going to the chapel....

last weekend was a full party weekend celebrating our friends ryan and kate and their beautiful wedding day. we packed up our car to the top and with my mom with us to take care of the baby, the four of us started our trip to gainesville friday morning. lots of traffic and stops, yuck..but we made it to our hotel in time to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. it was a beautiful country club where we drank citrus martinis and listened to music on the outside patio. casual but classy and oh so romantic. then we ate a delicious dinner inside a quaint dining room surrounded with french doors looking outside, full of candles and flowers. we were happy to be there to help the happy couple celebrate on the eve of their big day. that night we partied at some young college bar (felt totally overdressed, and man was it packed, and after awhile don't you just want them to turn the music down so we can hear each other, hehehehe..okay thats when we knew we were not in college party mode anymore, ha) anyway, on saturday the three of us and sammy went out to breakfast and on a walking tour through the university of florida campus. it was buzzing with college activities...speeches, a group setting up for an afternoon party, freshman tours and lot of bike riders. oh we came across the big greek event for the day and had to stop and stare. i was thrown back to flashbacks of my sorority days...dressed up in some sort of greek t-shirt and funny get-up, drinking too early in the day and having a ball. ha. it was a field PACKED with students all in their own teams for their sorority and getting ready to play some kind of kickball game or drinking game or something...a fundraiser i think. hehehe. it was fun to watch...especially the face painted frat boys with tutus on...hehehe. anyway, back to the wedding. ryan and kate had a beautiful catholic church service that afternoon. samantha had all kinds of things to say and talk about so it was decided she was too loud for the quiet atmosphere...so my mom held her in the room to the back of the sanctuary where it was all windows and they could still see. kate looked stunning...her dress so beautiful in lace and so elegant. as they proceeded out at the end, we cheered for the newlyweds and samantha waved to everyone walking out from the back windows. it was hilarious. her first wedding. we continued to celebrate at their reception that afternoon and evening at a cozy and charming bed and breakfast. we had cocktails and appetizers outside on the patio and throughout the beautiful park area it opened up into. the back deck/patio was covered with white twinkling christmas lights and with the music and the champagne and the cool breeze...it was a beautiful scene of love and friends and happiness. we were thankful to be there to help them celebrate their special day. congrats K and R...you make a wonderful couple and what an awesome wedding to celebrate the start of your new life together. hope you are having a blast on your honeymoon. ahhh here's to the magic of weddings....

out at the bar after the rehearsal dinner friday night...
pete, giner, kelly and kevin and what's with tyler's weird look. hehehe
at the church, you can barely tell but its tyler holding samantha in the back room as the wedding ceremony was proceeding out. there's samantha's mimi...thank you for coming with us and taking care of our cheekers while we were out at night. you are the best and we couldn't have had a better weekend thanks to you!!
soon to be married....
beautiful bride