The magic of a wedding

What can I say--it was a perfect day. Warm , but not too warm. Cool, but not too cool. And what an incredible setting. Here's the wedding crowd gathering in the Faculty Glade, with the Faculty Club in the background.




Below is Jer's mom Sally and her friend Maryanne and Sally's brother Don. Behind Maryanne is Pamela's Aunt Hat who I bonded with by ironing the wedding gown with her. A little stressful, but a good bonding experience.




And here's Steve with his girlfriend Vicky. Aren't they a cute pair!?





Ruby was doing her part by sleeping through the whole ceremony in her Grandma Doris' arms.





Pamela's niece, Emeline (Emmie), was a stunning flower girl...




...and here's the bride! Talk about stunning! It was one of those magical moments--to turn around and see how beautiful Pamela looked. There's something so sweet about a bride and her father as they're heading towards the alter. In this case the "alter" was the ancient spreading oak tree they stood under.



Presiding over the ceremony was a friend of theirs from the Acme Bar (their Berkeley version of a neighborhood "Cheers"-type bar), who also happens to be an Episcopal priest...




...and who helped Jer cheat a little and read the vows he couldn't remember...





...and who had a great sense of humor. Very important when marrying these two. Neither of them is the serious and somber type. The entire wedding was a beautiful blend of so touching and sweet mixed with so fun and lively. I think it bodes well for their future together.





They seem pretty darned happy so far.




Don't they look like the royal family--king, queen and baby princess?!



And who the heck is this handsome guy momentarily in charge of the bride's bouquet?!




Below is Pamela's family. Her sister and brother-in-law and their two children live in Switzerland and her parents live in Michigan, as do her aunt and uncle and cousins. Jer's family all pretty much live in California except for us and Courtney's brother Tom and his family who came from Thailand.




The reception included sit-down dinner in the Grand Hall. The food was yummy, the wine was flowing, and the highlight (in my opinion) was Courtney's toast. He of course was nervous about it ahead of time, but it turned out great. He really spoke from his heart, and lots of us had moist eyes afterwards. Go, Courtney!




Gorgeous wedding cake, but not wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free so I can't personally attest to its yummy-ness, but everyone seemed quite pleased with it. I think, like everything else that night, it was a winner.





And the royal family looked bright and beautiful to the very end. They too were staying the night in the Faculty Club so only had to stumble upstairs and into bed.





A very good time was had by all, and it was such a blessing to be there and be part of it all. Congratulations to the bride and groom. They're so lucky to have each other, and we're so lucky to have them, and their precious baby, in our lives.

Valori