going to the chapel

so yes, I've officially slacked on uploading pictures from brian & blair's wedding. however, I should point out that I believe I beat the rest of my family members with blogs. neener neener. I will also admit that I did a terrible job of playing photographer this time. I am severely lacking in the number of pics I did take...thank goodness they had a wonderful photographer shooting everything from the rehearsal to the reception!

in any case...the wedding was spectacular! everything went off without a hitch and in the end the final goal was reached...the bride and groom officially became mr. & mrs. becker! we began the weekend as all ladies should, with a manicure. excellent. then it was off to the church for a rehearsal. miles and josiah sat quietly in the church (for the most part) and practiced their sleigh ride flawlessly.

"hey, I'm gonna be a ring bearer!"

kissing cousins

we were able to stay put for the rehearsal dinner, so convenient. my parents hosted and had a vendor come to the church to make fresh wood fire pizzas. minus the long wait time due to parking restrictions and frigid temps, it was delish.

"uncle brian, this is mighty tasty"

I guess I'd sleep too if I couldn't eat the pizza!

after rehearsal, beth, jen, & I took blair to the kahler grand hotel for a girls night in. we snacked on candy, watched the ugly truth (so funny!), slept like logs, and woke up to a divine breakfast in our room. it was a great way to relax before the big day! hair appointments began at 9am and we were off to get dressed by noon. due to my lack of pictures, I will have to explain the dress situation. blair chose a fabric (isn't it gorgeous?!) and all of the bridesmaids chose a style they felt most comfortable in. I completely took a stab in the dark as far as what might look remotely flattering on me at 34 weeks gestation. much to my surprise, I didn't feel nearly as much like an ornament as I thought I would. but believe you me...I was feeling quite round. as was apparent when the photographer asked me to" scoot in closer" and I accosted whomever was standing next to me with my big belly. sorry.

miles was enamored by blair's dress, he just kept staring at her!

obligatory family photo

me and the beautiful bride

blair & my mom

brian and blair chose not to see each other before the ceremony. in fact, brian waited at the altar with his back to the bride until everyone had stood up and she was on her way down the aisle. can I just say that it is impossible to be in your baby brother's wedding when you are super pregnant and not be a blubbering mess. seriously. I usually get a little teary at weddings, but this was a little out of control. I'm sure there will be some hot footage of me wiping my nose on the videographer's tape. can't wait. yikes! miles and josiah both cooperated and made their way down the aisle in a vintage wooden sleigh. have you seen anything more adorable??
we were treated to a limo ride after the ceremony and did a fabulous job of consuming every drop of champagne. I was tickled to see the three bottles of non-alcoholic bubbly waiting for me on ice. thanks dad!

we sacrificed our health for some outdoor photos downtown. I'm sure they will be stunning, but it was FREEZING out there! I was no fool though...I snuck a pair of long underwear on under my dress. there were some jealous ladies in the bunch ;) the reception was gorgeous. mental picture: tall twigs, tiny candy filled boxes wrapped in gold ribbon, twinkling christmas trees, and (my personal fave) christmas music played during the dinner! ahhhhhh. miles miraculously stayed awake until almost 11pm. he was trying so hard to keep his eyes open. just as we thought he might give in to the urge to sleep, he would get down, start dancing, and then just run around the room. this led to the occasional fall or bump, but he wasn't fazed. he was an angel!

dancing with papa

I managed to squeak out a few dances...one with brian, of course!

we could not have pulled off this busy day without the help of my sister-in-law, jess, who came to give miles a nap and deliver him to the church in his tuxedo OR my cousin, olivia, who watched miles during the church service. thank you so much ladies!!!

we are so happy to have blair as an official member of our family. she and brian are a perfect couple and made for a beautiful bride & groom! congratulations!!
by the way - the lovely new mr & mrs are currently lying on the beach at a sandals resort in jamaica. I'm trying to be happy for them.