wedding weekend: wedding!

Now, we get to the good stuff.

The wedding was at 5 PM, which turned out to be a perfect time because there was rain earlier in the day, and it wasn't too terribly hot.  Jess was, of course, beautiful.  She was remarkably relaxed and at ease during the day.  I remember feeling a bit of stress on my wedding day. This way is much better.

 David and Tim, the minister

 David's parents, Jenny & Alan

 David's niece, Jessica (seriously, how cute is she?)

David's sister, Tracey

Mr

Lots of pictures of Jess and her father, Craig.  Before they walked down the isle they were both teary and needed to take some time to collect themselves.  So sweet!

Mr & Mrs Webb!!

The whole family!  Jess & David with (to the left) Brooke & David and Brady, Emma, Cami, and (to the right) Craig and Margot (I love that Jess & Margot are holding hands!) and Alyson and Albert

Dear friends, from Essex, were there. .

 Davd (oh yes, another one!) & Linda Carlson, My dad, Paul & Karen Rogati, Dexter, Dick Cairns

Nancy Cicero & Beth and Dick Cairns

I'm wishing I got more photos of the guests, but I think at this point, I needed to put the camera down.  Plus, there was all that flat bread to be eating.

Jess' roommate from Taylor, Alison, and her husband, Chris and 11-month old son, Walker came, too.  Kyalo enjoyed playing (picking up rocks next to...) Walker, and I enjoyed talking to another new(ish) mom.  Plus, her husband is in a medical residency in Baltimore, so she gets the school thing, too.  Too bad they're in Baltimore and not Newark . . .

new friends

impromptu first dance

Saturday was the one year wedding anniversary for her sister Alyson, so there was a surprise cake for them, and a bit of dancing.  

And just like that (more or less) the wedding was over. . .finished off with a fire in the fire pit and roasting marshmallows for the few of us left standing.  I think Jess was really pleased with how everything turned out.  

Now we're all back to our normal lives.  I prefer the magical one, myself. . .

wedding weekend: decor

When your almost sister gets married at your house, you tend to take a lot of pictures. 226, to be precise.  Trying to narrow down a few for this blog seemed virtually impossible, so I decided to break it down into two posts: decor and people. 

The catering/decorating was done by Chive, a local establishment that prides itself on being sustainable, organic, 0% waste, etc etc.  They really made my parents' house -- already a beautiful setting -- into something magical and stunning.  And the food from local farms/places mostly around the north shore was spectacular.  They had this vegetable cheese flat bread that I'm pretty sure changed my life.  And then a Creme Brulee bar for dessert?! I'm in heaven.  Hello Salted Almond Caramel Creme Brulee, can you be in my life forever?

Anyway. . .enough chit-chat, on to the pictures (in no particular order).

 Can you believe this is my parents' driveway? I'm telling you - the place became magical!

 I love that Jess & David contributed to Gentle Bells, as a thank you to my parents for them hosting the wedding.

 "May the Mind of Christ, My Savior"

a hymn sung at Craig & Margot's wedding, as well as Brooke & David's, Alyson and Albert had it read at their wedding last year, and Jess finished it off by having it sung in hers.

 I wish I were eating all of this again right now.

I'd take two more of these, please

 There was a bit of rain - but not too much.

Showers of blessings for their wedding and marriage!

Jess was prepared with umbrellas for folks

Now that you have a good sense of the setting and decorations, I'm sure you can hardly wait to see the bride and groom. Well, never fear, they're up next!

wedding weekend: the clambake

Last weekend, there was a wedding! At my (parents') house, no less.  Since then, we've traveled what feels like 1000 miles (but really, just 250), but wanted to recap the magical weekend as much as possible, before things get too foggy in my mind.

Jessica Hammon is the youngest daughter of one of my parents' oldest friends (got that?).  Her mom, Margot, was the first person my dad spoke to at Gordon when he was entering his freshman year. Talk about history! Jess wanted a small, simple and yet meaningful wedding, so when my dad offered her the use of his house -- overlooking the Essex Marsh, really quite idyllic -- she readily agreed. 

But before there's a wedding, there's a rehearsal and the all-important meal after it.  They opted for local flare, going with a Clam Bake.  I'll be honest, I'd never been to a clam bake before, and wrangled a seat for myself (but sadly not Dexter) for the big event.  A clam bake often includes digging a pit in the sand, building a fire, and grilling/steaming all kinds of goodies. . .lobster, clams, mussels, etc.  This wasn't exactly that, but it was catered at beautiful (and private!) Tuck's Point, overlooking the water in Manchester.  A good time was had by all.

 The happy couple. . .

"David Alan Webb" and Jess

David is the third David to join the Hammon/Mering family at large (my dad, and Brooke Hammon's husband being the other two), so he is often called by all three of his names to keep things clear!

Jess was feeling no pre-wedding jitters and had no problem digging in.

mmm. lobsta. the perfect summer in New England fare

Jess' uncle, Glen, and her Mom, Margot.  You must wear bibs when eating lobster. It is messy business.

We took the time to do some photos after lunch. . .

 Craig & Margot

 There they are again! 

crazy kids

 Jess and her friend Kara, who read in the wedding

practice makes perfect! :)

It was nice to have the rehearsal dinner actually be a lunch. Gave us time to relax in the evening and to prepare for the festivities the next day. 

white coat ceremony

The reason we had to dash down to New Jersey last week -- and probably another prompt for Kyalo's haircut -- was because Dexter needed to attend a White Coat Ceremony at the school.  This is a big-deal event for incoming freshman to the dental school, and, in the last few years, the incoming international students (who enter the third year) have been a part of it, as well.  There were a lot of talks, words of encouragement and talks to be upstanding dental citizens, etc. The key note speaker spoke a little too much about herself, but she clearly loves being a dentist, and perhaps that was encouraging to the fresh-faced students?

Here he is after the ceremony. All official now, with his lab coat (which will not likely ever be worn again. Details).  He is with his good friend, Joel, who is from Cuba.

 happy, handsome men

The hallway outside of the lecture hall where the ceremony was held has a museum-like display all around it.  One of the items in display? This cabinet unit, which is apparently deemed a relic in the US, is still in use in Kijabe. Dexter got this shot for the folks back home.

some old looking dental chair

It was a quick trip back down to New Jersey, but it was a nice reminder of our life there.  It is always nice to go back home and think, "hey, I like this place!"  Still, it was nice to return to Massachusetts to finish out vacation. . .there was a wedding at my house that Saturday.  But now things are winding down - we head down to NJ again tomorrow, with a stop in Connecticut to see some friends, and then Dexter's back to school (booo) on Monday.

Oh vacation, you've been good to us.