Down the Aisle -- Our Friends Get Married

The family made a trip to Michigan for the wedding of our friends Todd and Kate. They opted for some great fall colors in the gowns and tuxes. Jeff and I (mostly Jeff) spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning making the appetizers for the reception. Monsignor Bill Duncan (the same priest that married Jeff and I and baptized Dimitrios) officiated at the ceremony. We did spend a bit of time with our respective parents though it didn't seem like very much. My mother was a God-send as she helped me with shopping for the food and with getting my dress in a wearable state (for those who don't know, Kate requested we make our own dresses for the ceremony). Thanks Mom!!! Anyway, it was nice to be in Michigan again for a few days. I picked out some of my favorite pictures to show you.

Dimitrios and Kate. Our son picked out this outfit by himself. He looks so handsome in his fancy clothes.Dimitrios wanted a picture taken with mom and since we were finished with the professional pictures we thought why not. Dad had to have his turn as well. He also looked great!
I walked down the aisle with Kate's brother, Matt. He and his girlfriend flew in from Iowa for the festivities. The other bridesmaids were Kathryn and Tracey (Todd's sister). Kristin (Kate's sister) was the maid of honor and she and the kids (Tommy and Molly) flew in from California. I don't remember all the names of the groomsman besides Matt but I believe Jason was one, Steve another and Mike was the best man. The flower girls were Emmalyn and Joya (Todd's nieces) and the ring bearer was Tommy (Kate's nephew). The flowers were made by the wedding party. I believe each bouquet (except mine) was made by the bridesmaid who carried it.The hall was very close to the church. The wedding party didn't have to walk... we got to take a hay ride. It was very surprising as they didn't warn us about this at the rehearsal. This is the hall which we set up the night before. Each table had a homemade cake, cake stand, various candles, and a basket of fruit. The dance floor had paper lanterns hanging over it. There were holiday lights all over the place and the gift/cake table, head table, and buffet tables were all nicely laid out. These are the fruit skewers. Jeff and Tracy (my sister) spent a good deal of time on these one of the nights. I was cutting up the bread for the crostini at the time.
This is the celery, carrots, and crackers that we set out for the spinach-artichoke dip. We didn't get a picture of the spinach-artichoke dip as it was in the oven heating up.

This was the brusschetta and black olive tapenade with crostini. Kate's sister and mother loved the tapenade. A couple of the guests even asked for the recipe of the spinach-artichoke dip and tapenade. A huge kudos to Jeff who did most of the work on the appetizers. Couldn't have done it without him.Dimitrios was to be found, occasionally, behind the bar helping fill glasses with ice and keeping an eye on the pitchers of beer as they were poured from the tap.Then there was the Dollar Dance. They were offering shots of apple or watermelon pucker for your dollar to dance with the bride or groom. I actually paid to "dance" with Kate first (which in my family means to pull a couple chairs in and give the bride a chance to rest her feet). Todd did very good, not a bruised toe at all. Which was good as my feet were killing me by this time.Jeff danced with Kate. The first picture I took actually had a glass of beer in Kate's hands. She decided it was much more appropriate to forgo the beer.

Although we missed the turning of the leaves this time it was wonderful to see all our family and friends again.