Addi was recently married (we’re so wowed by her style) it was amazing. Check out a tiny sneak of her wedding here. You’re going to want to take a note from her stylebook for sure – but – we’re really here for the bridesmaids. Addi’s dishing out all she did and all they did for her and she’s sharing her style, her experience, her bridesmaid ideas and advice and the details of her bachelorette weekend. Hint: If you’re planning a Chicago bachelorette party, you’re definitely going to want to read more.

My Bridesmaids

My sweet bridesmaids attended everything for me, every shower, my bachelorette and any other event that I had for the wedding. My maids of honor were my sisters and it was such an amazing experience to have them there for me throughout the whole process.

My Bachelorette Party

Every single one of my bridesmaids were able to celebrate my bachelorette party. We went to Chicago and it was the most perfect place to have a bachelorette. I recommend it over and over. My maids of honor, which were both of my younger sisters, completely outdid themselves.

The theme all weekend was Addi’s Love Club. We went in August and the weather could not be more perfect. We made it a long weekend of Thursday through Sunday and we stayed in at the 21c Museum Hotel Chicago in downtown. The hotel was perfect and it was walking distance to everything. Thursday night, we ate at TAO which was delicious (of course) and then went to TAO nightclub.

Friday, we rented a boat and went out on Lake Michigan. This is a MUST if you’re traveling to Chicago during the warmer months. It was really amazing and so much fun!

On Saturday, we spent the day shopping and taking it easy. We walked the river walk and truly got to take in the city life of Chicago. I wish I could redo this trip over and over, it truly was one of my favorite memories during my wedding season. We’re all so close and easygoing – no bridesmaids drama for us – we all get along like best friends!

My Advice

Having your dearest friends and family by your side, should be the first step in the right direction. To me, communication between you and your wedding party is super important. I made sure to keep them all in-the-know to avoid any major surprises. I think it’s important to make sure each of them knows that they’re always invited to everything but most definitely do not have to attend everything. Everyone has their own lives they are living and I didn’t want them to have to miss something super important to them.

At my bridesmaids luncheon the day before my wedding, I had the opportunity to thank each and every one of them for standing by my side throughout the entire process. I let them know how much I love every single one of them and cherish our friendships more than anything. Taking the opportunity to do that was super special to me and I sure hope for them!!

Just having them around me all wedding weekend was amazing, they helped me not stress and remain calm through it all. They knew exactly what I needed before I even needed it! They kept the weekend so happy, I could not have asked for anyone else to stand by my side.

Bridesmaid Style

Finding a bridesmaids dress was one of the harder decisions I had because I wanted everyone to be the same but I wanted the shape to flatter everyone. I decided to go with ivory because I knew I was having tons of color in my flowers. I wanted it to stand out against their bouquets. Dessy has so many amazing options to choose from and when I came cross the style I chose (Gracie by Dessy), I just knew it was the one. It was different than every bridesmaids dress I had ever seen and just knew it was going to be perfect!

A Little Backstory + The Wedding

We’re only giving you a teeny tiny teaser because we’re sure this wedding is going to be featured somewhere, it’s that good. Nouvel Photo & Film did an absolutely incredible job. Now, back to Addi’s story.

Our first date was in Hot Springs, Arkansas and later when and he proposed, the first thing I started looking at was wedding venues. I looked at venues all of Arkansas and the minute I came across The Reserve at Hot Springs, I just knew it was the one. It is the most beautiful bed and breakfast and the staff is absolutely amazing.

After we booked the venue, it was time to move onto all of the finer details. Floral was something that I wanted to be super unique and special, I wanted a ton of color because the main house of The Reserve is white, my bridesmaids dresses were white and so was my wedding dress, of course. I came across an inspiration on Instagram and I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Shop Three Poppies outdid themselves and made my dreams come true.

As the wedding became near, everything started to feel so real. The weekend could not have been more perfect, I was super nervous about the weather since everything was going to be outdoors but thank goodness it turned out beautiful.

My bridesmaids did the best job at making sure I was stress-free, had what I needed and just helped me out so much. I do not know what I would have done without them there. We had the ceremony in the lower green, overlooking a waterfall. Everyone was then ushered to the cocktail hour which was located right outside the greenhouse.

As the reception began, I truly could not have felt the love from everyone more. It was amazing getting look around and see everyone there celebrating you and your now husband – it was the most surreal feeling. Our band getting the party going all the way until our send off. As we exited as Mr. and Mrs. Hickman, I just couldn’t believe the wedding was over. It could not have been more perfect for us.

More Bridesmaid Advice

When Should I Order My Bridesmaid Dress?
The Getting Ready Wedding Playlist You Didn’t Know You Needed
This IT Photographer Dishes What She Wishes Bridesmaids Would Do