Last night was the wedding. My darling cousin Alicia was an absolute stunningly gorgeous bride and married her beloved, Seth MacGillivray. The entire day was a wonderful whirlwind beginning with the photographer arriving at our home at 7am! The bridesmaids, Joanna and Alicia all got ready for the big day in our home, which was a true joy and blessing. Jason, the boys and Kahlua all went and spent the morning at my brother Damian's house, making the house a little less chaotic. Veronica stayed with the girls so that I could prepare her for her day as flower girl. I was the maid of honor, making our family twice as honored to be able to be a part of such a special day.
Once we were taking pictures at the DAR Rainier Chapter House on Capitol Hill, I began to get a little nervous about how Veronica would do during the ceremony. We had practiced at home a lot, having Veronica walk down our hallway "aisle." She never really mastered walking and sprinkling flowers at the same time. It would be more walk, stop, sprinkle, walk, stop, sprinkle, etc. She loved practicing and was always disappointed to be done. Veronica would ask, "More practice? Flowers?" When my answer would be no, she would state her favorite, therapeutic, comfort word, "Soon." Lately, my reply has been, "If that makes yourself feel better."
Anyway, yesterday during pictures, I was beginning to see the consequences of skipping Veronica's nap time. She was still doing pretty well, but I felt a bit like I had a time bomb on my hands. Little things were beginning to upset her, such as when I had the audacity of trying to place a piece of orange in her mouth rather than letting her do it herself. When I asked if she was going to walk and put her flowers on the floor, her answer changed from what had been an enthusiastic "yes" to a whiny "noooo." Uh-oh.
But she did wonderfully. Slowly, she toddled down the aisle and dumped a bunch of flowers at the end. Then after being offered a treat, she gladly went to sit with Daddy.
The ceremony was touching and beautiful. My amazingly talented sister, Kristen, gracefully sang My Jesus, I Love Thee. Alicia and Seth were so sweet and touching, and Seth's enthusiasm at the end was unforgettable.
The reception was so much fun. We had never been to a wedding with our children before. Obviously, it makes it less like a date, but we had so much fun together as a family. And guess what? Our kids can dance! Joshua especially surprised me, because as long as their was music playing, he was dancing with moves I had never seen!
Noah spent about half of the time observing. Jason, my dad and I all tried to get him out on the floor, but I think that only made him less willing and he stubbornly went back to the table. But once we left him alone for a while and it was his decision to come out and dance, there was no stopping him. He even joined Joshua, Veronica and many others up on the stage.
Veronica loved the dancing. After the end of each song, she would ask, "More?" She likes to shake her bootie! She also pulled out some thriller moves as well as her ballerina dancing. I am really hoping to have her take ballet lessons next year because I'm pretty sure she would love it, and of course so would I. She even became pretty enamoured with one of the groomsmen, watching him very closely and even letting him spin her around the dance floor. This morning, Veronica has been reminiscing about last night and occasionally calling out "Oooh! Oooh! Party! Party!" I have no idea where they get their love for music, dancing and partying.
As I saw my children, my husband, my parents, my siblings, Joanna, Alicia and Seth and so many others all celebrating together with so much joy, my eyes teared up several times. It was an evening none of us will ever forget and below are many pictures to help us remember.
Alicia and Seth - love, blessings and cheers to you and your lifetime together. May all of the joy from last night spill over abundantly into all of your days.
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| Perhaps reflecting on what her wedding day will be like . . . |
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| There you get a little peak of Veronica walking down the aisle |
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| Joshua in party mode |
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| Reaching the meltdown point very late in the reception. |
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| Noah getting his groove on |
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| My little ballerina |
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| Veronica, with her chosen groomsman |
Those kids stole the attention from the bride and groom. My sister’s daughter is such a fancy girl that she was also the centre of attention on my wedding reception at Seattle Wedding venues. She even took the centre stage and amazed us with her dance routine. Kids are always so adorable.
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