My sister is a married woman! Pretty much the entire wedding was planned and executed in the few weeks leading up to THE BIG DAY (which made for a crazy few weeks) but we pulled it off and (in my opinion) it was a beautiful event!
Paige and Geoff got sealed together in marriage at the Washington DC Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and an open house was held at my parent's house in Greensboro, North Carolina a couple of days later. Her wedding day ended up being rainy, but we got lucky and the rain held off while we took photos after the ceremony. They say rain on the day you get married is good luck, so I hope it is for them!
As always, the DC Temple provided a GORGEOUS backdrop for pictures. There is nothing quite like witnessing the very beginnings of a marriage, so to be able to photograph it is always such an honor and joy. Add your sister into the mix and you might find yourself a little emotional too...
Paige's dress was made by a family friend, as was her bouquet. For her hair she wanted to follow the Irish tradition of having braids and wearing a crown of herbs and wildflowers (made by me on the drive to the temple using fresh herbs from the grocery store and flowers picked behind my grandparent's house). We found her shoes on a hunt through DSW; our youngest sister Laura is responsible for spotting them. The belt is from Target, and her earrings are little W's (her new last name starts with W) she found in a local shop. Geoff was very dapper in a grey suit and had yellow suspenders and a green and white striped skinny tie. Paige really loves stripes (so do I) so his socks were grey and yellow striped too.
The idea for the open house was to keep everything simple and summer-y. We made white bunting and hung white ribbons from the trees. Paige loves succulents so we cleared out Home Depot and decorated with them, as well as a couple of wildflower bouquets from the farmer's market. Yellow provided the pop of color; the same family friend made a few gorgeous bouquets to decorate with that incorporated her colors of green, yellow, and white with traditional flowers, wildflowers and succulents. My Nicola (Max refused to participate) painted the letters, and we had plenty of engagements photos, candles, and all the plants and flowers on display. The painting Laura made for the happy couple was displayed as well (she is insanely talented). Their invitation was made by me and was so 'Paige' we framed it for her to hang in her new house (and displayed it too). We served barbecue sliders, potato salad and coleslaw, a berry salad, sliced peaches, watermelon, a cheese tray, and fresh vegetable and dip, with a white grape peach juice punch to drink.
Now for the cake! Paige's favorite type of cake is angel food so that's what we did. She also really loves dinosaurs, hence the cake toppers. (there were also little dinosaurs tucked away in pots) We left it the way it is since she doesn't like icing, and had strawberries and blackberries and whipped cream to put on top once it was cut. Having angel food cake made for an entertaining cake cutting; instead of a graceful cut they had to saw through it (with Paige holding on to the cake topper so it didn't fall off).
A couple weeks before we were all talking about the backyard open house and my dad joked that it would end up like George Banks' daydream in Father of the Bride. We all laughed, but upon reflection I think it actually ended up pretty close! It was very low-key and simple, and we even served barbecue. Now I'm going to have to watch the movie again just to see how similar...
A big thank you to everyone who helped out and who came! I know this was the start of something beautiful and lovely and I can't wait to see how their new little family unfolds through the years. I love you Paige and am so excited to have a new brother-in-law! Next up are some nieces and nephews... (no pressure)
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