Wedding Extravaganza

Well, it's finally over and I think, for the most part, everyone survived. Ken and I drove to Wisconsin the Sunday before the wedding, even though Amanda thought we weren't leaving until that Monday. We had to try to get there before she thought we left home because Ken was driving her wedding gift to surprise her at the gift opening the day after the wedding. I thought the hardest part would be keeping the secret from Amanda, but it turns out the hardest part was getting the car across the street from the parking structure to the front of the hotel. Ken and I had parked the car at a business Greg had made arrangements with previously. Later that week Ken took the car to get it detailed and in the process of him giving me keys and me giving them back we lost track of where the keys were. So, on the morning of the gift opening Ken couldn't find a key to give Greg, So Greg had to call AAA and tell some pretty tall tales to get them to come out immediately and open the car since Ken knew the key he was giving Amanda was in the glove box. Well, to make a long story short (I know, too late), after all is said and done it would seem that I actually had a key to the car in my purse the whole time -- LOL!!! I tried to pass it off as no big deal and think of the story you'll have to tell. Well, I wanted to get that out of the way first, since I'm sure when others tell the story it will take on a completely different spin.

I thought the Moosetwin's twins should have their picture taken with a moose. The decor of this place was truly something the Farrar family could identify with. Between all the moose and the fishing paraphenalia they fit right in.

Since Uncle Scott was going to be the DJ for the wedding, I figured he might just as well be the "voice" of the groom's family. I will acquiesce to his ability to speak in public (or to "sling it" as we in the family refer to it). It allowed Steve and I the chance to talk with Amanda's parents, but I'm not too sure how the bride and groom felt. The "game" Uncle Scott had them play was to go from table to table and attach an adjective to everyone there (and not repeat themselves). They did real well and demonstrated that they did, in fact, know all those in attendance.

The morning of the wedding Kelly and I went down to the reception hall to see if everything was done the way Amanda wanted and what we needed to do next. Amanda was there with her dad and I got this great picture of the colonel smiling. Those in attendance will attest to the fact that John spent most of the time leading up to the ceremony in tears. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was truly Daddy's girl and he was going to miss her.

Amanda's Aunt Christy (hope I spelled that right) is a beautician and volunteered her services for the day. We took the girls down to get their hair done in Amanda's room and my hat goes off to Aunt Christy. Christina was first and she was under the impression that a ribbon would be put in her hair and voile -- she'd be done. She was oh so surprised to see just how curly her hair could be. Annie was next, and holy mackerel, the trauma she has suffered in the past was quite evident when she was approached with a curling iron. Every single curl Christy had to assure her she wouldn't burn her, so you can see how long it took to get all those curls done. Of course, Samantha being Samantha just sat and basked in the wonderfulness that is Samantha.

While the girls were finishing up their hair, Amanda got dressed and was propped in a chair to await the photographer.

During the wedding I tried to be stealth and take a couple of pictures, but it's kind of difficult when you're in the front row. You can't really hold the camera up for the whole world to see, so I tried to get a couple of shots while the camera was on my lap. Oh well, if nothing else you can see what a beautiful evening it was.

Right after the ceremony I tried to get a couple of shots before the photographer drug them all outside again.

Amanda and her brother Mathew, the ring bearer.

The happy couple.

The girls relaxing.

While the photographer was taking pictures I tried to get a couple, including some candids.

Since we were going to have all the girls in their pretty dresses I knew we couldn't forget Miss Mia in her party dress.

The pictures I took at the reception didn't turn out (guess I was too busy having fun). You'll have to check some of the other blogs for any of those photos. (You can also check out the wedding photographer's website http://www.almariphoto.net/ and click "client gallery" at the bottom of the page. In the next window click on "Amanda and Ken" and the password is amanda8.) There is one thing I would like to say about the reception: I will never forget Kay's reaction when Nic caught the garter. Even if I did have a photo it could never convey that reaction. I didn't know the girl had it in her, but I witnessed a whole different side to her I had never seen. It almost matched her actions when she caught the boquet, but not quite. Next time you see me I will be happy to recreate this event for you and believe me, you will never forget it.

The next morning was the gift opening which is a traditional event in Wisconsin. Ken and Amanda opened the gifts they had received at the wedding and when they were done Ken gave Amanda her wedding gift. Christina took pictures for me at the gift opening, so I need to talk to her about her decision process for the pictures she took.

After the gift opening we went out to lunch at Famous Dave's before Al and Peggy had to fly out. We really had a great time and I know that those three days wouldn't have been half as much fun if Al and Peggy hadn't been there.

We decided that evening we'd kind of relax and just play some games. Greg, Sarah and I went to WalMart and got some games and snacks. At the hotel there were a number of seating areas where we thought we might play, but we were afraid of getting too loud for other guests. So, we asked the folks at the front desk if we could use the area set aside for breakfast and they said, sure. We played some games and had sandwiches delivered and watched some of the Olympics. Needless to say, we were all pretty pooped when we finally decided to call it a night. Little did we know that we would all be getting a very early wake-up call. Some time around 5:00 I thought I heard my alarm going off and I thought it was REALLY loud. Once I came out of my sleepy haze I realized it was the fire alarm. Luckily, Steve and I were on the ground floor, so we just grabbed a jacket and went out. Kelly and her crew were on the second floor and by this time Cathy's group was on the third floor. We met out front and just kind of hung out until the firemen (who eventually showed up) said we could go back to our rooms.

Of course, while we were wandering around the parking lot, I came across Amanda's new car.

I asked Nic to come over and see what he thought it smelled like. We both decided it smelled like shaving cream, which most people are aware is something you do not want to apply to a paint job you wish to keep. I let Amanda know and assured her it was not anyone in Ken's family (as none of them have a death wish). So, this was one of her first wifely things to handle and she came through like a champ. Ken never saw the car and she made sure the mess was cleaned up and the culprits were identified.

On Sunday Greg had made arrangements for us to have brunch on a paddlewheel boat on the Mississippi. We went up the river, through a lock and them turned around and came back down. It was a really nice excursion and gave people a chance to just sit and talk.

These two can't pass a display of hats without trying on something.

Breckley Table No. 1

Breckley Table No. 2

The whole crowd.

So, on Monday morning most of us took off for our respective homes. Steve went with the girls to Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport for flights home and I got in my trusty van to drive back to Texas. I got home that night about 10:00 p.m. and was, needless to say, totally spent. Most of my trip through Iowa was spent crying and I was hoping to have gotten it all out of my system (which I didn't). My last assignment as far as wedding things were concerned was to take Ken and Amanda to the airport for their honeymoon and then pick them up when they returned. Well, they finally got home last night (or should I say this morning). Their flight was originally due in at 10:55 at DFW. The flight finally made it in at 12:18 a.m. and the bags finally arrived at 1:00 a.m. So, here's the happy couple refreshed and relaxed from their honeymoon and by all accounts they had a great time.
Well, that's it for the wedding extravaganza -- and now the marriage can begin.