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Monday, June 27, 2011

The Party's Over; Real Life Begins Again

Yes, our daughter's wedding is now memories and pictures.

 Bedraggled centerpieces from the reception.   They were gorgeous on Saturday, by this morning -- having been "rearranged" by curious small children at the After Party -- they aren't at their best.
But oh, what lovely pink and cream roses!
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You have to love life,
which in the course of 25 years can transform this:
into this:
The wedding, which occupied so many of our thoughts
and so much of our time for the past six months, is over.
Now, the marriage begins.
And that's the important part.

The ceremony was beautiful.
If you are on Facebook, you can go to our dog Dion's Facebook page (link on right of blog)
and see a short video shot by my dear friend Mardi, as Alida and her Daddy walked down the aisle.

The reception was pretty much exactly as we had hoped.
Fabulous food, great guests, loads of dancing and laughing and clinking of glasses.

And the bride danced with her father to that sweet old standard, Daddy's Little Girl.
Yeah, I cried.  But not as much as I thought!
Who wants to smear professionally applied makeup?

Oh my gosh, there are so many things I want to share, but the "kids" are here for breakfast, and in a couple of hours we'll take them to the airport to fly back to California.  They leave Los Angeles next Saturday for a 3-week honeymoon in China.  Howard and I drove to Canada for our honeymoon.  Times change!

So I'm just going to add a picture of Josh and his two dads, sharing cigars in the garden at the Inn.
Howard looks pretty pleased with himself, doesn't he?
And he sure does clean up nice.
Josh's Dad is a doctor with the Navy -- the fellas had medical permission to smoke.  :-)
The two dads, who cannot claim "I didn't inhale."
Eventually most of the gentlemen from the wedding drifted outside to join the Bad Boys Club
in the garden for a smoke, provided by the groom and the best man.

After the reception, about 65 guests drifted to That Old House for an After Party.
These pictures are from After that Party!
 I didn't get any pictures during the wedding, or during the After Party, or the Brunch the next day.
I did take this shot, but I took it this morning, before the rental tent and equipment is taken down and hauled away.
 That Old House loves a good party, and she asked to keep the tent, but we had to say, No.
 Party Aftermath.  Boxes to recycle.  Lawn games my sister brought for the little kids to play with.
 Yesterday, it was Brunch at home, with fresh New Jersey bagels, some egg casseroles, muffins,pastries, fruit, coffee, and juices, and enhancements for those juices for those who wanted a bit of the hair of the dog that had bitten them the night before.

When all quieted down in the afternoon, with the family -- both families! -- and bridesmaids
and some friends here, Alida and Josh opened some wedding gifts in the Parlor.

That Old House loves to gather people under her roof, in numbers, or one at a time.

Saturday morning, in the quiet Parlor . . . 

And that's it for now.  Time for me to grab some breakfast.
I know that the next couple of days will seem awfully quiet.

My thanks to all of you for your good wishes for Josh and Alida!
And also for your prayers for good weather -- it worked!  The day was gorgeous. -- Cass

Links today:

Mary's Mosaic Monday at Little Red House... click here!
Susan's Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch ... click here!
Cielo's Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House In The Roses ... click here!

 P.S.  Come eat leftovers!


24 comments:

  1. *sigh*
    Just beautiful - and That Old House looked lovely too!

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  2. Cass, much congratulations to you & your daughter! She is beautiful - and happy!! Looks like it was a fun party - now everyone can rest! Enjoy!

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  3. You pulled it off -- and how much of that "to do" list is a "to done" list? Looks like a great party -- yes, Howard does clean up well!!! (And I bet you do too!)

    Weddings are supposed to be FUN!!! It looks like your daughters was!!! Some day, you'll have version two!!

    And yes, we honeymooned in the Ozarks (read Branson) -- our DD honeymooned in Vegas (but that's a whole nother story) -- times they do change!

    As do weddings change -- I remember when it was the wedding and then cake and punch and nuts and mints in the fellowship hall. THEN perhaps some close friends were invited to the bride's home for food.

    Now we feed EVERYONE!!! And the cake is almost incidental! (But the liquor isn't!)

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  4. Cass,

    What a gorgeous photograph of your daughter on the sofa.
    Wow I can't believe it's over. I remember reading your post announcing her engagement! Six months flew by. I can only imagine how you feel, considering I was only reading and you were actually doing all the work!
    So pleased the weather held up and the party was such a success!

    Your Friend,
    Deborah

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  5. it is lonesome after everyone goes back to their lives. The black and white pictures are wonderful.

    get some rest!!!

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  6. Congratulations! Lovely outdoor setting

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  7. Cass,

    Utterly beautiful and spectacular. The bride is beautiful - everything was beautiful. That Old House is beautiful.

    Glad everything went so well. Would have liked to see a picture of mother of the bride!

    Carol

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  8. Your family made so many wonderful memories this last weekend. Great picture of her in the wedding dress.

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  9. bonjour ,je trouve votre maison sublime ,j'adore
    tres belles photos du mariage de votre fille!!
    bises,kate
    le-calepin-de-kate.blogspot.com

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  10. **clapping of many hands** Congratulations on EVERYTHING!!! So many parties! WOW. What a beautiful bride. What a beautiful family. So much more joy to come. **kisses** Deb

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  11. Congratulations! the pictures are very nice and Alida's dress beautiful. Josh was very nice too in his suit and start to smoke cigares in France! Have a good rest now both of you, Blessings Catherine

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  12. Hi Cass! Oh, That Old House is sparkling! So lovely. Again, I'm so glad all went so well. I love the snap of your daughter sitting on the sofa in the window! Gorgeous!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  13. I have looked down the last three posts and I can see that the wedding went of beautifully. The Bride and Grooms glowed with happiness. I am so pleased that everything turned out just perfectly. V

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  14. Congratulations! I am so glad the weather held out for you on Saturday! Your pictures are beautiful!
    -Shelley

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  15. Oh how sweet!!! Congratulations and best wishes to your daughter and her husband. And oh Cass, how beautiful That Old House looks! Now you and Howard can put up your feet and take a well-deserved rest!
    xoxo

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  16. looks like you made it, they made it, and all was wonderful. Thanks for sharing your journey. Richard at my Old Historic House.

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  17. What a beautiful Bride,wedding,is the old house our home?? Also beautiful! Congrats..I'll be over for left overs. :)

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  18. Looks like more fun.
    Glad all is going well.
    You'll be glad for a little quiet time here in the next couple of days.
    Are you going to reveal which Mother is which in the cake picture? I think you are on the right.:)

    Melinda

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  19. Time to sit back and relax. It looked like a fabulous day, you did a great job Cass. Take care:)

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  20. What a dream weekend! Everyone looked fantastic, and the house too!

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  21. What a beautiful bride. You must be so pleased, tired but pleased. It sure will seem quiet for a while but you will soon find many summer things to fill that time with.

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  22. Cass-Oh~ there is just something in the days that follow, isn't there? That kind of bittersweet letdown of excitment and preparation being over and done with. You suddenly realize that your daughter doesn't really belong entirely to you anymore and has cast her lot with a husband to make her own family. You will shed a few tears in the quiet of the night a few days after it is all over. At least I did....but they aren't sad tears...just tears that signal change. God bless yoru sweet beauty and her new hubby! Gotta love the hair on that baby picture...it just reminds me of a baby duck!;>)

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  23. Congratulations! I am so happy that you had great weather for the weekend. Your daughter is absolutely stunning in her wedding gown. Just beautiful!

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