Saturday 10/2 Wedding Day!

​This morning dawned beautifully with the sun glinting off the tiny icicles hanging onto all those white chairs! Note to self: make sure those all get wiped off before people sit in them!

We are staying in a large 3 bedroom vacation home with a nice full kitchen. So mom and I got some breakfast things ready to set out for anyone there. So it became a food hub for all the wedding party. I forgot to include the fact that there were places on the property for camping, and there were friends using their trailers, vans and trucks to stay in. I was glad they could all share in the breakfast in our cabin.

Last night’s mood was a little low, but now, with an exciting new day, I could feel the blues disappearing. We took food to Dan and Loti, so they could still stay isolated. Dan said he was feeling a bit better, and he looked like he had a spark of energy now.

There was a lot of rearranging of tables and chairs in the wedding and reception areas. The groomsmen, Dan’s group of friends, did a great job of handling the heavy lifting and electronics. The florist arrived with the special bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids, as well as boutonnières for the guys. And a beautiful arrangement to be placed on the arbor. I’m not sure that’s the right word, but it looked something like this--

The sound guy appeared and got set up for the ceremony and reception. The photographer brought her equipment and got an early start with pictures of preparations. The bartender showed up and got everything arranged. The caterers brought the food and staff to serve from a buffet line.

Loti and the bridesmaids were assigned to become even more beautiful than they already were! Hair and makeup were wonderful! The ladies all wore a dark red (?burgundy) gown of a style they chose. The guys were also getting all fixed up in their wedding attire: brown Carhart pants, white shirts with pearl snaps and a bolo tie with a beautiful brown stone set on the cording. And the littlest guys and girls were so special! The girls wore darling little white lacy dresses and their long blond hair was in beautiful ringlet curls. The little boys also wore brown Carharts with white shirts and bolo ties. Their ties had a Buffalo nickel mounted on the slide. And Leo had the honor of wearing brown Carhart overalls!

Loti chose a beautiful gown for her wedding, and was stunning in it, in my opinion!  It had lace details and a short train, a fitted bodice and a graceful neckline.  She had a pearl necklace and gorgeous earrings.  The earrings were beaded by a Native American artist that is a friend of hers. I had the privilege of steaming out a few wrinkles in her dress and buttoning all those little buttons on the back with a crochet hook!

​Guests started arriving and we had a few minutes to greet our family members. We feel so lucky and honored that so many made the trip. 11 came from Minnesota, 3 from Iowa, 2 from Arizona and 5 from California!

At 4:30 the ceremony was began. We all got in our places and just enjoyed these moments. Bob had to take Leo to the back for a short timeout when he was messing with the flower girl's petals, but they were back to their front row seats for the vows. 

Afterwards guests headed for the reception. A few of our family members had to leave before dinner because they had an early start tomorrow for their trip back home. But we still had a good representation for conversation and catching up. We had chips and assorted salsas for appetizers and drinks were served while everyone circulated inside and out. The “signature cocktail” was Smith River Sunset. It was mixed with rosemary infused vodka from Spotted Bear Distillery and blood orange SanPelligrino. The guests could mingle either inside the pavillion or outside, thank goodness it was a comfortable temperature and barely any wind.

The tables were quite spread out in the pavilion. Dan and Loti were seated at a table by themselves just outside the hall and a few other tables for wedding party people and their families. We had a taco bar for the meal with 3 delicious meats and sides of quinoa salad and seasoned black beans. It really turned out very well and satisfied the dietary needs of those avoiding meat, dairy and/or gluten. I loved the chance to customize my meal and everything was delicious! Many thanks to Fork In The Road catering.

Speeches and toasts were made, and I could tell that Dan was feeling much better! As was Loti!

Next up was dessert— pie and ice cream! The pies were specially made by a friend of Loti’s who is well known for her baking at her restaurant. They were scrumptious! I really wanted to eat 2 pieces, but I held off! The music started and we danced for awhile, until folks were moving towards leaving and I felt very wiped out! Dan and Loti didn’t stay up real late, wanting to get some rest to knock down that uninvited coronavirus. The party waned down, but not before a few late nighters baked pizza!

I think I must have fallen asleep that night with a smile on my face! Just thinking about my son and daughter-in-law feeling so happy together makes this mom happy, too.