wedded bliss in beer and cheese country

the red head had wonderful classmates back east. i was worried for the poor lad that he might not have any friends. i mean, hello, 25 year old kid with a wife AND TWO toddlers in tow. awkward. His class was full of ambitious young (mostly single kids).

i was ever wrong. being that the red head's specialty is nice, he was very happy with his circle of friends. a couple in particular. j, rough, raised in the bronx and italian irish. here in the rockies we don't refer to our roots like they do in NYC. it is serious business. i knew j was italian the minute i met him, just as i am sure he knew i was a mormon without horns. it wasn't the kisses on the cheek that gave him away or the thick accent, but his look, i just knew.

j , scott and rox, another classmate, were study buddies. thru the year my red headed husband could tell there was some love in the air although they might not have admitted it for almost 2 years. we were thrilled to find out these two were getting married and that we were invited.

they made our utah love story seem silly. j took rox to italy to propose, they planned this wedding for a year and a half and i am telling you, it was an event not to be forgotten. j called me a year before the wedding and told me that it was a wedding or a condo in brooklyn, they chose a lavish wedding. i don't think i will ever see anything like it ever again. it was phenomenal.

it started out very early in the morning {3am} to leave for the airport for milwaukee.
as the red head was loading our luggage onto the shuttle bus at the airport i noticed out of the corner of my eye a large but fully clothed in white bum cheek staring at me. i started laughing and told the red head that was real funny wearing ripped up pants to travel in. his whole countenance turned bright red and he realized in our early morning departure he grabbed from the work pants pile instead of the nice regular pile. he informed me that it was the only pair he brought. like a hormonal jr high girl, he had to wear his sweater around his waist for a full day of travel.

once we checked into our hotel, he quickly requested a sewing kit to nip this in the bud, literally. so here you have it, not only can he sew spines, brains and humans, but tada - our family seamstress! after we settled into our very sleek and modern hotel, we took to touring the city on foot. the city was cold and rainy. i felt bad that their autumn wedding turned into a cold weekend. for all of their planning, sad.
the tent was called into action with all of the rain coming down. the ceremony was held at a local nature center overlooking lake michigan.



that dress. one word. kleinfeld's. yes, that's right.
this cake was a top a lovely round of a tree. it was all very autumnal themed.


the reception was held at the grain exchange. when folks walked up from the cocktail hour to the reception, there were audible gasps. a comparison of the grandeur of this building is comparable to grand central station. it was so glorious.
these two here, they know how to hold a party. i mean. when they were announced into the reception, each wedding party couple had a great dance to accompany the long walk down the stairs to the dance floor. when jason and rox took the floor, they were accompanied by a band of bagpipers to which they danced and jigged for four songs. i cried. it was electric.
it was a lovely weekend. and yes, rox is about 90 lbs. and five foot nothin.