Redhead Wedding

Saturday my red haired niece Whitney married her red haired fiance Jeff - and 150 of their closest friends and relatives were there to join in the celebration.  :-)  I loved the whole thing from their clever wedding invitation, the rural location of the wedding, the light-hearted officiation of the marriage and the humorous speeches following the dinner in the tin roof barn.  I took most of these photos but this one and one other are courtesy of Steve and Denise's lifelong friend, Steve Poland.

We arrived and joined my sister Denise, the mother of the bride and Steve, the father of the bride and Shane and Kevin, the bride's two brothers.  The weather was amazing, it's been a heat wave so a cool day was a blessing.  I was happy to see the windmills.. I'm kind of obsessed with them.  We were introduced to Jeff's family and chatted with them.

I *want* a windmill like this on our farm.  :-)

This is an old AERMOTOR windmill.

Everyone headed to the tin roofed open air shed to chat, have a beverage and hors d'oeuvres were passed on trays by nice young ladies.

My sister Denise on the right with one of their friend's son's girlfriend.  I loved the dress my sister wore, she looked GORGEOUS and was having the time of her life the whole day.

This area was used before the wedding and then afterwards before dinner was served.  

It was lit by this big white chandelier.  

There were a lot of young people, friends of the bridal couple, and all the way from very young babies, children, to those of us on the other end of the age spectrum.  :-)

We were all called to move to the area where the ceremony would be held.. after we were all seated Jeff and his best man walked up to the altar which was rustic and covered with Wisteria vines.

Whitney asked BOTH of her parents to walk her down the aisle.. I think it should always be done this way.  You can tell by their faces that it was a VERY happy occasion.

I surrepticiously pulled my camera out of my purse and snapped a few photos.  They'd asked for no cell phones to be used.. so I used my camera.. :-D

There were five handsome groomsmen and five beautiful bridesmaids.

The young ladies picked their own dresses using a similar colorway and they all looked so pretty.

This is one of Steve Poland's photos, he had a better view of Whitney than I did.  I love this image!!

Their friend Keir officated at the ceremony and had us all in stitches the whole time.  He extolled on the merits and wonders of his friend Whitney and told us how he questioned if Jeff would measure up and then how he won all their friends over.  I quite literally never have been to a wedding so much fun and joyful.  

It was clear how much these two loved each other, how well matched they are and how much all their friends care for them.

And.. they are married!!

As we entered the tin roof barn, it was all lit up and the tables laid with vintage lace tablecloths and set with mis-matched vintage china plates and saucers.

Salads, bread, oil with a sprig of lavender for the bread, BBQ salmon and tri-tip steak for dinner and an assortment of desserts.  This is when more fun occurred when speeches by the groomsmen and bridesmaids were delivered.  We all roared with laughter and enjoyment.

The salad and bread part of the meal.

There was a window behind me.. the rural landscape beyond.

I asked a young woman if she'd snap a photo of Dayle and I with Whitney.  :-)  She is an attorney and most of her friends are also.  I see a bright future for my beloved niece and her husband.  

Dayle and I are packing again today - we're off for 5 nights in Oakridge, OR.  We are staying in a hotel and will drive up to spend the days with my brother, his wife and sister at Waldo Lake.  Dayle was not up to taking our trailer this year so we're trying something different.  I should be able to blog from there which will be different than usual when I am off-grid for almost 2 weeks.  Thanks for visiting today, have a wonderful week!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)