wedding weekend

i've fallen a little behind this week, but luckily i didn't really take any pictures this past weekend, totally freeing me up to post my pics from the weekend before. if you follow the daily bebe, as all of you do, then you already know that we took bebe to her very first wedding on the beach. she's got her city wedding already under her belt from last year, so i guess now all she needs is a good 'ol fun filled wedding-in-the-country *cough* aunt marge *cough, cough* uncle ben *cough* and she'll have covered the three most common matrimonial ceremonies. come to think of it, this was actually my very first wedding on the beach too.

before the festivities, she got a pep talk from mommy. "if you happen to fill your diaper, play it off as the smell of low tide until one of us can freshen you up. and stay away from the cocktails- you know how you get when you drink!"

the ceremony itself was down on the beach, while the dinner was up the hill at the main building. the reception was in the boathouse close to where the ceremony took place, and it was decorated with tons of lanterns and string lights:

"...and if we should get separated, cry out like a wounded seagull until we can find you. and stay away from the water's edge! a killer whale might mistake you for a tasty baby seal. if that should happen, throw this doll as a distraction while you scramble to safety. oh, and swim parallel to shore in case of a rip tide!"

"but i can't swim! i'm one!"

"well then what the hell are you doing in the water in the first place!?!"

"..."

the brides met on a boat (they were on a semester-at-sea trip) so the ocean inspired decor had more to do with the wedding than just being on the beach. the horse-durvs were all foody representations of countries they had visited while on the boat. they were tasty!

those people are pirates (obviously). look at them gleefully plotting to keel-haul us or make us walk the plank and stuff. i don't know who invited them, but who actually invites pirates? they wouldn't really be pirates if they were supposed to show up. half the fun of being a pirate is getting to just sail into anything you want, shivering your timbers and shit. and also to wear eye patches. but i guess they don't wear those to formal events. whatever.

"daddy, are they still pirates even without the eye patches?"

funny you should mention that, face. i was just talking about those "pirates" in the picture above this one. i myself feel like they're just pirating the pirate look. they better be careful in case some "real" pirates show up. i happened to mutter a 'yo-ho-ho' close by and they scattered like pigeons...

beebs waited until the room filled up before she made her proper entrance:

next, it was down to the beach for the wedding!

i was only able to get a shot of one of the brides because my "partner" kept trying to throw herself down the set of stairs we were on. hard to find good help, etc., etc.

now this is my kind of social event! me- way up high out of the way, everyone else- all in one big group far away.

lil' miss bloomers wouldn't stop till she got all the way to the top.

looks nice from up here...

i finally got tired of watching beatrix, so i let her go down the stairs to the beach by herself. that's her way down there with some lady she met who walked with her for a while and even offered to give her a ride home...just kidding. actually i just held her down in place with my foot so i could take the rest of the pictures i wanted to take. i told her not to squirm or else she'd get splinters. kids are SO AFRAID of splinters, it's ridiculous. that woman down there is actually with her own squirmy baby, by the way.

i think bebe was feeling a little overwhelmed at first, but she loves to hang out with the big kids.

once she gets comfortable, it's impossible to get a good shot of her- she's never in the same spot for very long.

in fact, the only time she's still is when she's reading one of her books.

the brides, posing for pics

this is mommy and bebe during dinner. we were seated out on a deck and the sun was toasty. but since some of us had spent the entire first half of the summer bitching about all the rain, we weren't about to complain. or listen to someone complain. who had spent the entire first half of the summer whining about the rain...

who's that, down on the green?

hey ladies!

meet you down by the boathouse.

the blushing brides.

kate stopped to show bebe the lady bug on her arm.

and as is so often the case, bebe makes friends wherever she goes...

as the sun set, the guests congregated back at the boathouse for drinks, cake, and dancing.

and what kind of a party would it be if a daddy doesn't get to dance with his baby lady?

thanks for having such a great wedding kate and alden! we had a really great time!