This year has been crazy all around, but the wedding scene has been especially busy! I'm pretty sure we don't know of anyone planning to get married in the last few months of the year, so I thought I'd give a little recap of the ones we attended! This year we were invited to 9 weddings during the months of May, June, July, August, September, and October. We were only able to make it to 6 due to Justin's crazy work schedule, but they were all a blast!
May 24, 2014-Ryan & Kelsie
Ryan is a coworker of Justin's at Union Bank. Quite a few people from Union Bank were going, so we thought it would be nice to have a fun night out and get away from the stress before our big day. The ceremony and reception were in Fremont. Because we got a late start, we decided to just go to the reception. It was a lot of fun and one of my favorite parts was the bridesmaid's speeches. They turned it into the rap from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, customized with part's of the couple's history. So cool!!
May 31, 2014-Us!
Eventually I will probably do a post about my wedding day, but today is not that day! I will just say that it was more than I could have ever asked for, and I'm still so in awe of the amount of love we experienced that day.
July 12, 2014-Brett & Kyna
Justin and I went to high school with Brett, so it was pretty cool to be able to watch him get married! The wedding was at Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City. I had never been in that church before, but it is truly beautiful. The reception was at the Marina Inn Conference Center in South Sioux. A ton of our friends from high school were there, and we had a great night dancing away!
I bought a new dress from Target for this wedding, which I thought was super cute, but looking back in pictures, it's a really busy pattern. I might pair it with a plain sweater or blazer to tone it down so that I can wear it to work in the future. Poor Justin...we like to match or coordinate when we go out (yes we are one of those lame couples) but it seems like whenever I pick out a dress the only shirt that goes the best with it is his navy blue one. So I think he's worn that shirt for a majority of the weddings we went to this summer. Hey, at least he looks good in it! =)
August 9, 2014-Raf & Bobbie Jo
Rafael (Raf) is one of Matt's (Justin's brother) friends from high school. However, Justin has known him since he was younger and I got to know him through Justin and Matt. Bobbie Jo is so sweet and the two of them are a perfect match! Their wedding was also at Blessed Sacrament church and they had their reception at Emma's Event Center in Sioux City.
The wedding and reception were both very beautiful as they incorporated some Hispanic traditions into both. The ceremony featured 13 gold coins given as a symbol of the groom's promise to provide for his family and the bride's trust in his ability to do so. The reception had a mariachi band playing for a portion of it, which was something really unique!
August 24, 2014-Eric & Ashley
I've known Eric since high school. Then in college, he lived with Justin for years. Eric's always been someone I could count on whether it be discussing politics after a few drinks or helping me put on my license plates when Justin was at work. When he and Ashley began dating, and she started spending more and more time at the house on Knox Street, we really got to know each other and quickly became close friends. I was so honored when she asked me to be a part of her wedding as a bridesmaid. (And I know Justin felt the same way about Eric asking him).
Their wedding took place at Blessed Sacrament as well, and their reception was also at Emma's Event Center. Their colors were red, white, and charcoal. Their wedding was so beautiful and emotional (for me anyway). We had such a great time, and we're so excited for all of our future adventures with this couple. Next up, Vegas in May 2015.
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| Ashley getting her make-up done. Such a beautiful bride! |
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| So handsome! |
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| Myself, Justin, Drew, & Brooklyn -Love how the red & white pop |
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| This pretty much sums up Justin's mad dance moves |
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| Party bus with Aixa! |
September 20, 2014-D'Angelo & Molly
I've known Molly since the second grade when we were both in Mrs. Schultz's class. We've been friends ever since, and I'm so glad. I was so happy when she told me she was engaged to D'lo because I remember when we were young we would talk about our future husbands, how many kids we would have, and what our weddings would be like. Now, she was going to be able to plan her dream wedding! And what a dream it was.
The ceremony was outdoors at the Marina Inn terrace overlooking the gardens and Missouri River. With the sun going down and a light breeze, it was perfect. The reception was held at the Marina conference center. I loved the mums as centerpieces on some of the tables. They were a perfect complementary color and a great late summer/early fall element. It was so great to get to hang out with all my friends and dance the night away. It's crazy how we are all growing up, but it's awesome to see everyone doing so well and living amazing lives!
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| Me with the beautiful bride |
October 3, 2014-Brandon & Katie
On Friday we went to the wedding of our friends Katie and Brandon. We've both known Katie for a few years, having worked with her at Outback. Over the years, we've gone on numerous double dates, even if that meant late night apps and drinks at Applebees. They've become great friends, and it was amazing to witness the love they share between them as they became husband and wife.
Their wedding was at a beautiful country setting called Country Pines. Although it was a little chilly, heaters in the reception area kept things nice and toasty. Katie put in a lot of hard work ensuring everything was perfect. And it was! From the hay bales and wooden arch at the ceremony, to the twine wrapped bottles and burlap table runners at the reception, the amount of time and careful planning was evident. Everything was beautiful! One of my favorite parts was the photobooth. It was the same company we had at our reception, so maybe I'm a little biased.
As you can see, it was a busy wedding season for us, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. For me, attending weddings and listening to all of the different sermons and vows provides a new opportunity to think about my own marriage, and how I can work to be a better wife. Life gets stressful, and sometimes it's easy to put relationships on the back-burner, but that's no place for them. One of my favorite sermons was when Father reminded us that we spend all day at work being patient and kind to those we interact with, but when we come home all too often our spouse is the first one we snap on. Why are we so quick to anger at the one we are supposed to love the most? It was a great reminder that "love is patient, love is kind", and we owe our spouse at least the same amount of courtesy we extend to people we don't even know. Congratulations to everyone who got married this year; I'm wishing you nothing but years of happiness!
This post is a long one, but I wanted to have a place with all the weddings in one place so I can come back to them and remember the details if I wanted! Thanks for reading!
-Emily
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