I wasn’t going to post this…
Because it was such a personal family event…
But it was so much stinkin’ fun!
~~~~~~
After 8+ years with his girlfriend, on Friday the 13th, my brother {and only sibling} finally got hitched.
And he couldn’t be happier…
That is a classic JR smile. And he is actually about a foot taller than his bride. Danielle is standing on a chair in that shot!
I swear I was the only bridesmaid without a tattoo! 😉
At least my hair turned out smashing…
Shout out to 9th Street Salon!
There were so many perfect little details about this event…
Like the fact that my nephew {their only son together} was the one walk Danielle down the aisle. What a special way to finally tie their family together. In fact, her three kids from a previous marriage were also in the wedding. They’ve all lived together for a number of years. So at this point, the marriage was just a formality… And a reason for a big party!
We only got one shot outdoors because it was so freaking cold! The guys were kind enough to lend us their jackets and, boy, that made a huge difference!
Since the wedding was at noon and the reception not until six, we all got on a fancy bus and made a few stops.
I was highly impressed with White Dog, Black Cat Cafe, where we stopped for lunch.
It’s one of JR and Danielle’s favorite places, where they’ve taken us in the past. But how on earth the crew took care of this many people so efficiently impressed me. The food was prompt and tasty and after a bottle of wine, all was right with the world.
I hadn’t been to the Riverside Ballroom in years and almost forgot how big it is…
With 270 in attendance, it kind of had to be!
It was a traditional Northeast Wisconsin Chicken and Tips Family-Style dinner. And although there were a few desserts on the table, there was cake, too!
Including a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cake…
JR was a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when he was a kid. Since the Heroes in a Half Shell have become popular again, JR passed that love down to his son. Here they are in the photo booth!
We’ll come back to that photo booth in just a bit…
But there was dancing:
Mother-Son Dance
Now you can see the height difference between the bride and groom:
The band was phenomenal – the music teacher at Danielle’s daughter’s school!
She even joined them to sing a song…
There was a lot of catching up with cousins…
{I have 30+ first cousins! And they have 40+ kids between them.}
And some selfies may have been taken…
Now back to the photo booth…
JR and Danielle were so lucky to have their friend Rob take professional photos for the wedding. He and his wife also manned {and womanned?} the GB Photo Box photo booth. I’ve been to weddings that have had photo booths before, but this one was the best by far! The quality of photos was so much better.
The last time these three cousins had a photo together was at another wedding 13 years prior!
The backdrop was classy. There were props to make it fun. There was room to fit more than half a dozen people in each shot! And the fact that the photos are printed with “JR & Danielle ~ February 13, 2015” on the bottom make them the best wedding favors ever. Memories captured!
More shots with cousins!
Each strip of photos printed out two copies – one for you and one for the bride and groom. I saw the photobook that was put together the next day and, by far, this one was my favorite!
My only regret that night? Not getting more photos! I wish I had more photos taken with all of my cousins, my grandma, my aunts and uncles, my niece and nephews, my parents and most importantly – the bride and groom! Can we have a do over? I’d like to go to a party like that again.
Congratulations, JR and Danielle.
Wishing you many great years to come!
Cheers~
Carrie
Season It Already! 