wedding

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Our week was pretty productive, but every day was different. We only have about two full weeks left of summer before heading back to school. How is that possible?

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

This week was a mix of sports, school (classroom set up and PD for me), errands and just trying to get on track after a busy weekend last weekend.

So my favorites for this week are all about our nephew’s wedding last weekend.

One of Trav’s sisters has four kids, and Grace got married in June while Jacob got married in July. I don’t know how they pulled off two beautiful and unique weddings in as many months, but they did!

On Friday, we headed to Louisville, and checked into the Omni hotel. It is stunning! We got to our room and got ready as the shuttle was leaving about an hour after we arrived.

The wedding was held outside at an Air BNB. Yes –an outside wedding at 4:30 PM in July….but the space was gorgeous.

The photographer got this amazing shot:

The pond was also so pretty in the background.

It was hot, but it was a beautiful ceremony filled with only immediate family and a few close friends. The bride’s brother officiated the ceremony and Jacob’s sister also did a reading which made the ceremony even more special.

After the wedding, we headed down town an event space where they hosted a dinner.

The bride hand-stitched napkins for every guest as their place setting. The groom’s mom and grandma (Trav’s mom) made bourbon balls that were also at each place setting. So sentimental and sweet.

We got a few photos…

…after rallying from the heat! My hair looked better at 4:30 than it did at 7:00! haha

The cake was simple and beautiful…

This phone where you can leave messages for the bride and groom must be a popular guest book idea, and it’s so fun. I did joke that who knows what kinds of messages were left by the end of the evening (or the reception on Saturday!)

(Also, on Saturday, we showed the kids how to dial the rotary phone…their minds were blown!)

Hayden is so lucky to have Jacob (a professional runner) as a mentor for him when he’s training.

Trav’s brother is a photographer, so he got some awesome pics of Trav’s mom with her grand kids. Unfortunately, we were missing two cousins who were out of town.

Trav and his mom and siblings. This photo was taken by one of the grandsons who is becoming an excellent photographer and videographer himself.

It was a great evening. The Omni has a bowling alley and while some made it down to bowl once we got back to the hotel, Aunt Jen did not! I showered and put on that hotel robe and was ready for bed. haha

The next morning, we explored the hotel a bit more, and the kids liked going to the market to buy snacks when needed.

The bar area is so pretty…

We walked to Another Broken Egg for brunch, and it hit the spot.

We had family time most of the day and enjoyed the hotel’s amenities, and then it was time for the reception.

So, yes…this was a two day event for some. The reception was Saturday evening and more friends and extended family were there. The bride and groom really wanted a more intimate day for the wedding and then a bigger reception.

When we arrived at the reception, we picked up our seat assignment. Every guess (150-ish!) received post cards that correlated with the assigned table. Each post card had a hand written note from the bride or the groom.

The tables were named after places that were meaningful to them.

This bar was hand made by the groom’s dad and was at both our niece and then nephew’s weddings in June and July. How special!

We took a family photo…

…which led to Trav’s brother being kind enough to take a few photos. You know my kids were thrilled. haha!

We did go outside because the gardens at the Presbyterian Seminary were stunning.

I already have this one in a frame…

I loved this one too!

The kids let me take their pic…

…and then it was time to hit the dance floor. The kids had fun…Hadley told me she had to get used to dancing to a live band…kids these days!

Trav’s brother got this pic to finish up the evening! A time was had…

…before the bride and groom headed off to start married life…

We helped with clean up before getting back to the hotel late. What a weekend!

Favorite Mom Meme:

This isn’t necessarily a “Mom” meme…but these kids could never!

Weekly Recap:

I had a few fun posts this week:

Michigan Recap 2

MichiGan Recap 3

Throwback thursday: Disney 2

I hope you have a great weekend! We actually don’t have much on tap, so I hope to take it easy. I’ve already spent a lot of time thinking about school, and then next weekend Hadley has her first volleyball tournament of the season. So, I better rest while I can.

Hello and happy Friday!!

How was your week? I hope it was a good one. We had another week that included a little bit of everything…family time, workouts, pool time, productivity and more.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

I’m actually keeping this favorites post pretty short and sweet.

The #1 favorite from the week was celebrating our niece/cousin at her wedding on Saturday. She got married at the botanical gardens in Louisville.

Saturday’s evening forecast called for rain, and we were all holding our breath. It started to sprinkle right as we took our seats, but it cleared up for a bit and then rained once we were inside for the reception.

Rows 3-5 ready for the wedding to begin.

As we entered the reception, this was by the door:

Travis and I were on there too…20 years of marriage…

They had a Polaroid camera for their guest book. We got a fun pic, and Hadley signed the book for us.

When there was a slight break in the rain, we stepped outside for a family photo. Honestly, it was sprinkling, but I wanted to make the photo happen while Hayden had on his jacket! haha

Oh I wish the sun had been out as the cocktail hour was to be outside, but obviously it all worked out as they had a backup plan.

The centerpieces were simple and lovely. The cousins were at table 4 and the aunts/uncles at table 5.

We were only missing one cousin. These kids are all growing up on us!

Truth be told, it’s been a minute since I’ve been to a wedding with a full reception and dance floor. Well, as soon as the music started, most of the guests were out there….and as soon as they broke out the glow sticks, it kicked the fun up a notch. I’d say if you are throwing a wedding, foam glow sticks are where it’s at!

Also, if you need a pair of heels, I’ve had these for three years. I’ve worn them quite a few times, but I truly put them to the test on Saturday night…wearing them for almost eight hours! My feet lasted the entire night in them (I sized up half a size), and I didn’t even put on my back up flat sandals! Just sayin’!

…meanwhile…teen boys at a wedding reception…swiping the napkin rings and stacking them.

It was such a beautiful wedding celebrating the lovely couple.

I did make it to the pool on Tuesday, and the weather was amazing…the sun was out, but it wasn’t too hot. I finished my first book of the summer pool side. What’s better than that?!

I can now cross One Golden Summer off my summer reading list.

I also finally made it to a Pilates class that my friend teaches. I was able to go to so many classes in January/February when we had snow days, but the times don’t really work out otherwise. So, this summer, I’m hoping to go at least two days a week.

The kids and I arrived in KC on Wednesday to visit family for a few days. This is a part of summer that we look forward to every year. I’m sure I’ll share a recap once we get back.