WEDDING #2....

Well, I took a week off from wedding hoopla...

but that week is over..

So now it's onto the next extravaganza...the Trumpy/Tallian wedding...

Tuesday, I headed into Chicago, with my navigational English girl telling me where to go from my dash.  Honestly, 2nd only to the seat heaters (LOVE THEM) I love my English accented navigational girl.  She gets me where I need to be, and sometimes ie: Tuesday, in a route I didn't know existed.  And, might I add, in an hour.  No traffic!!!

I was to meet Scarlett and 2 of her 6 bridesmaids in Chicago in a rather cheeky neighborhood to look at bridesmaids' dresses.  After arriving in timely fashion I searched out a parking garage.  Only to be told I was too tall.

Well not me...

seriously???

My car. We have this problem in garages all over Chicago.  I wonder if parking garages are taller in England?

So I began looking for street parking. No easy task.. after 15 minutes, I found a place.  But it was on a one way street and OF COURSE it was on the left side.

Ugh.

So I did what any H-BR graduate would do... I channeled Mr. DeWerff and parked. Quite nicely, might I add. He'd of been proud, I am certain.

I walked several blocks to where I thought the place was and hung out waiting for the girls.  They arrived soon thereafter and we embarked upon this journey... the picking of the dresses.

http://www.uglydress.com/couture.html

NO, NOT THIS ONE

Scarlett had done her homework, she'd already nailed a couple she liked, and the girls began trying them on.  The FIRST ONE WAS THE WINNER!!! Not in the god awful gold color the sample was in, thank you, a delightful dark blue- navy-ish, if you will.

I'd love to show you, but, it will all be revealed in January... sit tight.

So they all agreed this was the winner, and that was that. Over and done in an hour and a half. Whew- could everything be this easy? I think not....

Anyway,  we headed to a lovely Gold Coast outdoor restaurant and celebrated with a bottle of Prosecco and fun conversation.

Fun time to be included in this day with these delightful young women.  Well done on the friends Scarlett... well done.

Then they headed off to their Chicago lives, and I, well, I began the TWO AND ONE HALF HOUR DRIVE HOME FROM CHICAGO... 

gotta love rush hour.

...AND NOW WE CELEBRATE!!

Not sure if those of you who know me noticed my mom was missing from the photos from the wedding.

She was.

She was sick.

And missed it.

Boo.

She was sick with dehydration and ended up in the ER; so actually, my sister also missed the actual ceremony.  Double boo. Crummy.

We did take the pictures to show her the next day, and my brother in law videoed it for her to see, not the same, but the best we could do.

....anyway...

after I changed from my capris back into my wedding dress and HIGH HEELS that I wore for 10 1/2 hours (!!!) the party began.  If you've ever been to a Trumpy party, you know we like to do it right. This was no exception, I'd worked like a crazy woman trying to tend to all details, and cover all my bases.  I'm still tired.

I asked my sister the paper artist, to make a cute banner for me.  How fun is this?  She's good!

Had a great caterer, who oddly enough was both the bride and groom's English teacher! She retired from that to become a caterer...  AND.. it gets more coincidental... her husband, who is a pilot, flew them home from their honeymoon in Mexico today.

I'm so off topic tonight.... back to the party.....

People began arriving, and the celebrating began.  I worried that the number of people might be too many for my house and yard to handle.  It was fine, I totally underestimated how big the place is, I guess.   Perfect amount on the food and drink, ran out of rocks glasses and had to drag out some kitchen ones (I hate plastic), and I only had one wine glass casualty!  So without further ado, here's a peek at some of the fun that I'm sure kept neighbors awake and driven crazy.  Sorry to you all!!

there were mustaches... 

and a toast from the brides mother...

There was cake cutting....

and dancing...

and Frida, of course, got some action....

men with hand bags... 

little dogs that needed to join the fun! 

giggling....

and a whole lot of garbage the next day... (this is only half) 

And, last, but not least... take a gander at my beautiful roses from my anniversary.  

I DO.... OR IS IS DO I?!?!

After all the morning preparations, we loaded up and headed out to the darling 'Chapel in the Pines'.  What a gorgeous place for a wedding.  The owner built it for his wife for their 30th wedding anniversary.

Cool huh?

I'd rather have diamonds, Mark, if you are reading this.  Since today IS my anniversary, I thought I'd slide that in.  Actually, it is a rainy day here in the Chicagoland area, and it was 32 years ago when we got married.  I was less that excited to wake to a stormy day, but in the end, it didn't matter, we were still married, and a 2:30 wedding during a dark storm made the church quite candle lit.

Anyway, back to the wedding at hand....

Jessica and Blain had decided that IF the weather cooperated their ceremony would be outside at the darling little gazebo

... cost Mark a fortune, but Mother Nature can be bought!! HaHa.  It was a delightfully perfect day for an outside event.  We milled around, greeting guests chatting, until they rang the church bell.

 
That was the signal to sit down, which everyone but the parents did.  Programs, made the the talented duo of Scarlett and Dan were handed out by my niece Chloe.  

We walked in with vessels of sand for the sand ceremony portion of the wedding.  After Mark deposited me in my seat he sprinted back to the Chapel where the bridal party was sequestered.

And, so it began....

Blain's aunt married them, and she did an awesome job.  Very cool lady, I enjoyed talking with her. After pronouncing them husband and wife, we all filed out to congratulate the couple and begin the photo session.

Jessica's shoes said I Do in sparkles on the soles, they were seated on a darling wicker bench, with her feet in his lap. It was at that time, AFTER taking a couple pictures we noticed that the way her feet were it said Do I?  She quickly changed them... silly girl.

After every photo one can think of was taken, they got into their darlinc convertible complete with 'JUST MARRIED' sign (courtesy of Scarlett) and roared off...

....to the Pub in Hinckley.  Isn't that where everyone goes with their bridal party to toast their new marriage?  Got to say, there are some great pictures from there, ala the photographer (which I'll show as soon as I can)... What a great advertisement for the place... beautiful girls and handsome guys!!

Mark and I came home.  I took my dress off and sat down for a 20 minute power nap before getting up to assemble the candy table and activate the fairy berries.  Sporting some capri's and a tee shirt,  I certainly wasn't ready for the bridal party COMPLETE with the photographer to show up... and to take pictures of me....REALLY???

And the brides mother wore...denim?

I gotta lay down.