It's difficult to put this last week into words. At least without grossly overusing adjectives like "beautiful", "wonderful", "awesome", "rockstar", etc. But I will try. Here goes.
We flew into Fresno on Sunday, did our shopping, visited with family, and settled into our cabin by Monday afternoon. That evening (September 5th) we celebrated Mom and Dad's 30th anniversary with friends and food. Good times were had by all! Tuesday we spent at Yosemite (see previous posts).
Wednesday was the official start of "wedding week", complete with projects and crisis! Mom, Jenna, Aunt Suzanne, Brooklyn and I went into Oakhurst to get our nails done. Now I don't enjoy getting my hair or nails done unless I have a friend or relative to talk to. So who did they leave alone in the salon to make small talk with the mountain people while they went to Sky Ranch to check on details? ME!! To be fair, it was the good folks at Sierra Sky Ranch who were freaking out about the reception plans, so it's not like I missed a lot of fun. But still, it was not my favorite part of the week. Also getting gels HURTS!!
The various projects were fun and came together very nicely. Jenna's wedding was very "do it yourself" and a great reflection of Jenna and Brett's personalities.
By Friday all the bridesmaids were present and accounted for! We gathered for pancakes, mimosas, and an official planning meeting wherein we combed through the details and divied up the jobs so Jenna could stop thinking about them. I said it many times over the weekend and will say it again now: Jenna's bridesmaids are rock-stars!! They took care of everything the way Jenna wanted it. They thought of things we hadn't thought of. They loved and encouraged Jenna so she felt as celebrated as a bride should. And they are the kind of friends that will support Jenna and Brett throughout their marriage. They are the community that will help strengthen the new Ostrander's commitment and build them up in Christ.
So Friday evening we had the rehearsal. I think we threw poor Norma (the church wedding coordinator) for a loop! Not only did Jenna have specific ideas about what she wanted all neatly typed out (and not all of them were traditional either!) she also had several dominant, vocal bridesmaids making sure things happened exactly the way she wanted them! As far as rehearsals go, it was very smooth. We also now hold the record for the largest wedding party at LCITP (14 attendants plus 2 flower girls!) (Little Church in the Pines).
Rehearsal dinner was in Oakhurst at Sweetwater Steakhouse. It was lovely. The food was fine and I found a wine I don't mind drinking! My favorite part was when Jenna and Brett read letters they had written to their future in laws. Very sweet, and further proof that this is a couple with their hearts in the right place.
Ray and I left after dinner to put the kids to bed, which I desperately needed! So many people and activities and being so close to the center of it -- I was drained! I took full advantage of my "momminess" and spent a few quiet hours with my husband and kids doing the completely normal bedtime routine. Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, all of the out of town guests (which was pretty much everyone!) joined the wedding party for an after party! It was a brilliant idea of Jenna's to give them more time to see all the people they had invited to celebrate with them. I'm told it was a good time ;0)
The bridesmaids brought Jenna back to the cabin promptly at 9:00pm where I had a pineapple (yellow) and blueberry (navy) dump cake (aka: sex on a spoon) waiting for the bachelorette party. We changed into our pjs, ate our dessert (including a super delicious chocolate concoction by bridesmaid Chanell and ice cream to tie it all together) and created a "dessert menu" of Jenna's lingerie for Jenna to present to Brett on their honeymoon. At 10 pm we gave Jenna 1/2 a bendryl and at 11 we put her to bed.
At 11:30, when I was in bed, I thought "Crap! I haven't written my speech yet!" but somehow I knew it would get done. Before we knew it, the big day had come...9...10...11!!!
We flew into Fresno on Sunday, did our shopping, visited with family, and settled into our cabin by Monday afternoon. That evening (September 5th) we celebrated Mom and Dad's 30th anniversary with friends and food. Good times were had by all! Tuesday we spent at Yosemite (see previous posts).
Wednesday was the official start of "wedding week", complete with projects and crisis! Mom, Jenna, Aunt Suzanne, Brooklyn and I went into Oakhurst to get our nails done. Now I don't enjoy getting my hair or nails done unless I have a friend or relative to talk to. So who did they leave alone in the salon to make small talk with the mountain people while they went to Sky Ranch to check on details? ME!! To be fair, it was the good folks at Sierra Sky Ranch who were freaking out about the reception plans, so it's not like I missed a lot of fun. But still, it was not my favorite part of the week. Also getting gels HURTS!!
The various projects were fun and came together very nicely. Jenna's wedding was very "do it yourself" and a great reflection of Jenna and Brett's personalities.
By Friday all the bridesmaids were present and accounted for! We gathered for pancakes, mimosas, and an official planning meeting wherein we combed through the details and divied up the jobs so Jenna could stop thinking about them. I said it many times over the weekend and will say it again now: Jenna's bridesmaids are rock-stars!! They took care of everything the way Jenna wanted it. They thought of things we hadn't thought of. They loved and encouraged Jenna so she felt as celebrated as a bride should. And they are the kind of friends that will support Jenna and Brett throughout their marriage. They are the community that will help strengthen the new Ostrander's commitment and build them up in Christ.
So Friday evening we had the rehearsal. I think we threw poor Norma (the church wedding coordinator) for a loop! Not only did Jenna have specific ideas about what she wanted all neatly typed out (and not all of them were traditional either!) she also had several dominant, vocal bridesmaids making sure things happened exactly the way she wanted them! As far as rehearsals go, it was very smooth. We also now hold the record for the largest wedding party at LCITP (14 attendants plus 2 flower girls!) (Little Church in the Pines).
Rehearsal dinner was in Oakhurst at Sweetwater Steakhouse. It was lovely. The food was fine and I found a wine I don't mind drinking! My favorite part was when Jenna and Brett read letters they had written to their future in laws. Very sweet, and further proof that this is a couple with their hearts in the right place.
Ray and I left after dinner to put the kids to bed, which I desperately needed! So many people and activities and being so close to the center of it -- I was drained! I took full advantage of my "momminess" and spent a few quiet hours with my husband and kids doing the completely normal bedtime routine. Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, all of the out of town guests (which was pretty much everyone!) joined the wedding party for an after party! It was a brilliant idea of Jenna's to give them more time to see all the people they had invited to celebrate with them. I'm told it was a good time ;0)
The bridesmaids brought Jenna back to the cabin promptly at 9:00pm where I had a pineapple (yellow) and blueberry (navy) dump cake (aka: sex on a spoon) waiting for the bachelorette party. We changed into our pjs, ate our dessert (including a super delicious chocolate concoction by bridesmaid Chanell and ice cream to tie it all together) and created a "dessert menu" of Jenna's lingerie for Jenna to present to Brett on their honeymoon. At 10 pm we gave Jenna 1/2 a bendryl and at 11 we put her to bed.
At 11:30, when I was in bed, I thought "Crap! I haven't written my speech yet!" but somehow I knew it would get done. Before we knew it, the big day had come...9...10...11!!!
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