Wednesday, August 3, 2016

The Main Event and An Added Bonus


 With the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, the decor can be somewhat understated.


Pretty flowers in Mason jars looked just right for this beach wedding.

 While waiting for the ceremony to begin, we enjoyed the ocean breeze.  Have you ever attended a beach wedding?  This was a first for us and one that we had been looking forward to for months.

 
The bridesmaids and maid-of-honor waiting for the bride to make her arrival.  I thought their choice in dresses was just right for the occasion.
 

 The flower girl was not quite three.
She did a wonderful job tossing the petals while carefully maneuvering the sand.

 Then, in the distance, we could see the bride and her father.

 The beautiful bride, Megan and her dad (my brother).
I smiled when I saw his feet.


 Also just right for the occasion.




 ;D



 After graduating from college in Michigan, my brother went to UCLA to obtain his PhD.  Along with the PhD he obtained a love for California and only came back to Michigan to visit.  His high school sweetheart followed him there and soon they were married.  Their 33rd anniversary fell on Megan's wedding day.

After the ceremony we made our way down the beach to the wedding venue where I managed to take a picture of my brother giving his speech.  He had us laughing and tearing up a time or two. 

One last picture of the bride and groom with the maid-of-honor and the best man.
After that the camera was all but forgotten as we enjoyed the food, dance floor and socializing.
There was lots of socializing to be done.  Not only with my brother and his family, but my three "west coast cousins" and their families.

It had been almost 25 years since we had seen them last.
We had a lot of catching up to do.  So much so that we met again the next morning for brunch before we had to head our separate ways.
My mom was the youngest of six children.  At one time we cousins would get together often.  I especially remember the yearly Thanksgiving celebration.  We would all gather around a ping pong table to enjoy our turkey dinner.  There were cousins by the dozens, it seemed. Through the years we have become scattered all over the country.
Having the opportunity to re-connect with them was a true bonus to an already wonderful wedding.


~ Kim






 

11 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful wedding and reception Kim - and I just know you must have enjoyed being with so many of your family members. The bride looked stunning - love her gown, so many brides seem to expose far too much these days - she looked wonderful!
    Never attended a beach wedding - at least in California you can rely on the dry Summer weather for such an occasion!

    Thanks for sharing this special day -

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  2. So glad the weather cooperated. That can be a problem with a beach wedding. Everything looks great.

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  3. I know you were so happy to be there and enjoy this beautiful wedding. And getting to be with family is always special. Beautiful photos! WOW!

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  4. What a beautiful wedding! Glad you got to see all your family!! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. That's a lot of sand! What a great occasion to gather and greet the family who now lives all over the country. I met with some of my cousins this summer whom I have not seen in twenty plus years. Where does the time fly off to?

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  6. What a beautiful summer wedding. No shoes was fun I beat. Thanks for sharing!
    Hope the rest of your week is fabulous.

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  7. What a beautiful beach wedding. No, I've never been to one. I like that you don't have to wear shoes. : )
    So nice that you had a reunion with family that you haven't seen in so many years.

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  8. Yes, so nice to see friends and relatives you've not seen for ages. I haven't ever been at a beach wedding either but I can imagine how much fun it would be.

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  9. Congratulations to the Happy couple Kim,a very beautiful wedding indeed, I am so glad you got to reconnect and visit with your family, I had a lot of cousins too and we had a lot of family gatherings when I was growing up, but went separate ways as the years went by.
    I thought the barefoot father was so cute too!
    Enjoy your visit in California,
    Thank you for your sweet thoughts and prayers!,
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  10. Congratulations to the Happy couple Kim,a very beautiful wedding indeed, I am so glad you got to reconnect and visit with your family, I had a lot of cousins too and we had a lot of family gatherings when I was growing up, but went separate ways as the years went by.
    I thought the barefoot father was so cute too!
    Enjoy your visit in California,
    Thank you for your sweet thoughts and prayers!,
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  11. How wonderful that you could be there for Megan's wedding. It's a beautiful location, and I love, love the footwear! Enjoy visiting with your cousins.

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