Steph & Gordon Tie the Knot

This will eventually be a running blog again, but we've had some big family stuff going on, so my next couple posts are going to be a little off topic.

My sister and Gordon have been together seven years; knowing they wanted to get married eventually, we've been waiting for it to finally happen. This past fall, Gordon bought a ring. He planned to propose in March. Instead, they got a little surprise in January and their engagement got moved up.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gordon Garreau (@4reefall) on Apr 2, 2019 at 3:36pm PDT

Steph went back and forth on doing a traditional wedding or a courthouse wedding; she ended up deciding on an intimate dinner with her closest family and friends. The invitations called it a "reception". They ended up having the actual ceremony at the dinner.

The day of the wedding, I stopped by Steph and Gordon's place to go over some logistics and hang out while she got pampered.

I was so glad Steph went with some traditional elements. It was so wonderful to see her dolled up, to hear their vows, and to witness the exchanging of their rings.

The wedding was held at Ruth's Chris. Steph's friend Eddie took photos of the ceremony and after (and the baby shower that followed on Sunday).

(Fun fact - Eddie cut his teeth on photography at Matt's and my wedding nine years ago!)

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and dessert. I asked Steph to let me give a MOH speech because, despite the wedding being non-traditional, I still wanted to be able to do that. Of course then I got all nervous about it, but I'm glad it was included.

There was no dancing or anything, but because the gathering was small there was lots of mingling and picture-taking. It was the perfect balance of low-key and pomp that the couple wanted!

I am so happy to welcome Gordon to the family officially after all these years! I keep getting lucky in the brother-in-law department!

Next up: the baby shower.

ABK

Your Love Is

After Scott and Robby's ceremony, a few people came up to me to compliment my speech/poem. One of Robby's old colleagues suggested I put the poem online so other people could use it at weddings. Part of me preened to hear such high praise, but the socially-inept part of me just mumbled an awkward (but genuine) "thank you".

A third part of me - the writer, the artist - was torn between wanting to share the poem and wanting to avoid the possibility of someone else taking credit for it. In the end, the proud part won out, so I've posted the poem below. I really believe it's the kind of poem that's better heard than read, but I'm not about to record myself reciting it.

If you want to use it, please give credit where it's due.

I spent a few months choosing a photo of the guys and formatting the poem (I think I printed more than a dozen drafts before I was happy with the final result) before framing it to send to them. They received it today in the mail.

Being asked to speak at their wedding and being able to share these words, which I wrote for them specifically, was one of my proudest moments. I am happy to share them here, too, so that others can hear the message of love and perhaps share it with others.

ABK

Orcas Island - The Wedding!

I couldn't wait to share this post, but obviously the professional photos aren't available yet. That just means I'll get to write a follow-up later on to share more pics!

On July 14, Matt and I arrived for the ferry to Orcas Island bright and early. We pulled into the line and immediately saw that Robby's rental car was right behind us! We had some time to kill before boarding, so everyone popped out of the cars. It turned out quite a few attendants and guests (and Scott!) were taking the same ferry over, so we all kind of mingled while we waited to board.

The 1.5-hour trip over to Orcas was smooth sailing. We didn't see any whales but we got to enjoy the views.

Driving onto the ferry

That skyline though...

Pretty much our first view from Orcas. Beautiful!

We drove straight from the ferry landing to the resort. The boys got married at the Rosario Resort and Spa, which was absolutely picture-perfect and really forced us to enjoy the festivities without distractions because there was no cell service at all. (We had spotty wifi at the actual resort but the surrounding parks were dead zones.)

We ran through rehearsal first. Scott and Robby had three aisles to walk into the wedding, and had to time our walks and make sure we all knew where to stand. I loved this set up - they each walked down the outside aisles with both parents, then met together in the middle. When they walked out, they walked up the center aisle together. Two equal men coming together and leaving as one. The symbolism was beautiful.

Rehearsal

After practicing, we had some time to hang out. Matt and I didn't have a room ready for us yet, so we hung out with his dad until it was time for the rehearsal barbecue at Moran State Park. Because this was a destination wedding, everyone was invited!

I wasn't planning to get in the water because it was so cold, but I had bought a new bathing suit just for the lake day, so finally Matt convinced me to hang out on a float. It was a fun way to relax and meeting everyone before the big day.

Matt and his dad testing the water. Verdict: It was COLD

Robby and his dad tending the grill

They kill me

We ended the night with a late dinner in town with Matt's cousin Dylan and his wife Christine.

Wedding day arrived bright and early. Robby's best woman and I were the first two to get our makeup and hair done, so we had to be at the guys' suite between 8am and 8:30. I had been concerned that my hair would be too short for a cute updo, but the stylist did a great job! (I am so forgetful - I didn't get a picture of the back!)

Finished look

I was also nervous the makeup wouldn't last all day, and that the false eyelashes would irritate me. But of course, everything went smoothly! By 10am I was completely wedding-ready above the shoulders.

Robby kept us stocked in mimosas

Dylan and Matt

Copying their vows into little journals for the ceremony

I passed the time reviewing my speech. The guys had asked me to write something about love and acceptance, but I struggled to keep it light. I ended up writing a poem for them. Their friend Paloma was officiating the wedding; she and I had been texting and emailing for awhile to make sure everything ran smoothly. We took some time after hair and makeup to walk up to the wedding site to run through the entire ceremony.

I love this photo

Afterward, I felt super emotional but also very calm. I knew we'd be fine.

Finally, after getting some pre-wedding family pictures, it was time for the ceremony. Everything went so smoothly, and it was just beautiful. I was choked up the entire time. I had to avoid eye contact with the grooms during my reading, and I nearly lost it during their vows. They have just been so good for each other and their love and commitment is so genuine.

To see them so confident and unapologetically together was just...the best thing in the world.

I believe this was caught at the moment Paloma quoted Britney Spears.

With Paloma, feeling relieved and ready to party after a job well done

After the ceremony, we took photos with the wedding party and then walked to the reception site, which was a building on the resort called the Beach House. From there, what can I say? The decorations were sophisticated, the DJ was awesome, the mother-son dances were touching, the food (served family-style) was delicious and all gluten free, the toasts were tear-inducing, and the father-son dance (to YMCA) was hilarious.

They changed into hanboks for part of the reception.

Robby and Scott each had two attendants give toasts. Leighanne, Scott's best woman, delivered the first funny, poignant speech to get the ball rolling.

I pretty much managed to stay dry-eyed until Matt's toast.

They had a Jenga set for us to write memories on to help them "build memories"; so cute! 

We found this photo in one of their displayed scrapbooks and recreated it in their photo booth.

Matt and Dylan gave into temptation and spent some time skipping rocks.

We had a fantastic night. I hope it was everything Scott and Robby were dreaming of. I know it will certainly be an experience they won't ever forget, and it was a beautiful start to a long and happy life together.

ABK

A Mighty Fine Engagement

After my 15k last weekend, I hopped into my car and drove down to Sarasota, where I showered and napped at my parents' house and then made my way to Matt's dad's for Scott and Robby's engagement party! (I have to say, it's sometimes convenient that our parents all live near each other!)

Robby is currently living in Ohio and learning to renovate and flip houses while Scott finishes his residencies for PA school, so this was just a small gathering for family and a few of Scott's local friends. They'll be moving to Seattle once they've both finished their respective trainings; having them here together for a mini engagement party was a treat!

Here are some photos of the evening's festivities!

Their engagement photos are SO cute!

We played some yard games and just hung out while the sun was still up.

Matt with the grooms. They're so handsome!

Matt and Robby playing ladder golf. 

Enrique, Katie, Scott, and Leighanne playing some cornhole.

Then, Matt decided we all needed to learn to ride the OneWheel.

Here's a little video of everyone testing it out. It's my third time on the OneWheel and I must say, I'm pretty good now!

Of course, no party is complete without cake! This one was especially festive.

I'm so glad I was able to make it! I was worried I'd be late because of Gasparilla, but everything ended up working out. By the end of the night, I was absolutely exhausted, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Did you have an engagement party? Matt and I never did! We only did bachelor/bachelorette parties.
Did you do pre-wedding traditions? We took engagement photos but they were cheap and lame; we got married before Pinterest existed!
Have you ever ridden a OneWheel?

ABK