The Wedding

...continued from last post.

I walked down the stairs with Tiff and Kate.  I immediatly saw my brother walking with the officiant.  This was the first time I started to cry.  He is such a great guy with the kindest heart.  He didn't have the money or time off but he made it work in order to walk me down the aisle.

We walked along the same path that our guests walked to get to the ceremony location.

Earlier in the week we found some driftwood on the beach.  I went to the hardware store to buy paint and I painted "ceremony" on it.  We placed it near the lemonade/champage stand on the way to the ceremony location.  Stacey, Becky, Sarah, and my cousins helped to put the lemonade/champagne stand together.  I loved how it turned out!

Now it was time to walk down the aisle.  The second time I cried.  I was overwhelmed by the moment and all I could do was stare at Matt during the entire walk.  I'm so glad my brother was there to escort me.

Matt's mom's cousin Jeanne read the poem "Love" by Roy Croft.  My aunt Laurie read the "Blessing of the Hands".  Having them read meant so much to us.  We had a unity sand ceremony, our vows, and a couple of prayers.  It was short and very very sweet.  We took all of our pictures after the ceremony because Matt & I did not want to see eachother until I walked down the aisle.  Our guests wandered the property a little before driving or boarding a bus to the reception.  We were able to get some pretty nice pictures at Rosario before we left for the reception.  I'll post a few of our favorites below.

The reception at Odd Fellows Hall was SO MUCH FUN!  It was pretty laid back with my uncle Kent making announcements, Brent running the music and slideshow, and everyone helping to clean-up at the end.  We always had a fresh drink thanks to Kent & my cousin Brian.  We had some time to kiss with the help of a few wine glass klinkers.  There were a couple of dancers but most of us sat around and talked.  Our group of 50 was the perfect size to be able to talk with everyone.  The cake was yummy and at the end of the night, everyone pitched in to help clean up the hall.  Again - I was amazed.  We have the great pleasure to know some pretty wonderful people.  The entire day was a fairy tale come true.

Orcas Island - The Wedding Festivities

...Continued from previous post.

Once we were settled into the rental home we took the first day to drive around and show Matt's parents the island.  We drove up Mount Constitution because the day was so clear and sunny.  We could see for miles and miles and had a pretty decent view of the surrounding mountains and islands.

The following day we took the ferry to San Juan Island.  We drove to the opposite side of the island to Roche Harbor.  We had never been there before.  It was there when I realized I had forgotten my veil (Sadie's veil) at home in Minnesota.  One call to my aunt Laurie fixed that!  She was able to pick it up from my house the morning she left for Washington.  Thank you, Laurie!!!

On San Juan, we visited the American & British camps.  Matt could tell you more about the Pig War than I could.  It was basically a border dispute with Britian over the San Juan Islands during the time of our Civil War.

The rest of the week on the island was a combination of meeting vendors, making payments, and greeting guests as they arrived.

Thursday we planned a whale watching adventure.  I had been whale watching three times prior and all three times we never saw a whale.  I didn't have very high expectations but I was hoping we would see something for the sake of our guests.  Luck was on our side and we had an amazing show put on by a large pod of orca whales.  It was definitly one of the highlights of our trip.  Sea snakes, whale tails, & breaching.

Friday morning we met at Odd Fellows Hall (the location of our reception).  I was blown away by the turnout of friends & family who came to help us setup.  Everything went much more smoothly than what I was anticipating.  It was a lot of fun!  We had tacos after we were done setting up.  Tiff dominated the Mundo burrito.  I think the burrito was bigger than Tiff - though that could be a slight exaggeration.

Friday afternoon was the rehersal.  We met our officiant and she put our minds at ease regarding the ceremony.  She was amazing!  She took charge and was exactly what our group needed.  We went through the ceremony twice and fine tuned some details.  The groom's dinner was immediatly after the rehersal.  We met everyone at the pinic shelter on Cascade Lake.  We had BBQ catered and just relaxed.  We met our photographer and he got some pictures of our group and of us.  After dinner I was "stolen" by my aunt and her posse of ladies.  I fought it at first.  I have a plan for everything and this was not in my plan.  After much hesitation and some push back, I gave in and rode off in my aunt's truck.  The guys also stole Matt and we ended up meeting at one of two bars in Eastsound.  The bride/groom napping turned out to be exactly what we needed at that time.  It was nice to have a few drinks and relax before the big day.  My big lesson of the day... it's OK to change plans on the fly - and trust your friends.

After we left the bar, Kate, Tiff, and I drove to Orcas Village (ferry landing) and stayed at the Orcas Hotel.  It was a late night / early morning.  We had to be in San Juan to get our hair done by 8:00am!  We were pretty tired on the ferry ride.

Once we were back on Orcas Island, we went straight to Rosario (ceremony location) and got some lunch.  The pizza was yummy but very saucy.  As Kate served Tiff a piece, the sauce splattered all over Tiff's sweatshirt.  It was pretty funny for us, not as funny for Tiff.  Lucky for us, she's a good sport.

After lunch we went to the bridal changing suite at Rosario mansion.  We kicked back with some champagne and relaxed.  I was so relaxed that I actually turned the photographer away when he tried to take pictures of me getting into my gown.  Kate & Tiff were such wonderful attendants.  They took care of everything and managed to keep me calm and collected at the same time.  I'm not sure how they did it.

After I got into my wedding dress, we watched guests arriving through the window of our room.  Tiff provided commentary on all of our guest's stylish outfits.  It was a wonderful fashion show.  Then the officiant arrived to take me down to the ceremony.  If I wasn't nervous before... I was now!

To be continued...





The Drive to Washington

Wow.

I've been holding back on blogging about the wedding because blogging means it's really is over.  I'm trying to hold on to this time in my life.  Parts of me wants to stay in this moment forever.  At this point, the entire month just feels like one big dream.  A beautiful dream.

We left Mayer, Minnesota on June 23rd at 6:30 a.m. to meet Matt's parents in St. Cloud.  We stopped in Miles City, MT on the first night to get some food and rest. 

Matt and Bob did not go thirsty for long.

The next morning we hit the road bright & early.  We stopped for lunch near Anaconda, MT.  Matt noticed a billboard for Old Works Golf Course designed by Jack Nicklaus.  We decided to take a break and golf.  What a great find!  Anaconda is an old mining town.  The course incorporates many elements from Anaconda's historic copper smelter on site including black slag in all of the courses bunkers, making for a stunning contrast to white bunker sand found on most other golf courses.  We were impressed.

 We ran into these kits/cubs/pups (what are they called?) on the 7th or 8th.  They were wrestling until Cindy hit her ball.  Then one of the kits ran onto the course, grabbed her ball, and ran off with it.  They tried to do the same with mine but luckily I had the drink cart lady there to scare it away.  Sneaky little devils!

After golf we got back on the road.  I cannot recall where we stopped to sleep that night.  To be honest, I think I went to bed before dinner.  Too much fresh air on the course.

The following day we drove through the Rockies and across Washington until we were in Anacortes.  We secured lodging at Anaco Inn and went on the hunt for food.  Anaco provided us with coupons for Randy's Pier and so off we went. 

After dinner we went back to our lodging, which was a cute little cottage.  I have no complaints but Matt might complain about the bathroom entrance.  The doorway is not taller than Matt and he smacked his head a few too many times.  I'm happy to report the brain damage was minimal (love you honey).

On Sunday (June 26th) we waited in line for our ferry.  The wait wasn't too bad and we were able to get on the next ferry to Orcas Island.  On the island we ate lunch and visited some gift shops right in Orcas Village.  Once it was time to check in, we drove to Eastsound and found the keys to our home away from home for the week.

To be continued...