Happy Wednesday, friends! This Wednesday seemed as good as any to have a Wedding Wednesday post. Over the next months, I’ll be sharing more details from our big day, so I thought that I would start with the event the kicked off the weekend’s activities!

Because so much of our guest list were out-of-towners, we started having guests arrive on Thursday before our wedding. I had been feeling guilty for months about bringing so many people to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and not serving them true Maryland seafood (We actually had seafood as an option for our rehearsal dinner, but due to the size of the venue, we kept our group to a minimum). It wasn’t until my uncle asked what seafood I’d be serving that I had the idea to have a dinner for all of our guests that arrived a few days ahead of time. I wanted to keep the event very casual and laid-back, so I chose my favorite crab shack to invite our guests to join us! Harris Crab House has been a staple in my family for years and I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to kickoff our weekend. The restaurant is location right on the Narrows, near Stevensville, and has breath-taking views of the water that surrounds this part of the world. It is right off the highway exit, making this a place our guests could literally jump off before continuing on to the hotel.

Ironically, a few others decided this was the perfect location for their gathering as well. We arrived right behind two parties of 18 people each, so when we asked for seating for another 19 people, I’m fairly certain the poor hostess panicked. Luckily enough, our guests had gathered down by the dock bar, and Harris’ didn’t seem to mind when we asked if we could sit out there.

Jody and I greeted everyone down by the dock (adorned with Bride and Groom buttons :)), and did our best to do introductions, while hugging each person that arrived next. It was completely overwhelming, in the most wonderful way, to reach the realization that all of these wonderful people were here, ordering the best seafood, in anticipation of our wedding, in just two short days.

We laughed, drank, ate, caught up with family and friends until after the sun sunk into the bay. All throughout dinner though, I kept taking a peek at my soon-to-be husband. I couldn’t wrap my head around how on earth I am lucky enough to marry my best friend that I met on the tennis courts four years prior. Even though the stress had caught up to me that day, all of the worries I had disappeared because now, I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, or my light at the end of the aisle. In two days, the wedding would be over, but our lives would be just beginning.

After the crab cakes, soft crabs, salmon, hushpuppies, and cornbread were all had, we said goodbye for the night as I headed home to finish up some last-minute details on the decor that we would be delivering to the venues the next morning. I knew sleep in the next 48 hours would be scarce, but our wedding weekend was finally underway. I could not wait.