Jodi & Jay’s Beautiful Wedding!
Mr. & Mrs. G Jodi and I have been friends for over 20 years and she has been there for me and our family countless times. So I was thrilled when she asked me to be her matron of honor and Natalie to be her flower girl. We have been looking forward to Jodi and Jay’s wedding since he proposed last year. There were many fun things leading up to this weekend—making favors, dress fittings, the bridal shower, bachelorette party—but we couldn’t wait for the actual wedding to arrive.
Natalie was so excited to be the flower girl! She has been telling everyone who would listen about the upcoming wedding and her role in it. At the rehearsal the day before the wedding, I started getting a little nervous that she would be too shy to actually walk down the aisle. But by the end of the rehearsal, she felt comfortable with the location and all the people in the wedding party who were new to her. Here are some pictures of the rehearsal and the bridal party getting ready to go out to dinner the night before the wedding. Jodi made all of our awesome shirts!
Flower Girls practicing
Lovely Bridesmaids Amanda, Marisa, and Lisa
Groom and groomsmen
Bride and Flower Girl
The famous Auntie Lori with the bride
Friends of 20+ years!!!
Bride and her Mama
The day of the wedding was picture-prefect. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, with a light cool breeze. Jodi and Jay picked a gorgeous location for their nuptials—Wickham Park in Manchester, CT. The view beyond the alter was a beautiful valley. The day went without a hitch, everything was perfect down to every meticulously planned detail. Jodi and Jay did so much work to make everything special and it showed.
Natalie was extremely well-behaved and patient the entire day, even though much of it was spent waiting—for hair and make-up to be done, for the ceremony to start, for pictures to be finished, etc. I was waiting for her to have a meltdown at some point because she didn’t get to bed until after 10:30 pm the night before the wedding! But she started out happy in the morning and was an angel the entire day and night—we didn’t leave the reception until 10 pm!
After the ceremony, I was explaining to Natalie what would happen at the reception. I guess I spent so much time telling her what would happen during the ceremony, that afterward she though the wedding was over. Upon hearing that there would then be dinner, music, dancing, and cake, Natalie said, “well, Mommy, I’m a lovely dancer!”
We had decided beforehand not to take Miranda to the wedding. Although I wanted her to share in this important family event, at her age she isn’t able to wait patiently through a ceremony or stay up past her bedtime without freaking out. So, we left her with Bonnie and Ray, who said she did very well. Looking at how beautiful the pictures are, I was sad that she wasn’t with us. Maybe next year we’ll take another trip to the park and have some family photos taken.
Hair and Make-up
Natalie and Chayenne Flower girls all ready and waiting for the ceremony to start.
Marisa, Heather, and Amanda Jodi’s friend Heather served as the wedding coordinator and did a fabulous job!!
Flower girl with her Dadddy
Family shot
Flower Girl and Matron of Honor
Running
“No more pictures!!!!”
I can’t wait to see the professional wedding photos from Val McCormick!! Congratulations, Jodi and Jay!!!!
Sweet Natalie
Our conversation this morning:
Natalie: I’m so happy!
Mommy: Oh? Why?
Natalie: Because you’ll always love me, and I’ll always love you.
Swimming Lessons
Unlike her Mama, Natalie has never really had a love of water. Baths have always been tricky and hair washing becomes a scream-fest if one bead of water drips in the vicinity of her eyes. So, I was a little nervous about how swimming lessons were going to go over with Ms. Natalie. We signed her up for the same class as Josie, which helped Natalie feel more comfortable.
Natalie was excited for the first class, but she quickly fell apart when it was time to separate from me and join the chaos of getting all the little swimmers to their appropriate classes. It took a lot of work for me to even convince her to just sit on the edge of the pool next to Josie with her class and watch. And she would only do it because I promised to sit right behind her the whole time. But then she totally shocked me by getting in the water when it was her turn! Each class she grew more and more confident—I think by the 4th class, she got through the whole class without crying.
Natalie actually got in the water!! Not the best picture, but just after I took it, the lifeguard blew her whistle at me and informed me that taking photos in the pool is not allowed.
Thursday was her last class of the 8-week session and she’s come such a long way! She is still a little nervous in the water, but Chris and I got to watch her practice reaching and pulling, kicking, and even blowing bubbles. Already bath time is a lot easier because of swim lessons, too. Natalie will repeat being a “pike” again for the next session, but I do believe that she will continue to get more comfortable in the water and eventually learn to swim. We are so, so proud of our Natalie.
Proud swimmers!