my brother got married

It happened. My brother got married.

I'm not sure it's sunk in yet...

The wedding weekend started on Thursday, with the rehearsal and dinner. Unfortunately, while doing dinner preparations at the church, I totally randomly and abruptly got a cold. Just FYI, when I have a cold, I am immediately three times as likely to fall apart. I was already getting weepy at the rehearsal. Sheesh.

I got to drive home from church with Benjamin... our last drive home from church. :) The one good thing about being sick was that I could stay home on Friday and sew. 

I got up early so I could go out to coffee with Benjamin (but I actually had chai in an effort not to destroy my health even more). That was awesome. Even though he should have slept in....

Anyways, so I was sick and had the whole day ahead of me to finish my dress, with plenty of time so that I'd have a nice relaxing evening.

And then I went to get my dress, and it wasn't there. Turns out I left it in Benjamin's car, and he was at work. So I had all day at home with nothing to do, until my mom brought it home that evening.

sleepy flower girl.

So I stood on some tables while the fabulous Mrs. P helped me mark my hem. By the way--standing on the kitchen counter in three-inch heels with your shoulders scraping the ceiling--fun times.

We watched Night at the Museum 2 and laughed super hard at really stupid things, as planned. And then I stayed up until 5 am working on my dress.

As Benjamin put it: "oh my word! you're going to be a disaster today!"

Yep... pretty much.

I decided I might have to bail on my toast, since I already was in danger of falling apart, and having gotten an hour and a half of sleep plus being sick was not going to be helpful. So I sat down amidst hair curling and makeup applying, and tried to write out something I could give them instead.

And then I totally lost it. One of the photographers came in to urge us to readiness, and I was literally sitting on a the couch in the nursery, sobbing, with still-damp hair, a stripy shirt, and zero makeup. Not one of my finer moments.

Rebekah looked amazing. Of course. : )

Thanks to Beka and Johanna's emotional support, and makeup and hair ministrations from Beka and Jessica, I pulled myself together and was ready on time (well, not really... but as on-time as everyone else.)

post-ceremony wedding party milling-around

The ceremony was everything perfect. Benjamin was so smug the whole way through, and I was alternating between beaming and clenching my jaw to keep from falling apart. 

Their first kiss was amazing--they waited a long, long time, and it was aggressive and triumphant and beautiful and beam-worthy.

after the ceremony, we waited for family/bridal party photos.

Benjamin is my fourth sibling (and my last brother) to get married, and I've gotten to be a bridesmaid in all four weddings. God definitely gives special grace/numbness during the actual ceremony--it all kind of feels so surreal, that it's easier not to turn into a total emotional wreck.

I just took pictures in between things, and appreciated all the moments, instead of being tied to my camera. Peter and Miwaza (photographer heroes of mine) were continuously taking amazing photos, which may show up on here at some point.

my sister and her family

my brother and his family.

The reception was simply amazing. Chipotle catered, and Chipotle is pretty much my favorite restaurant ever (crazy-awesome burritos, unparalleled guacamole, and completely addictive corn chips). So basically, it was the best reception food of all time. 

I was fine until the toasts started, at which point I got panicky and tried to finish my notes, and then obtained the microphone at some point and shook uncontrollably, misread my notes, and botched it all nicely. ;) BUT. I did not weep steadily into the microphone, and that's really all that matters.

That's my brother. And he's kissing a girl. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Their first dance was perfect. And he dipped her at the end. I was far too busy screaming and clapping at that point to get a picture.

father/daughter dance, and mother/son dance + niece Ruby. ;)

Beka and I, both increasingly brotherless, stuck by each other and she was very helpfully available for spontaneous hugs.

There's a picture missing here. It is a self-portrait of Hadley and I, in which I look exactly like Rango. No, really. Hadley didn't believe me, and then I unwillingly sent her the picture and she totally agreed.
Yeah. That's what friends are for.

"single ladies"

There was lots of enthusiastic dancing. ;)

Johanna and I. And... Beka. ;) picture by Bethany.

It was a momentous, emotional, day, and everything that it should have been. I screamed more than I ever have in one day--I screamed when they kissed, when they walked down the aisle, when they walked into the reception hall, when they danced, when we all danced, when we all jumped up and down to this epic song, when they walked to their car, when they drove away. Yeah. My voice was completely gone the next day.

I helped decorate the car, amidst ridiculously vicious ice-cold wind, and then when they came through the line of cheering people and I hugged Benjamin and smashed his boutonniere, and hugged Rebekah, and screamed, and waved, and then they drove away.

heh. yeah. I think my sister-in-law Katelyn took this.

I had been trying to prepare myself for that moment for about five years. Surprise, surprise... I wasn't prepared. Solution? Refrain from actually thinking, dance wildly, and once pretty much everyone is gone... yell Taylor Swift songs into a microphone and rock out like there is no tomorrow. Very therapeutic.


I can't believe it's over.