Tag Archives: The Pinery

August 22, 2011

Mr. & Mrs. Games…YAY!!!

The wedding season has officially ended for me and Ben which means that I can finally stop working out every day, panicking over how my arms will look in photos! Bring on the chocolate my friends. After Rachel and Alex’s wedding we had about two weeks before my little brother got married. He was married on July 11th to his beautiful bride Stephanie. Zach has been a husband for nearly two months now…crazy! I feel like it was just last week that we were building forts and laughing at picture books together. I feel old saying this, but it is amazing how quickly the years go by.

The wedding week got started early as family and friends started flying in days before the big day. Since the wedding was on a Monday, we got to have a long weekend with those that were closest to Zach and Steph. It was great. Days before the wedding we prepared Zach’s house (the house we grew up in that my parents are trying to sell…but until then Zach and Steph are living in) for the 20 odd people who would be staying there. Not odd people mind you, but the number was so large and kept fluctuating that the exact number escapes me. It was A LOT of people though. Every available room was taken. There were air mattresses, suitcases, clothes, gifts, and food everywhere. No counter space or corner went unused. It was cluttered to say the least. It was entertaining though. There was a constant flow of activity. From basketball to baking, program designing to favor box assembly lines, the house swarmed with people and the buzz of chatter could be heard from nearly every room.

In the days leading up to the wedding we had several events that will forever be burned into my memory. One involves me and several of Stephanie’s girlfriends dressed in eighties attire, nearly getting kicked out of Dave and Busters because we were “bumping” the game that has coins precariously dangling over an edge (ahem…Tiana!). And just in case you were wondering, those games do have alarms if bumped. I haven’t laughed so hard in years! The second memory involves Stephanie in a grown up onsie, dancing blindfolded to “I’m too sexy for my shirt!” The last memory is of my brother dressed in leather chaps, matching vest (over his recently waxed chest, courtesy of his groomsmen and close friends), waiting to head out to the next phase of his bachelor party which included serenading strangers with a guitar outside the local frozen yogurt shop. Ahh, the memories.

There were so many memorable moments that week. The rehearsal was probably one of my favorite days. We all headed to the wedding venue which was called The Pinery, and let me just say, this site was A-mazing! The chapel and ballroom where the reception would be held were beautiful. The chapel was simply decorated but it was incredibly elegant and romantic. It fit Zach and Stephanie perfectly. There were candles in every windowsill and beautiful crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The front had one long rustic wood table that had more candles on it but the centerpiece of the room was a rustic looking wooden cross that hung on the wall. Just as this was the centerpiece of the room, so it is a symbol of the centrality of Christ in Zach and Stephanie’s marriage. It was perfect.

The morning of the rehearsal was filled with laughter as the wedding party at different points provided the background music necessary for the wedding. At one point the guys started singing my favorite song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and for those of you who know me, know that I can’t resist not singing that song. So when the boys started faltering with the words, I picked it up and belted out the lines. Yes, belted, because singing does not adequately portray the sound that I make. Screeching, might even be a more appropriate word. Anyhow, I humiliated myself for the sake of the song and well, because I love to sing, even though I can’t. I have no shame. All in all, we had a great time. Zach and Stephanie’s wedding party (plus their super fun spouses) made the days leading up to the wedding so fun.

That night we all headed to the rehearsal dinner which was at BJ’s…yes, my all time favorite pizza restaurant!! All you can eat pizza and pizookie! Oh, yeah, there was salad as well but who cares about all you can eat salad when there is pizza and pizookie to be had?! The food was amazing and the conversation lively, but it was when my dad lead the 50 or so people there to sing “Lean On Me” to Zach and Stephanie, that the evening was labeled a success in my mind. I kept waiting for everyone around us to join in, but apparently that only happens in the movies.

We (all 22 of us) headed to the house that night only to find that the electricity in the house had been knocked out by a rain storm that had occurred earlier in the afternoon. This had actually occurred earlier in the day but Ben and I had been out running errands. Not only was there no electricity but there was no water because, well, I can’t remember why, but there wasn’t any water. This had already been going on for nearly six hours. We couldn’t light candles because my dad is a severe asthmatic and smoke really bothers him, so we stood in the kitchen (all of us) around the lone flash light that had been produced. No one knew what to do. We called the electric company and of course couldn’t get through to anyone since it was late Sunday evening. My uncle who is an electrician said we couldn’t do anything until the company arrived as the problem was with the pole up the street that had been hit. Wonderful news. How were all of us going to get ready tomorrow morning without hair dryers and showers? What were we going to do about bathrooms people?! Twenty-two people can’t hold it for fifteen hours! Zach still had laundry he needed to do for his honeymoon for goodness sake. At first we all joked about it, thinking the electricity would come on any second. Then the seconds and minutes ticked by. The atmosphere slowly started to change to one of, seriously, what are we going to do?

Somewhere around the time that people started calling hotels, and I called my in-laws to see if me and Ben and some of the other members of the wedding party could stay at their house, the electricity came on. There was a collective cheer followed by a sigh of relief from everyone in the house. It was nearly eleven at night, but we had electricity! As excited as everyone was, we headed to bed pretty quickly. Afterall, we had a wedding to attend the next day!

The next day all the bridesmaids met early in the morning to begin our beautification process. We had a fun day filled with smiles and hairspray, quick lunches and cameras snapping away. Stephanie glowed. We arrived at the wedding site and were quickly ushered into the bridal room where we all put the finishing touches on our hair and makeup. As we waited we posed for “candid” photos, danced like idiots (or monkeys in Haley’s case!), snacked on the random cookies and fruits lying around, and in my case, jokingly led Stephanie through some yoga poses…in her wedding dress!

We were scheduled to take bridal party photos before the wedding but we had to make sure our timing was perfect as Zach and Stephanie were not seeing each other before the wedding. We had just stepped out of the bridal suite, Stephanie included, when Zach walked in. Ben, being the super hero he is quickly stepped in front of Stephanie and thrust the curtain in the doorway in front of her while yelling for Zach to leave! That’s my man…saving the day! After our close call with the groom we headed out for photos and then retired to our suite one last time. The buzz outside our room started to grow as guests started to arrive. This was when the emotion started kicking in. As I looked at Stephanie, this gorgeous bride, laughing and smiling with all her closest friends, I couldn’t help but get choked up. This beautiful, sweet-spirited woman was about to marry my equally amazing brother. She was going to become my sister in just a few minutes. As we lined up, and I stood next to Ben who looked so handsome, the emotion inside me started to well up from deep inside my heart. It filled me to the point that tears started to fill my eyes.

The music started and the wedding party made their way down the aisle. When it was our turn I took a deep breath, and felt my smile grow bigger and bigger as we walked up the aisle. It wasn’t until I reached the end of the aisle and my sweet, handsome brother looked and me and smiled, that my tears spilled over. I looked at him through my tears and just beamed. As is his usual custom with me, he gave me a crooked smile and winked. I walked up the stage and took my place and tried to gain composure. I managed to do so, for about a minute and a half. Then the doors opened to reveal my brother’s bride and I peeked over at him and saw him struggling to keep the tears from coming, and I knew I was a lost cause. The tears leaked out the side of my eyes and didn’t stop the whole wedding. This was the first wedding in my life where I cried the whole time. The room was charged with emotion and I just couldn’t do anything but let the tears slid. I was so proud of my brother. So excited for him. Who wouldn’t be?

The wedding was beautiful and very intimate. The energy in the room seemed to gain momentum as the wedding neared the last lap. Zach and Stephanie had never kissed up until this day. They had kissed each other’s faces (a hundred times a day it seemed!), but they had saved their first actual kiss for their wedding day. You cannot imagine the building suspense and excitement in the room. Nathan, their officiant, was brilliant, he dragged out the pronouncement as long as humanly possible while laughter spread throughout the room. Finally he said the magical words, “Zach, you may kiss your bride!” He did not have to be asked twice! It was beautiful! Cheers broke out everywhere and there wasn’t a face in the room that wasn’t smiling from ear to ear. The couple beamed as they made their way down the aisle and the wedding party gathered around the new couple and showered them in enormous hugs and loud exclamations of congratulations.

We all snuck away while the guests left, and then we headed back to the chapel for more photos. We had so much fun encouraging the newly married couple to kiss every chance we got. Ben was feeling the romantic atmosphere and decided that this was the opportune time to grab me and go for a kiss of his own…in front of everyone! You’ve never heard so may men encourage a man! This of course led Zach to give it another go to try for more cheers…mission accomplished! What can we say? Love was in the air!

After pictures we all headed to the reception which was stunning. The ballroom was beautifully decorated and lit to create just the right atmosphere. The reception was unique in that more people cried there than at the wedding. This was all due to Stephanie’s two dances. The dance she shared with her father was one that no one will ever forget as they cried in each other’s arms and held each other close. Then Stephanie surprised her mom, and asked her to dance. Again, more tears to be had by all. The dances left not a dry eye in the place, well except the boys I suppose. After this we all headed to dance floor to get the party started. It was a great night where I naturally didn’t stop dancing until the bride and groom left.

The night flew by way too quickly and before I knew it, Zach and Stephanie had re-entered the room in their going away attire. Zach in a white button down shirt with a bright red tie, and Stephanie in a saucy little red dress. They looked good. I was admiring how overjoyed they looked when it hit me that this meant they were leaving. This meant that I was going to have to say goodbye to my little brother and I wouldn’t see him again before I left to go back to Cambridge. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I knew when we were coming back, but I didn’t. Before they officially left, they started hugging friends and family and when they came to me I held on for dear life. I was sobbing uncontrollably and I just felt so sad saying goodbye to them like this. I don’t know why, but parting at their wedding for an indefinite amount of time was just really difficult. After I nearly choked Zach and Stephanie to death, I headed over to my dad and cried on his shoulder while he just hugged me tight.

After a while, we all headed to the main entrance and formed a line to the getaway car. Bubbles were flying everywhere and laughter and tears flowed freely. It was such a beautiful night and when Zach and Stephanie came strutting down the aisle to all the catcalls and cheers, I just felt so blessed. My brother looked so, so excited (naturally, we all know why he was excited LEAVING the wedding!), and Stephanie just glowed.

They climbed into the car that was decked out in shoe polish and waved goodbye. We all stood there cheering and waving until they turned the corner. The last of the bubbles floated into the air and everyone that was left smiled and lazily meandered back inside. I love the feeling after a wedding. It is one of camaraderie and love. Everyone is the closest of friends. Zach and Stephanie’s wedding was no different. It was an incredible night. My little brother had just joined the ranks of married men everywhere. He will make an incredible husband, and know that he will cherish and adore Stephanie just as God has called him to.

Zach and Stephanie, I pray that God blesses you two in your marriage. I love you both so much and feel so privileged to have been a part of your wedding day. Thank you for all the memories and I can’t wait to make even more with you!