Why yes, Owen, there is!
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
Some weeks ago, Owen popped that question out of nowhere and I found it so funny that I had to tell my brother and his fiancee. They thought it was so cute that they passed the story on, and when their photographer, a black belt in tae kwon do, heard about it she just had to give Owen, his brother, and his cousins a lesson. So, squeezed in between the ceremony and the reception, there actually was a special part of this wedding reserved for karate. We are still smiling about this, days later.
The wedding - the whole weekend, really - went off without a hitch. We saw lots of family, laughed, cried, got to know our new sister-in-law... here are some pics which will of course tell much more than I could in words:
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
The venue is this amazing castle-type building on the campus of their university, where the bride and groom met and where they both work today. It looked just like Hogwarts, as Luke and Owen pointed out any time they got the chance.
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
Ben took half a dozen pics of Owen that, in my completely unbiased opinion, are the cutest pics of any kid, ever (except those of Luke, of course).
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
The boys and their adorable cousins, getting silly with the bride. Isn't she beautiful?
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
I have such a thing about little boys all dressed up, they just look so darn cute!
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
My new sister-in-law and I.
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
This instrument, the theorbo, sounds like a cross between a harp and a guitar. It suited the ceremony perfectly.
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
Here they are, during the toast by our brother, the best man. They are totally crying, as am I. And this wasn't even 'the big speech!' That came later, at the huge party that the bride and groom threw for friends and not-so-immediate family; it was a corker, let me tell you.
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
I think this might be our holiday-card picture this year, I just love the silliness of it.
And, because no trip across the Canadian border is complete without a trip to Niagara Falls:
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
 |
| From A Fabulous Wedding |
I have not really found a way to sum up this amazing weekend in a phrase or two, so much of it was so sweet, and wonderful, and profound. Luke stood up and read a blessing during the ceremony that simply blew us all away; as the groom later said, 'he nailed it.' The best man's speech deserves special mention because, well, he nailed it too - it struck exactly the right notes. At the big party, we got to meet the bride and groom's buddies, mostly people they have known since college fifteen or so years ago; they are all amazing people who clearly love my brother and his wife like family. Also, they knew all about us; as my Uncle Robert (who is called 'Bob' by most people outside of our family) put it, "everyone here knows me as Uncle Robert!" Very cool to walk into a room filled with strangers and realize that they are really not strangers at all.
Plus, there was the family factor; I don't see my extended family all that often, and this weekend was a sort of five-day family party, reminiscent of my mother's family gatherings we used to go to when I was a kid. I loved it, and so did Ben and the boys (who spent much of the weekend being entertained by my teenaged cousins, trading Yu-Gi-Oh cards and staging mock battles).
This was truly a golden weekend; it has left me feeling blessed to have such people in my life.
8 comments:
All Events should have a part to do Karate!!!
Amen to that, Jean!
I hope all is well with you, we haven't seen you recently :-)
Karen
You do realize, don't you, that there has now been a "karate at weddings" precedence set? :D
That is a beautiful building. And your boys are right - it does look like Hogwarts!
Beautiful church and lovely trip but can we talk about how much Owen looks like you!! Amazing!
My son LOVES karate so, yes, every event has some form of it for us too! So glad you had a wonderful time with your family.
My husband's brother is getting married in 2 weeks and the girls are in the wedding. I am definitely going to suggest a special time for karate. I love that shot! Good thing the photographer wasn't the only one with a camera.
I am so jealous about Niagra Falls. I have never seen them. I wonder, is it like the Grand Canyon where it is so vast it is not much different from looking at a photo or movie? But then there would be the noise at Niagra...
Congratulations. It all sounds magical.
Firefly Mom - just another way that blogging makes the world a better place, when we can spread new, fun customs such as karate at weddings!
Dana - how funny, I don't really notice how much Owen looks like me, because I am always thinking about how much he looks like my Dad! The resemblance is really striking, he even has a lot of my Dad's mannerisms and personality, and he has since very early in life. I guess that means, I must look like my Dad?
Susan - As I read your comment, I asked Luke, "Do you remember hearing the noise of the falls?" And he replied "Yeah.... I guess." I am not really sure that I heard the noise of the falls, which sounds weird but I have to tell you, the falls are a really weird place. It's like if you parked a mini Las Vegas across the street from the Grand Canyon - we parked under a huge gambling casino that was a three-minute walk from the falls. And everywhere you go, there are ads for all these Falls-themed entertainments, like Maid of the Mist boats and a giant, rotating needle-in-the-sky restaurant. The falls themselves take a real backseat to the man-made silliness (not that I would miss a chance to go on the Maid of the Mist, mind you, but we decided that the kids ought to be a little older before they do it). Still, they are very majestic and beautiful - but you can see that from the pictures :-)
It sounds like you had a great trip. Your sons look so cute in these pictures and the bride and groom look so happy together. It is always great to get with family that is far away.
The Falls look awesome. We are just a hop, skip, and a jump from them. I'm putting that on our field trip list.
You're so right, Rana, it is great to see extended family; I love that my boys enjoy it as much as I used to, and I feel like it's even better as a grown-up :-)
I hope, if you visit the falls, you post about your field trip!
Karen
Post a Comment