My best friend Kelly Thomas is a bride-to-be, and I feel so honored to be one of the bridesmaids standing up with her on the Big Day in late July. A couple of weeks ago, we (bridesmaids + MOH + Thomas family) threw Kelly a ladies-only, girly-as-can-be bridal shower to celebrate her upcoming marriage and help her get ready for the #wifelife. I sat down with Kelly this week to chat about all things bridal and marriage:
Paige: What did you like most about the bridal shower?
Kelly: It was beautiful. I loved how excited everybody was to help me and Ryan start our lives together. I got to open so many lovely gifts that will help us build our home together. I also loved the women-only aspect of the shower [minus a stray Uncle Bob who found his way in a few times] as it created an atmosphere of sisterhood, femininity, and tradition.
P: When did you know you wanted to marry Ryan?
K: It was a month into dating. We were both home in the U.S. for Christmas break [the two met while spending a year in London getting their Master's degrees at Kings College], he in Virginia and I in Maine. During the first time we Skyped on break, I brought my siblings in one by one to say hi and meet him to avoid overwhelming him with a crowd [Kelly is one of 9]. At one point, Ryan was talking to Declan, my youngest brother who is really sweet but can get uncomfortable on Skype. Ryan was really patient and kept the conversation going - it was really adorable. When I went back downstairs, my Mom had been listening in on the Declan portion and said about Ryan "That's a good one." Then it was just a matter of convincing him!
P: What are you most excited about for the wedding?
K: I'm most excited for all of it. This is horrifically cliche, but I'm just really excited to see him standing at the end of the aisle.
P: Will he cry?
K: Oh, he most definitely will. He says he won't though, so we'll see who's right!
P: What do you think will surprise you about marriage?
K: I've always lived with roommates, so I think the idea of being accountable to someone who's not a parent will be interesting to me. I'm independent and tend to make decisions quickly. I think the biggest challenge will be factoring in another person in all of my decisions.
Like she is an amazing friend, I know Kelly will make an amazing wife. Cheers to Kelly and Ryan!