hitched (steve & jess)

It ended up being a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding.

Not so, yesterday. Yesterday, when we were supposed to have the (outdoor) rehearsal and (outdoor) rehearsal dinner it was 50something degrees and drizzly/misty all day. AKA cold and wet. Awful. We kept hearing it "might clear up," but it never did and eventually we had to make last-minute changes in order to have the rehearsal dinner indoors. Everything was fine, of course-- I guess we all just got reminded that despite our greatest plans, we aren't really in control! Despite the weather and changes, it was a wonderful night...just not weather-wise.

Today started out looking like yesterday. Cloudy, drizzly, and chilly. Come on, weather, I repeated all morning. I know you can do better than this. Matt and I actually had a pretty chill, normal morning-- a few yard sales, working in the yard. I kept a constant eye on weather.com and the sky and reminded God that we could really use some help with the weather here. Sure enough, around 2:00 the sun started peeking through. The temperatures climbed up nicely, and by the time we started getting dressed I was once again feeling confident in my choice of sundress. 

The wedding was fabulous. The venue was beautiful. It was warm and sunny, but not overly hot or humid. Jessica was drop-dead, slap-your-mama gorgeous. Stephen cleaned up okay. :) Let's skip this monologue and move on to the pictures, eh?

Here's Matt and I with the flower girl who also happened to be our houseguest for the weekend! She's a master flower girl and also one of the funniest and smartest kids I've ever met. She's six, right? And as we were driving around last night, me next to her in the back seat, here's what she says. "Erika, we're related!" "We are?" "Well....yes, I think. See...[lots of pauses here as she thinks it all through]...your...broth--no, husband...yeah, your husband is my uncle's brother. My uncle Jo-Jo was married to my mommy's sister. And....my mommy...had me! So...we are related!!!!!" Well, when you put it like that, Kirsten, I guess we are! Too bad there's no easy term to describe our relatedness, though.  So we'll just take a picture here where you look like you could be our daughter and call it a day.

Here I am with my sister-in-law, Amy, and my mother-in-law. Can you even tell Amy is 25 weeks pregnant?

And the requisite picture of myself with my own groom.

And here's the Reason You Came to the Wedding: the bride. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe her.

  
And here was my job: handing out programs. Needless to say, I'm pretty awesome at that job.

No need to narrate these pics...

The ceremony was fairly short and completely wonderful. I only cried the whole a few times-- success! We also counted it a big success that a train didn't come by the whole time. There are train tracks running RIGHT next to the Thompson House...during pictures, etc, before the wedding, trains were coming by (LOUDLY) every 20 or 30 minutes. 

Amy and Tom (my SIL and BIL) departing from the ceremony. I have loved getting to spend time with them this weekend! (PS- If you are from Vermont and you are awesome, let me know and you can be friends with Tom and Amy.)

 Here I am with my two sisters-in-law! (Or is it sister-in-laws? Tricky s.)

And Matt with his dad and Tom.

And I stuck around to help haul Jess's dress around while they had a little lovey-dovey photo shoot. And then I stood behind the photographer and mooched off her shots. Hahaha.
 

Then there was the reception, and I didn't get many pics there (let's face it, all the curl had fallen out of my hair by then, so what would be the point??), except of the cake table. Not only was the cake delicious...have you ever SEEN such a beautiful and decorative and unusual and fashionable cake table set-up?? I mean, it was like a little forest with all the plant and birdcage and bird decorations!! It was amazing!!

And then it was over. And they zoomed off into the night and I took off my (cute but painful) shoes and called it a night, too.

It was such a good day. And tomorrow is Easter!! I admit I have had absolutely no time to think about Easter or prepare for it...there will be no Easter Bunny visiting our house tonight...but we will go to church in the morning and then spend the afternoon with the family. And hopefully, God help us, go to the gym. It has been far too long since I've darkened their doors with my ever-expanding shadow.

Oh, but there has been an Easter Miracle already!! And you have seen it! All these pictures?? Taken with my OWN CAMERA! Yup. One of them just decided to up and work today. Who knows how or why these things happen...I will just be thankful for it and not at all surprised if it once again won't work tomorrow. At least it worked today. Amen? Amen.