Matt and Rachel Get Married....with some help.

It was our honor this past weekend to participate in/attend the wedding of my cousin, Matthew, and his lovely wife, Rachel. They were brave (or silly) enough ask Colin and Gillian to be ring bearer and flower girl, along with my cousin Becky's kiddos Sarah (age 2 1/2) and Benjamin (age 6). So, yes, that's three 2 year olds in one wedding. Apparently, Rachel doesn't exactly like to be the center of attention and was hoping the kids would do their thing and distract everyone with their antics. Michael and I, on the other hand, could only envision 1001 ways that two 2 year olds could immediately destroy a wedding.

Thankfully, Rachel was correct and the kids were funny, slightly unpredictable, totally adorable, and non-destructive. Phew. Sadly, since Michael was also best-man in the wedding and I was wrangling small children, we don't have a ton of photos. Grandpa Greg and Grandpa Frank did take some for us and we have a hilarious video of the kiddos coming down the "aisle".

Oh, some info on the wedding. It was held on the Gilffilan Farm, which was, at one point, Rachel's family's farm. It is a lovely, lovely spot. And, Rachel did an amazing job with flowers and music and food and a million details that made it a very beautiful, special day for all!

Some pre-wedding pictures! Colin looking very "British School Boy" here:


Gillian waiting patiently, or not, for the festivities to start!


And the big event!

My Grandma and Grandpa waiting for the ceremony to start. My Grandpa was BEYOND happy. He loves Rachel so much!

Ok, they are almost too cute for words in that picture.

Gillian did really well, actually. Grandpa Frank reminded her to sprinkle some petals, so there is a long pause in the middle of the aisle. Colin first stopped to smell some roses along the aisle, then he spotted an empty chair and said, "Chair! Sit down! Self!" And, then he sat down in the chair. I never did get him convinced to continue on down the aisle. He did eventually make it down front, found Daddy, and very loudly told Daddy, "WALK! GO WALK!" He spent the rest of the ceremony on the side, under a tree, playing in leaves. I will say, Sarah and Benjamin did a great job! Sarah made it the whole way down the aisle sprinkling her petals, and Ben stood up with the men very well the whole time (that may be the difference between 2 and 6!).


Ok, the video is sideways. Just turn your head....


Oh, and then G headed BACK UP the aisle. To go visiting.


Can you tell how gorgeous the day was? I mean, late October in Western PA can mean snow. Or miserable cold rain. But Saturday? It was GORGEOUS. Clear, dry, chilly morning, and beautiful afternoon with blue skies and absolutely perfect fall foliage! Great day for an outdoor wedding!

So, all the hard work done, we went to PARTY. Colin must have really worked up an appetite because he sat at our table and ate for about 30 mintues straight. The hors d'oeuvre menu was right up his alley: toast, cheese, and fruit salad. The kid was in heaven. Plus, Uncle D was waiting on his every need.


Then he saw Daddy with some timothy hay in his mouth, and he had to try it out!


Gillian ate about two bites of something, then she was off. She found Rachel's Kid Craft Table and was set for pretty much the rest of the day.


The whole "barn yard" outside the dining tent was filled with games, like ring toss and bocce and such. The kids had a great time running about with ALL their aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas. Mommy enjoyed sitting still at a table with a latte (oh, yeah, baristas at a wedding is an AWESOME idea).

I wish we had more pictures, and we definitely neglected to get one of the four of us. But all in all, it was a beautiful day for a wonderful, wonderful couple. We are so happy to be a part of it!