The Bestest Funnest Wedding Ever

My little brother (okay only brother) got married this weekend and yes it was an affair more than deserving of the above grammatically incorrect hyperbole. They got married in my parents' backyard, which is on the Verde River. My brother and his wife are young but their vows were heartfelt, beautiful, meaningful, and I think realistic. They included "I will listen to you, respect you, and promise to strive to understand (or know) you all the days of my life" (paraphrasing a little because I can't remember it word for word.) There was also a lot about coming together as one but remaining two people, and maintaining a sense of identity; I liked that and I think that's what marriage actually is. As part of the ring ceremony, each said "with this ring, I give you your freedom." I couldn't have been more blown away if I was a trailer in a tornado.
Neither my brother nor his wife are overtly religious and this was a civil ceremony. However, there was a feeling of sacredness that sent chills down my spine in 90+ degree weather. I've been to very few weddings where I felt certain that the two getting married were really and truly made for each other (I find that at most I just wish the couple the best), but I felt that way about this wedding. My brother and his new wife fit together, match each other, reflect each other, in a way that is truly remarkable. Which is not say that I think their lives will always be easy or their marriage will always be a cake walk, but I think they have a rock-solid foundation and that's more that most couples, especially 24-year-old ones, have when they start out.
Anyway, the setting was beautiful. The bride was stunning. Turns out my brother wears a suit pretty well. Everybody cried. Garion was the ring bearer and stand-in fourth groomsman. The flower girl completely embraced her job and started the whole thing with a totally adorable encounter with her dad as she made her way down the aisle: "Daddy! Hi Daddy!" Tosses some flowers at dad..."Daddy, I got you!"
THEN! Then there was the party. Lunch was bar-b-q beef, macaroni salad, chicken salad, some kind of marinated vegetable salad, black been salsa a chips, rolls, and baked beans. Dessert was a chocolate fountain with fruit, delightful cookies, and scrumptious lemon bars. There was wine, a keg, AND! champagne from France. Lisa's family hosted a French exchange student when Lisa was in high school and both families are very close. The French father contributed 36 bottles of champagne (shipped from France), pate, and calvados (an apple brandy from France that, with one sip, sets you fire from your tongue to your toes). Said French Father also delivered a beautiful (I presume) toast in French that, as I understand it, ended with an invitation for everyone to come to his house and France. Done! Generous-French-Father-of-exchange-student, I am totally on my way! (As an aside, Garion got to walk down the aisle with the French exchange student and she is every bit the hottie you would expect a French former exchange student to be--pretty cute.) The bride and groom decided to dispense with the wedding cake nonsense to which I say, "bravo!" because I can't remember a wedding cake that ever actually tasted good, but the lemon bars at this wedding definitely did.
After this fabulous meal, there was live music from two guitar players and one of the bride's maids who has a knock-out voice. My brother and his wife danced to the Sam Cooke tune "You Send Me." Jennifer (the bridesmaid with the knock-out voice) took it to a gorgeous, slow bluesy level that was so romantic it triggered the waterworks all over again. The bride and her dad danced to "I loved her First"-- more water works. My brother and my mom danced to a song I don't know. Big time waterworks for me; as a mom, I can't go to a wedding now without thinking about dancing that dance with my son at his wedding and imagining how hard it must be to let go of your baby. I mean seriously, I can barely handle the thought of the school bus.
After the the family dances, the trio did a great set of blues based music and I learned something fascinating about my brother: dude's got some moves! I took a video. I know it might be mean to post a video of your brother (dancing) without asking him first, so when he gets back from his honeymoon I'll take it down if he doesn't want it up. But in the meantime:




Okay--these weren't the best of my brother's moves, but I was feeling bad about not getting a shot of the first dance, so I thought I'd take a video of the third or fourth dance. Some of the still photos will give you a better idea of his groove--amazing! Who knew? Also, above referenced French former exchange student is visible in this video as, of course, the really good dancer in the red dress.
After the dancing, about, I'd say, oh, a not-insignificant number of people hit the river (the husband of yours truly was the first one in). There was the garter toss, bouquet toss, and then of course the traditional groom toss (into the river--he'd already changed out of his suit so it wasn't a tragedy). At sundown, the newly weds paddled a canoe down the river and into their new lives. The party (that started at 11:00 am) continued until about 10:00 that night in the delightful way that really good parties wind down where a bunch of happy, sloshed people sit around and shoot the breeze. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, my heart swelled, it was an awesome day in every sense of the word. Here are some photos of this most audacious party.