Newly Weds

Today was Ryan's little brothers wedding day. To say that it came at a stressful time for us is an understatement so it was a very welcomed break from the everyday. My kids were very excited to spend the entire day with cousins so we had no need for an alarm clock to get us up bright and early. I got them all ready and looking perfect and then tried to keep them in a little bubble into the car. I don't even know why I tried because after the drive to Cardston the girls had serious hair rat nests from the back of their pretty curls rubbing against the seat for almost an hour but we picked them out and I quickly stole a picture before any damage could be done.
Babysitters came to watch the swarm of kids while the adults went to the Cardston, Alberta temple to see Derek and Meg sealed together for all time and eternity. They both said 'yes' and sealed the deal with a kiss so it's official.
After the sealing we rushed back to get our children so that we could be back in time to see them come out of the temple together as husband and wife.
Once they came outside it was a whirlwind of activity. Kids running all over, people pinning flowers on the wedding party, the poor photographer trying to boss everyone around when everyone isn't even there yet. Somehow it got done and those of us not in the wedding party were dismissed.

Next up was the family dinner and a program. To be honest I can't really say how it was because I was in a different part of the building and only made it out for the second half of the program which was the Beattie side of things. With that being said the Beattie side did an amazing job. The kids all performed a short musical number, Dereks sisters gave a really great dedication to Derek and welcomed Meg into the family and Ryan shared, no word of a lie, the best slide show I have ever seen.

The reception followed and people started to trickle in to congratulate the couple on their marriage. The decorations were amazing and I thought everything came together so nicely. They had the receiving line set up at the back of the gymnasium (that didn't look like a gymnasium) but the line up of people waiting to chat with the bride and groom was nicely out of the way of everything else. The feel was vintage which complemented the wedding colours and they did a nice job of spreading out the decorations without overwhelming the eyes. Everything was lit up with stringed lights which made it glow in the dim lights of the gym and there was this chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. It was very pinterest so if you ever doubt you can duplicate what you see there, it can be done.

For some reason earlier that day Madison seemed very focused on getting herself a piece of cake. Thankfully her determination wore off when she noticed the candy bar and little grab boxes waiting to be filled with sugar because she didn't make it long enough to see the cake getting cut. The candy bar had a half dozen different candies to choose from and you could scoop them up into your little box to take home with you. I'm sure that the intention was for every person to fill 1 box on their way out but I'm quite confident my kids went back to fill their boxes a third time before decided it was time for them to go elsewhere.
The cake miraculously made it to the end of the night without any kid sized finger holes in it and was cut and shoved into the bride and grooms mouth just like in the movies.

Here are just a couple more pictures of decorations:

I'd like to finish by saying CONGRATULATIONS to happy couple and if I have to share my name with anyone, I'm glad that it's you Meg Beattie.