Wedding the Second

It's hard to believe the whole summer is gone already.  Only one more week until I go back to work.  I have to admit that it's fun to have summers off, but the transition is going to be hard, I think.  In any event, a couple of weeks after Ella arrived, and after my niece married her sweetheart, and in the middle of exams and grades, my son Sean married his sweetheart Jessica in the Bountiful, Utah LDS temple.  I think he looks pretty happy here, don't you??

We started the festivities with the rehearsal dinner on Friday evening.  I'm not sure why we call it that, because there's really nothing to rehearse, but it is a great time for the two families to meet each other and for the wedding party to get together.  I had gotten to meet Jessica's parents when they came to Orlando for a medical conference in September, but my husband had not met them yet.  Oddly enough, both dads are named Doug.

It was a lovely gathering, informal, and while very warm (apparently the restaurant doesn't have air conditioning, and it was a very warm May day) still very pleasant.

There were too many of us to fit at one table, but we managed to have a great time.

Naturally I exercised my grandma prerogative and got some baby cuddles.

Even the siblings got to hold their sweet new niece.

 The next morning it was up early for the wedding.

The sealing room was crowded - it is the only standing room only temple wedding I have ever attended. And then there was a bit of waiting...

They looked pretty happy when they emerged in their wedding finery.

Naturally there were photos.

And visiting with relatives and friends.

And of course, hugs and well-wishes.

Two of my favorite boys!

And my sweet girl!

All the little girls crowded around Jess as though she was a Disney princess.

Her flowers were gorgeous.  Everyone in our family likes peonies too.  (I remember as a little girl, my grandmother had them planted in her garden.)

A moment for a kiss and then off for more photos.

The wedding party

The Liening family

The Mihalik family

A rare photo of Sean, Amanda and Arielle - these don't happen very often any more!

The bride and her bridesmaids

In the evening, Sean and Jessica exchanged rings in a beautiful ring ceremony outside the chapel on the old Fort Douglas property (seems fitting since both the bride's dad and the groom's dad are named Douglas, doesn't it?)  The ring Sean gave Jessica was the ring my grandfather gave my grandmother when they were married on June 29, 1915 - within a few weeks of being 100 years ago.

Cutting the cake

After the ring ceremony, there was a wonderful reception at the old Fort Douglas Commander's house.

Sean's friend Patrick giving the toast.

Sean cutting the groom's cake.

And when it was all over, we all felt pretty much like this.

Best wishes to Sean and Jessica for a wonderful life together.