M.A.C. Love & Friendship (and my best friend's wedding!)

I have a natural aversion to large milestone events; I didn't even want to go to my own graduation last year. Dressing up and doing my hair and makeup is a daunting task for me, and when I have to make an effort not to be shy and asocial, I get emotional hangovers. But yesterday none of those things happened, because I got to watch my best friend marry the love of her life and the father of her child, and I was surrounded by people that might as well be my family.

The event was low-key and no-fuss, two of my favorite hyphenated words. I did the bride's makeup and hair at her house, and helped her get dressed. We went to the courthouse, they got hitched, and then we ate massive amounts of pasta at Maggiano's Little Italy. I only snapped a few pictures on my phone, the good pictures are on her husband's camera, but I like to think I captured her glowing bridey-ness:

Oh yeah, bride-glow factor is like 10+ here.

My godson made an adorable (and hilarious) ring bearer. The entire day was full of squeals and squeaking and asking if I was going to get married.

At Maggiano's. Where your fried cheese is served with melted cheese on top. 

We ate so much food, I'm still dealing with the carb coma. But when you're celebrating the marriage of a girl who may as well be your sister, what's a few hundred pounds of pasta and tiramisu and the subsequent tummy ache afterward?

So what did I wear on my nails? Only the most appropriate polish in my stash:

I'm sorry for the slightly worn look, this manicure is a few days old. Love & Friendship works on several different levels for us. First, the particular shade of dirty pinky-lavender is her favorite color. Second, the name. I mean come on, it doesn't get more perfect than that. Lastly, it's from the Rose Romance collection, a collection that is very dear to our hearts. It was our first favorite. 

Rose Romance was from 2009 I believe, so even if you can track Love & Friendship down, it probably won't be priced reasonably. Luckily, Orly Petit Four is a close, if not dead-on dupe. It is the same soft, dirty lavender with grey and pink undertones. I used three coats for the photos above.