Weekend Wedding

We arrived in sunny Lancaster, this past weekend, for the long awaited wedding of the first grandchild.  The mother of the groom met us in the lobby.

We toasted to the evening and lifetime ahead for the new couple.

The dashing groom with his very proud mama!

I somehow found myself being nominated to put the boutonnieres on the groomsmen and fathers and grandfather.  What in the world?  I can't spell the word let alone know how to pin one on!  Luckily, I didn't stick anyone, or myself!

The proud grandparents all snazzy and dressed to the 9's!

I have never seen my sister-in-law look more radiant than tonight!

We took a trolley over to the venue and gathered in an extremely sunny pavilion.

There is a historic, quaint bed and breakfast right down the road called the Gardens of Eden that we stayed at several years ago right on the Conestoga River.

LOOK!  My son is smiling with a normal smile, that is a rarity!  Hubby and his big brother from California.

The bride thought of everything.  There were cute bags waiting for us at the front desk with water bottles, snacks, and invitations; all of which had the couples names written across the packages.  I love the pictures and candles of my sister-in-laws.

This flower arrangement greeted us at the entrance, they yell 'PARTY!'

-The mothers-

This beautiful bride has the loveliest skin I have ever seen.  She is one of those girls that always looks ready to walk down the runway.  She waited 7 long years to stand up there with her groom!

Somehow Leu and I had the privilege of sitting with all the teenagers at the wedding dinner.

Group family pictures are SO RARE!  Here is a bunch of our boys.

Grammy dancing with her grandson.

We stayed at The Cork Factory hotel.  It was a real cork factory producing their wares in 1860.  This past March they turned it into a sheik hotel.  It has so much character and ambiance.  The guests spent the night and the next morning we had a yummy brunch.

-big brother and sister-

-brothers-

Most of the gang was here.

Then some more showed up.

Oh, saying good-bye is so hard!  It is so unusual for the whole group to be together (although a few were still missed...Zoe, Joy, Jared, John, Grant, John, Sandy).  They live from sea to shining sea.  We were all looking so forward to this weekend to end a tragic beginning of the year with a joyful celebration.

-Mom and siblings-

Drama majors, majoring in huge quantities of breakfast.

A romantic courtyard beckoning for couples to sit a spell ( and warm up a few degrees, burrr...).

The staircase went up and up.

Okay so this soap was the quirkiest thing I've seen.  The box says:  This innovative ergonomically shaped 'waste reducing' soap has been designed to eliminate the unused center of traditional soap bars.  It doesn't get more precious than that!

A bunch a family came back to our home to spend the night.  I think this is the first picture I have of my mom and Leu's mom together.  Don't ya love their coordinating purple tops?

Cousins roasted marshmallows after an afternoon bowling.

What a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

E.W.