Over the past six years, Theo and I have attended A LOT of weddings.
At first, it was just family. A cousin here. A brother there (for Theo…before I was really in the picture).
Then, wham. bam. boom. All our friends starting getting married, too. Since meeting Theo and attending Cedarville, I’ve attended at least four weddings a summer. The summer that we got married, we were invited to nine wedding (not including our own), but weren’t able to attend all of them (one of them on the same day as ours, two during our honeymoon, some very far away).
We also started to be in more and more weddings. We were (obviously) in our own, then both of us in my brother’s wedding, then me in my friend Joy’s wedding, then Theo in his brother Isaiah’s wedding…
…which was this past weekend!
Theo worked a 24 hour shift on Thursday, which meant that we couldn’t leave until Friday morning when he got home. He got home, went out and mowed a lawn, fed, caught and caged the chickens, we loaded the car, set up everything for someone to keep the animals alive, and were on the road by 10:30 am. It was the most horrible conditions for road-tripping, with construction and rain and traffic and hitting the highway to northern Michigan just as everybody and their Grandma’s (with RV’s, boats and trailers) also hit it. We made it with about 30 minutes to spare for the rehearsal, so we greeted everyone, threw on some different clothes and headed out to the property for the rehearsal.
It had rained the whole day, so it dripped on us during the rehearsal, but the rain had actually stopped.
Of course, as the term ‘rehearsal’ goes, it was a lot of “what about ____?” and “sooo, who will _____?”, but the rehearsal was quick and easy and extremely painless, compared to some rehearsal’s I’ve been to!
They chose to have the wedding out in the woods on the Hines’ property. It was absolutely beautiful, so simple…and so perfect for them!
Friday night was rounded off with the rehearsal dinner, and a girls/guys night.
Saturday morning dawned bright with the 18 billion details that need to fall into place before the actual wedding can take place. Signs up. Balloons blown up. Hair done. Mosquito fog sprayed. Toilet paper out by the porta-pots. Phone calls galore. Cutting fruit and browning taco meat and cutting rice krispie treats.
And suddenly it’s time to meet for pictures…so the guys decided it might be a good idea to get ready!
Apparently, none of the guys except Theo knew how to tie a tie. He was giving step-by-step instructions. I don’t know where he learned to tie a tie, either…but after several instructions and attempts…the ties were tied!
Next up…time to meet for pictures!
The weather was absolutely perfect and the wooded setting was also gorgeous! I loved all the simple details that Sarah had going on. And of course…I do love me some blue!
As with every wedding party, there has to be someone who keeps everyone entertained. If you look closely at the next several pictures, you might find who that was…
After the picture-taking, we were ready for the ceremony to start! It was a beautiful, simple ceremony. It really reminded me of our ceremony, except of course two different people were getting married…
I thought the best man was pretty handsome…
And the bride and groom were looking pretty good, too!
Can you all believe I made it this far through a blog post without a baby bump photo? Baby girl was kicking like crazy the whole ceremony. Probably because it was the first time I really sat down all day, but maybe she really wanted to see Uncle Isaiah and Aunt Sarah getting married?
And then onto the reception! Just a short walk through the woods, a tent was set up for the reception.
Brownies, cupcakes, fruits, rice krispie treats….oh, wait…that was just the dessert. There were also sandwhiches, a nacho bar and pigs in a blanket. Delish!
They had disposable camera’s on each table. My nephew (8 years old) picked one up, figured out how to work it, took a bunch of pictures and then turned to me and “Grandma”, and asked: “How do I look at the pictures I just took?” We both laughed and explained that it had to go to a store where they develop the pictures. He looked slightly confused, then said, “Oh! So it has an SD card inside and they take it out?” Sorta. Sorta, my dear boy!
Love these boys! They were so patient with all the chaos of the wedding and their Daddy being a groomsmen.
Theo was nervous about his best man speech MONTHS ago. He got up and started giving his speech, and I was so intrigued that I forgot to take a picture (now, I NEVER forget to a picture…so it was GOOD!). I remembered and snapped this one just as he was finishing up…
One of the brothers was supposed to arrive several hours before the wedding, but due to ridiculous flight delays, he wasn’t able to make it until the reception. Another brother waited almost all day to pick him up from the airport, so we were all relieved to see those two brothers! And snap a family photo. This is Theo’s immediate family..missing a brother, three sisters and five nephews/nieces!
The dance floor got hopping, and we all had a blast! Seth even joined in on the fun! He grabbed me during ‘Single Ladies’ and didn’t let go until the song ended. Somebody might need to tell him that I’m already taken š
We all matched…
The glowsticks came out
And the guys had to perform “Be a Man”
….And then we sent the bride and groom off to Aruba!
Then, we cleaned up. Everything.
The next day I could hardly move. I literally spent all day on my feet, had all the emotional excitement of getting a new sister, and then danced the night away on the dance floor. My hips were so out of whack, I could hardly move! Thankfully, they readjusted themselves, and I’m fine now š
Well, I think this has been a long enough post for now! It was an absolutely beautiful weekend, and I’m so excited to welcome the newest Mrs. Hines to the clan! Wooohooo!!
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