixed in to soft white florals.

Lauren and her now husband Mike have more friends than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. They have so many friends, in fact, they only had their siblings in their bridal party because they couldn’t pare it down to under 16 best friends each. They are both incredibly loyal and fun to be around, not to mention beautiful human beings, and everyone understandably wants to be in their orbit.

Their wedding reflected this with a thoughtful, sparkling ceremony at a cool, downtown, almost industrial venue, Front & Palmer, fuss-free Italian food including a cannoli cake with an art-deco inspired topper in place of a traditional wedding cake (genius), an incredible band that had us all dancing the night away, and late-night masquerade masks for the guests because it was Halloween weekend.

Everything was beautiful and perfect, especially my sister who looked like she was glowing from the inside out. Her hair, make up, and dress were elegant and old school glam. Literally she could be a bridal model IMO. She definitely had a few jitters in the morning (cured by Philly cheesesteaks) but the second she walked down that aisle, she looked happier than I’ve ever seen her. A smile never left her face all night.

But, like every wedding (yes, every wedding!) there were a few snafus. If you’re getting married and think it will go off without a hitch, think again! Something will go wrong, but if you can go with the flow and not let it get to you, you will still have an amazing night. Most of the time, no one else even notices.

The flower girl was in a sour mood. Amalia was the flower girl, but was overwhelmed by all of the people and being out of her element, plus I hadn’t started my anxiety medication yet so I was still feeling anxious and I know she picked up on that. She refused to let me do her hair or wear her entire dress so it basically looked like she was in a slip and tights, but I was so busy running around with MOH duties, that I didn’t push it. Sometimes it’s just not worth it!

Lauren’s dress. Speaking of dresses, my sister had another dress that we had bought a year in advance at BHLDN where my dress is also from. About a month before the wedding, she picked it up from the tailor and realized that it just wasn’t right. The craziest part of this story is that the exact same thing happened to me except that my tailor botched the dress and it was only two weeks before my big day! I got really lucky because Mark Ingram was having a sample sale and I scooped up a Monique Lhuillier for 60% off which is basically unheard of.

Lauren also got lucky and found a store in San Francisco that sold samples off the rack. TheRomona Keveza dress she ended up wearing was perfect for her and her body shape. It was simple, elegant, and timeless and I’m so glad she ended up in it!

The weather. It poured for most of the day and all night which would have really stressed me out on my wedding day, but Lauren loved it, thinking that it made the night extra spooky which is exactly what she wanted.

The time we got stuck in the limo. Family photos ended up taking way longer than we had anticipated for many reasons, but we were late getting to the venue by about 30 minutes. Because of that, guests were already starting to arrive and my sister and I sat in the limo in front of the door for 45 minutes waiting for a break in the stream of guests to go in. When 300 people are all arriving through one door at the same time, there aren’t many opportunities it turns out! Finally there was a break and two of her friends and I grabbed her dress, held an umbrella over her head, and ran her into the venue and up the stairs without anyone catching a glimpse.

But despite these little mishaps, we were able to enjoy the night and laugh about them to stay sane. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite pictures from my baby sister’s wedding, a night that our little brother Jackson deemed the best of his life.

Photos by Ashley Gerrity Photography.