Wedding Day Recap (with pictures!)

Everybody wants to see pictures of the wedding!  I understand--I do too!  

This past week, I was sent a link to a gallery of the pictures.  I'm not sure if this is all of the pictures, or there are more, or if I need to buy them, or if Ethan and Rebecca will have access to all of them.  Really, I have no clue what's going on.

So, I downloaded a few of my favorite pics from the gallery so that we could at least SEE some of them.  My friend, Kate, also grabbed my camera and took a bunch for me, thank goodness. I'll try and recap the day, although words just won't capture the happiness.

Ethan and Rebecca couldn't have asked for nicer weather in Washington DC on December 28.  Sunny and almost 60 degrees!

The temple ceremony was beautiful (and in John's words, the nicest one he's ever attended).  Someone (wink, wink) had arranged for Ethan's former bishop (from his singles ward in DC, and

While this isn't the exact room where they were sealed,
it looks similar.  And with the Schriever Family, Beth, and
our friends, we filled up all 48 chairs.

 who is now in the temple presidency) to preside over the ceremony.  What a blessing.  He offered beautiful words of wisdom to the couple, and it was just a peaceful, happy occasion.

Unbelievably, I didn't shed a tear through the entire ceremony!  I was crazy happy and excited about the day, and I focused on that.  However, once the couple was married and our friends were coming through the line, congratulating them, I completely fell apart.  Not having any family at the wedding, I realized how blessed our family has been (and me especially) with good friends.  Friends who are better than family.

The moment I cried the most?  When I saw Beth, John's sister, sitting across the sealing room from me.  Most of the time, I'm okay with our family just being John, me and the kids, but I was thankful beyond words that she was there.

Coming out of the temple.  They were off the charts happy, and I think the rest of us might have been even happier!

The temple goers.

My friend, Kate, had taken my camera and was able to catch this "unofficial" family photo.  Since there were both Kennedys and Schrievers represented, I claimed Jared as my "family".

No joke, Beth drove with all four kids to attend the wedding.
One of these days she will believe me when I tell her that she's SUPERWOMAN.

Jared flew in from Germany for the weekend.  It was funny to hear people ask if he was John's brother.
Yep, brotha' from anotha' motha'!!  No seriously, we just explained that he is Ethan's godfather (cue music....)

I'm so thankful Kate took this picture, because I don't think there's another one of us.  We missed Mark terribly.

Kate and family.  It was actually Stephen's birthday so we didn't miss the moment to embarrass him!

Ethan spent several DAYS looking for just the right wedding ring.
It actually looks stunning with Rebecca's engagement ring.

One of my favorite pictures of the day.

So, it wouldn't be a Kennedy event without some craziness, right?  Well, back in the day, one of the boys' German teachers got married.  I learned then that it's a German tradition to saw a log as soon as the married couple walks out of the church--it's symbolic of the hard things they will need to do together.

Taking it one step further, I thought it would be nice if all the people who are near and dear to the couple also took turns sawing, letting the couple know that we would be there to help them through the hard times....but in the end, they would have to do it themselves.

Tracy Kendall, our family's home teacher for the past 7 1/2 years, was instrumental in making this all happen.  He has done so much for our family, and this was no exception.  Not only did he build the "saw buck" to hold the log, but he used a router to cut the names into the end of the log as well as stain it all.  John and I couldn't tell him enough how thankful we are for his friendship.

Aside from the sealing, this was definitely my favorite part of the day.  It was fun, and different, and beautiful outside.

I love that both Tracy and "Brother Moran" are in this picture.  Perfect.

You can just see the temple on the right side of the picture.
Too, I love that Rebecca's feet are coming out of her shoes as she tries to kiss her very tall honey.

Didn't Tracy do a great job?

Apparently, everyone loved this idea.  From what I hear, it's not only going to happen with other weddings,
but it's going to happen at some upcoming anniversaries.

Yes, Ethan has very good-looking friends :-)

This was the tallest companionship in the Poland Warsaw mission.  Ethan says it's a relief being around "Elder Hooker" because he actually needs to look UP to talk to him.
Johannah (and other women at the reception) just wanted to know how old he is ;-)

Another favorite.  This just embodies how they feel about each other.

These two are ALWAYS holding hands,
and the sweeter thing is that Rebecca is usually holding Ethan's arm too.  I love it.

In front of the temple doors.

Too funny.

So, the next Kennedy family fun moment?  John and I wanted to take everyone out to lunch who had come to the temple ceremony.  Lucky for us, we had been told about a German restaurant, halfway between the temple and the reception locale.  We scoped it out before, got permission from the married couple, and we were off!

It's a little place that you would never even know existed.  Schmankerl Stube.  Hmmmm, schnitzel....

Tracy told us that he and Keri-Lynn were honored that the couple chose to sit with them.
And the conversation?  Ethan and Rebecca wanted advice on how to have a good marriage.

We were the last ones to leave.  You better believe John, Jared and Glo weren't letting other people's leftovers go to waste!

In the middle of the afternoon, the bridal party escaped to some spot in the middle of nowhere and took pictures together.  The girls and I hurried to the church, because in all honesty, with all the wedding and Christmas festivities, we hadn't practiced music for the ring ceremony!  However, the girls were champs, and they sounded beautiful.  Jared officiated at the ceremony, and it was fun, hearing his "inside jokes" (marriage...it's what brings us together...) and as well as some good advice involving samurai swords.

Then, the reception.

The hall looked really beautiful, and the couple were cute as anything.  Rebecca's mom and family had gone all out, transforming a gymnasium into a banquet hall.

Rebecca danced with her dad to "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley.  It was such a tender moment.

I also danced with Ethan, but I look so FAT in the picture that I won't ever post it (or hope it sees the light of day)!  Ethan had chosen "The House That Built Me" which is one of my top ten favorite songs of all time.  Here are the lyrics:

I know they say you can't go home again.
I just had to come back one last time.
Ma'am, I know you don't know me from Adam.
But these handprints on the front steps are mine.
And up those stairs, in that little back bedroom
is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar.
And I bet you didn't know under that live oak
my favorite dog is buried in the yard.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it's like I'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself
if I could just come in I swear I'll leave.
Won't take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.

Mama cut out pictures of houses for years.
From 'Better Homes and Garden' magazines.
Plans were drawn, concrete poured,
and nail by nail and board by board
Daddy gave life to mama's dream.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it,
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it's like I'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself.
If I could just come in I swear I'll leave.
Won't take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.

You leave home, you move on and you do the best you can.
I got lost in this whole world and forgot who I am.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it's like I'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself.
If I could walk around I swear I'll leave.
Won't take nothing but a memory
from the house that built me.

Dancing with him, I just lost it.  I made him promise that he would come home occasionally.

Much to Ethan's surprise, Rebecca wasn't going to make it easy for him to find the garter!

It was almost OBSCENE how high he had to go to reach it!

We sent off the couple through a line of sparklers.  They were awesome--three feet long and burned for four minutes.  The car was supposed to be right outside the church, but somehow that didn't happen.  So, we stretched all through the parking lot and led the way for them.

Thanks to the Fosters for lending us Hornet for the evening.  As they drove away, Ethan made a "victory lap" through the sparklers again, letting us all wave goodbye one last time.