IT'S TODAY: WEDDING DAY!!!
This day was probably the most challenging
logistically. Josh was having brunch
with the other groomsmen and Larry at 9:30am.
My mom needed to be at the Calhoun Beach Club (the reception site) at
some point in the morning to start getting ready with all of the other
girls. Dad, Jackson, Graham and I wanted
to have lunch together. We all needed to
get dressed for the wedding and to the temple.
And, Pax had to be let out at some point so he didn’t get left too long
in the hotel room. Phew! Josh drove himself to Larry’s, and they went
together to brunch. He then went back to
Larry’s with him, picked up his tux, and drove himself to the Beach Club to get
ready. We didn’t see him until 3:15 at
the temple for pictures. Jackson,
Graham, and I walked over to a playground in the morning (since we didn’t have
a car), and then Dad picked us up for lunch after he dropped Mom at the Beach
Club. We ended up walking over to Culver’s
around the corner for lunch and then we let Pax out right before we left. That bought us enough time to stay at the
reception until about 10. The boys and I
went to Mom and Dad’s room to nap and get ready. That all went pretty well except Jackson chose
THIS day to NOT NAP! UGH! We got to the temple just around 3:15 for
family pictures. It was an absolutely
gorgeous day, weather-wise, so I think we got some really nice shots
outside!
Michelle getting ready
Candid
They looked STUNNING!
Bouquets ready to go
All dressed up with somewhere special to go :) :) :)
After pictures, but before the
ceremony, the families and bridal party gathered in a smaller room for the
Ketubah signing. This is the actual
Jewish marriage contract. Larry and
Michelle chose a beautiful design for their Ketubah—I know it will look so
pretty hanging in their apartment!
Graham
was awesome! I had fed him right before
we left for the temple, and he pretty much slept throughout the whole
ceremony. I gave him a touch of a bottle
at one point when he fussed, but other than that no one knew there was a baby
there.
Jackson did a wonderful job! He started out a normal pace, and then he
hurried down the aisle. He looked SO
super cute in his little toddler-sized tux J He sat pretty well with me for the rest of
the ceremony thanks to some quiet snacks ;) The ceremony was just beautiful! Michelle’s dress was gorgeous, and the
wedding party looked so nice. The rabbi
did a very nice job of giving the whole thing a personal touch, but not making
it corny. And, Larry smashed the glass
perfectly at the end of the ceremony J After the ceremony, Jackson chose to ride the
chartered bus to the Beach Club, so Graham, Dad and I rode together.
The room at the Calhoun Beach Club was
magnificent! There was a large room for
dinner and it opened out onto a large terrace.
The cocktail hour was outside, and it was still so beautiful out,
weather-wise.
Our family with my cousins, Greg and Stacey
Enjoying the cocktail hour...and the weather!!!
Mimi helping Jackson drink his Transformer Tonic (Shirley Temple)
What an adorable addition to the wedding :)
Clearly enjoying cocktail hour ;)
Daddy and Grahammers
There was a display
immediately when you walked up to the reception room with Jenga blocks set out
with markers. Guests were asked to write
an example of what the building blocks of marriage are.
The name cards looked beautiful with flower petals surrounding them.
Each table name was a restaurant that held
significance to Michelle and Larry. We
sat with my cousins, Greg and Stacey from California, Auntie Dale and Uncle Ed,
and Katie’s mom and dad. Our table was
Herm’s J They had
a Lou’s table also, along with some other special spots from Evanston, one from their time in Houston when they ran a
half-marathon, one from the Grand Tetons, several from Minneapolis, and a few
others. It was really fun to read the
descriptions on them all.
The
centerpieces were beautiful purple flower-themed creations. Some tables had a simple, short
arrangement.
Others had a series of
skinny, tall vases filled with water and floating flowers. Candles completed the classy effect.
The band was wonderful, and a DJ took over after the band’s time was over. The cake was simple and so pretty!
The topper made it SO personal!
Dinner
was SO yummy: there was a chicken or salmon option. We ordered one of each and shared. For dessert, there was a fabulous selection
of mini-desserts: mini-trifles, mini-pies, cake slices mini-cinnamon donuts,
mini-salted caramel cookie things, and fruit. Beverages of choice:
My date for most of the evening
The atmosphere of the reception
was perfect, I think. Everyone seemed to
be in a celebratory mood, the weather could not have been more perfect, and
Michelle and Larry looked so happy. I got
chills when they were introduced and again watching the guys hoist them on the
chairs for the Hora. Watching their
friends surround them to dance definitely made me teary, and again just
thinking about it.
First dance--dance lessons put to very good use!
Larry's awesome speech to his freshly minted bride. Michelle gave a really sweet speech at the rehearsal dinner.
Mother-Son dance
The Hora was one of
the first songs the band played that got SUPER loud. They were really good, but the noise was a
bit much. Jackson really didn’t want to
be in the main room, and just covered his ears L Unfortunately, due to Jackson’s lack of nap, he wore down earlier than we had hoped :( He lasted through the first dance, the parent dances, the toasts, and the Hora.
Josh and
I quickly concocted a plan for us all to go back to Mom and Dad’s. I laid Jackson down and fed Graham while Josh
ran over to OUR hotel to let out Pax.
Once he got back, Graham and I headed back to the reception. That all took a little longer than expected,
so most people were gone once I got back.
It was still nice to chat with a few people that were left, watch Larry
and Michelle’s friends on the dance floor, and eat some dessert! Once we got back to Mom and Dad’s, we did
some switcheroo-ing so that everyone’s belongings were in the appropriate car. That way we could just head out when we were
ready in the morning instead of worrying about it then.
Graham in his wedding attire :) He was quite happy after a full feeding and before a diaper change!
