The Wedding :)

The wedding was beautiful. I hate to be back in Tallahassee, in class.

The ceremony was a little long, but the ribbon-children were so cute going down the aisle--all 11 of them! My cousin, Elizabeth, looked beautiful in her gown--a mermaid gown, fitted to her knees, then with some flare at the bottom. I was kind of hoping she would wear a less traditional gown, since she is so artistic, but I forgot how traditional her family is. She wore a beautiful lace-lined veil. The bridesmaids were in orange with awesome shoes, and the groomsmen and groom wore khaki suits. While everyone waited for the trolley, a band was outside playing "When the Saints go Marching In." We didn't wait for the trolley--instead we walked. It was nice to be able to see more of Key West.

Hemingway House was amazing. When we got there, cocktail hour was waiting for us. Waiters were passing out appetizers, which I didn't eat because they had meat, and there were tables with fruit, cheese, crackers, bread, and hummus. There were also waiters handing out mojitos, sangria, and lemonade. As people started arriving, a band started playing and it really got lively. Chairs were found for some of the older guests, and kids were running around. The wedding party were taking pictures up on the second floor porch of the house and eventually everyone wandered over to the reception space, which was on the lawn.

The tables were really pretty. Elizabeth had picked out really pretty centerpieces, these low arrangements of green flowers. Her colors of pink, orange, and green really worked. Each setting had a favor box--inside was a little bowl made by Elizabeth. Where she usually signs her name, she had stamped her name and her now-husband's name, and the wedding date. It was adorable! And it had to have been so much work. Each one was a different combination of colors.

The dinner was lovely. There was an amazing salad. And then beef or fish. I had selected the beef. I ate the potatoes and some of the asparagus and then split my steak pieces between my sister and Matt. My sister had the fish, and she said it was really good.

The wedding party had a pretty awesome entrance and did the speeches right away, then the first dance. Then the band started up, and they were a little too loud. The cake cutting was cool. They didn't smash it in each others' faces. Unfortunately  the cake was right by the band and we ended up standing right by the speaker, so that was annoying. Bu the cake was delicious. Each layer was a different flavor. There was white cake with guava filling, a red velvet, and a white cake with cream cheese filling. At least.

The kids were chasing cats for awhile, but as the cats disappeared, they began chasing each other. I was so afraid they would knock over one of the serving stations or run into someone, but I don't think there was an incident.

Overall, it was a wonderful evening, and I am so grateful my parents gave Matt and I to go to our first wedding together.