The Wedding

It was a blast.
And in the good way– as in da bomb, not ka-boom.

My daughter and her husband (insert smiley emoticon here) know how to throw a party!

You know I had very little to do with the planning.
In a way, I think that made it all the better! Hopefully they got the wedding THEY wanted. And they were forced to make the decisions and be responsible for the outcome.
Yes, that’s why I acted the way I did…

It wasn’t my wedding, it wasn’t about me, what makes me think I get any credit?!

The Bride was, of course, gorgeous in her tea length strapless soft white dress.

The Groom was, of course, handsome in his brown suit with cream tie and vest.

The love these two share is visible—they really enjoy each other’s company!
They’re just so darned cute.

(accepting premarital praise following the rehearsal ceremony)

Everything for the wedding was perfect.

The wedding party was a delight. Lovely “old” friends Erica, Ami and Jill were joined by newly sister-in-lawed Christina. The ladies were paired with equally “old” friends Brent and Brent, brother Jake and brother-in-law Zach. (Like that? Brent and Brent and Zach and Zach… if there’s a Good Brent and Bad Brent–and there was!– does that mean there’s a good Zach and a Bad Zach? Hmmm…)

The venue, Two Brothers Roundhouse , was gorgeous. (Thank you Tara!) The service, set-up, food, bartenders—all solidly dedicated workers. It’s almost like they knew this evening had the potential to be stressful and they said, we got yer back.

The flowers were gorgeous and theme-centric, a variety of map-colored hydrangeas (blue and green), pink roses, ferns and map flowers. (Thank you Unique Floral, Amy Tellner!)

The service was lovely. (Thank you Pastor Eric Blachford!) He did a fabulous job of weaving scripture and personal histories. You can’t help but adore a guy who uses words like Mosbyism (as in Zach was a quick draw with the “I love you,” just like Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother).

I am curious to see the pictures—most were taken outside and it was a little breezy (read that, a LOT breezy)—but I trust the photographer and his assistant will make the best of what they shot. (Thank you Paul Swanson Photography, Paul Swanson)

The photo booth, now that was a hit!  The bride kept photo-bombing her guests!
I predict these will soon become standard fair at every event. Family Reunions, Class Reunions, Company picnics, Tuesdays in your kitchen…

The DJ played a terrific variety of great music—songs for every generation and many with a booty-moving groove. (Thank you The Perfect Fit DJ, Steven Weniger)

The guests were timely and appreciative and seemed happy to be there. It was nice to see so many faces you don’t see often enough, catch up with those special-occasion friends and family, and meet new people. I was especially impressed (probably to a fault) by the attendance of the Kiwis. (“Yeah, yeah, thanks for coming, but have you met the Kiwis?!) Nicole spent a semester abroad in New Zealand in 2004 and two of the friends she made then, and has continued to keep, were able to be at her wedding.

I want to say I was surprised at how many people didn’t show up—but not really.
I mean, c’mon, nobody wants to go to a wedding, right? But the lengths that people went to to not come… Emergency rooms! Shingles! Dang. (Best wishes for full recoveries!)

And what’s with all the black? I was amazed at how many people wore solid black—men and women. I get the versatility of “the little black dress,” but it’s still a wedding! Would a pop of color kill you?! (Of course I can say this because I didn’t wear a black accented dress—one that I bought for the occasion– so I’d better match the brown-suited groomsmen.) Not only is it not a wake, but gees, it’s the middle of summer!

Which brings us to the “elephant in the room,” the sweaty, glowing, damp, wrinkle-sagging, curl-dropping elephant in the room—the weather.
Of course it was hot. It’s July!
And yes, it would have been nice to enjoy the veranda during the reception, but still, the ceremony clocked in at a quick (IMHO) twenty minutes and the open bar helped to hydrate the sparkly guests.

I’m sure I’m missing lots of stuff, but it’s not like I don’t have time to tell.
I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I thought…
too busy having a good time, who’da thunk?!

Bottom line is, once I got passed the speech, I really enjoyed it.
(Thank you Nicole and Zach! #mrandmrsfrazer071913)

I’m almost a convert.

Famous wedding quotes:
“I’m the Mother of the Bride and I would like it tall.”
To which the bartender responded, “Hey, you’re the Mother of the Bride, you bring me a glass, jug, keg, and I’ll fill it.”

“Don’t  f— with me, I’m the Mother of the Bride.” I actually think I said it several times.

“As I pondered this speech, it occurred to me that I had won the Anxiety Trifecta… Wedding! Public speaking! Crying in front of people! Yay me!”
The party began after my one minute and twenty-eight seconds of public speaking.

“The hardest part of becoming your own family is successfully blending the two families you come from.” From my speech. Couldn’t be more relevant for me.

“People—women– kept asking me if I had my dress yet. Many months in advance of the wedding. And I kept thinking, what’s so hard about buying a dress? What? Is there a shortage? Are they only available ‘in season’?” Oooh, if you miss that two week window in March you’ll never be able to find one. Because they… get stale? Rot? Are on the endangered species list?”
Retelling my ‘two stores, four try-ons, two dresses purchased’ story. By the big day, I was up to four new dresses hanging in my closet (I can honestly say, the most ever).
It’s not hard, people.

Have I mentioned that I have the coolest daughter ever?

MoB rockin’ the Cheap Trick tee. Oh yeah, coolest daughter evah.