We all piled up and went to Arizona for the weekend. It was a great time and a beautiful wedding.
My parents and Oma drove down from the bay area and spent the night with Dan and me on Thursday. Of course we had a great evening playing catch up and tried to go to bed rather early so we could hit the road first thing Friday morning. The ride from LA to Phoenix is 8 hours. Say what!? Crazy, right? It actually was a great ride. The view is awesome. Finally get to see some mountains and the terrain changes to desert so quickly, it's beautiful. Also, the company was far from lacking.
We made it to Grandma's just in time to catch up for a few and change for the welcome cocktail party.
The party was lovely. We got to catch up with family and meet some new people. I was very excited because I knew Clemens would be there. He lives in München and we stayed with him when we got engaged two years ago. We said hi to Jessica, the bride, and Ryan (my cousin), but of course they were busy being the center of attention, love it. :]
Ryan's dad is my Oma's nephew, and of course when he was giving his toast and explaining the family tradition, Oma turned to me and said, "If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be in America."
Haha, my Oma is so funny. Of course this is actually true, but that's besides the point!
The tradition that I mentioned was actually really cool. Ryan and Jessica tapped a wooden keg and toasted the party. So German, and awesome. Oh, and of course they got a mini keg filled with bourbon. I would kill to taste that in 5 years. I did taste the beer, though. Although it was a touch flat, it was delish. It wasn't sealed in an aluminum keg and who am I to complain about beer?!
At one point in the evening I started talking to Ryan and some of his friends from his hometown by the pool. Can you guess what happened? Yep, he got pushed in the pool. Perfect end to the night.
We eventually packed it up and headed back to Grandma's house for the evening.
The wedding actually wasn't until Sunday, so Saturday we hung out at grandma's house and my first cousins came over and eventually Clemens and Hans (Ryan's dad) came over to visit with us.
Sunday was Sydney's birthday (my 'niece') and we decided to celebrate it on Saturday so we could give her
her presents. It was great to see Grandma's house full of family having fun and laughing. Having Sydney there made me think about the fact that Grandma probably hasn't had children playing in her home since her grandchildren were young. Crazy. I love how weddings bring families together.
Sunday was the day of the wedding! Oh, and it just happened to be Easter on top of it all. So much going on!
The wedding was beautiful. Luckily we left a bit early because we were very confused with parking. Figures. We did manage to get there a bit early and were able to enjoy the park. We also got Oma right up close just to discover she had a chair saved for her. So sweet.
They got married at the civic center park in Scottsdale, which is pretty much an oasis in the middle of the Phoenix desert. It was a beautiful location.
Ryan's dad is my Oma's nephew, and of course when he was giving his toast and explaining the family tradition, Oma turned to me and said, "If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be in America."Haha, my Oma is so funny. Of course this is actually true, but that's besides the point!
The tradition that I mentioned was actually really cool. Ryan and Jessica tapped a wooden keg and toasted the party. So German, and awesome. Oh, and of course they got a mini keg filled with bourbon. I would kill to taste that in 5 years. I did taste the beer, though. Although it was a touch flat, it was delish. It wasn't sealed in an aluminum keg and who am I to complain about beer?!
At one point in the evening I started talking to Ryan and some of his friends from his hometown by the pool. Can you guess what happened? Yep, he got pushed in the pool. Perfect end to the night.We eventually packed it up and headed back to Grandma's house for the evening.
The wedding actually wasn't until Sunday, so Saturday we hung out at grandma's house and my first cousins came over and eventually Clemens and Hans (Ryan's dad) came over to visit with us.
Sunday was Sydney's birthday (my 'niece') and we decided to celebrate it on Saturday so we could give her
her presents. It was great to see Grandma's house full of family having fun and laughing. Having Sydney there made me think about the fact that Grandma probably hasn't had children playing in her home since her grandchildren were young. Crazy. I love how weddings bring families together.
Sunday was the day of the wedding! Oh, and it just happened to be Easter on top of it all. So much going on!The wedding was beautiful. Luckily we left a bit early because we were very confused with parking. Figures. We did manage to get there a bit early and were able to enjoy the park. We also got Oma right up close just to discover she had a chair saved for her. So sweet.
They got married at the civic center park in Scottsdale, which is pretty much an oasis in the middle of the Phoenix desert. It was a beautiful location.
They had a great idea of not having seats for everyone. They did have seats for the parents and close relatives, but everyone else stood behind them wherever they wanted. This was great for me, because I squeezed in right behind Ryan's parents and got some great shots.
It was so nice to watch a wedding and not be in it. Ha, I know that sounds weird, but this was the first wedding I had been to since Dan and I got married. It was very nice knowing it wasn't me getting married. While, I really loved my wedding, I don't plan on doing that ever again! So much work/stress/fun!
Anyway, back to the wedding of the day! Their colours were a vibrant pink and yellow. This was great fun to play with in Photoshop. It was perfect for spring and fit the location perfectly.
The reception was held a good 20 feet from the ceremony in a restaurant/lounge. Great architecture and a fun party.They had a nice cocktail setup with four different types of wine, beer, and of course bubbly. They had fancy appetizers that I couldn't try, but Oma tried the pear with goat cheese and loved it. The funny thing about that is Oma refuses to eat cheese, vehemently, yet she had at least two of those things. Ha!
Their dinner selection was delicious and very vegan friendly! Dan brought me a plate full of food and I devoured it. The perks of having a buffet.
The rest of the evening was typical wedding fanfare. Lots of dancing and merriment. They did have glow sticks which were awesome! If you are going to get married... get glow sticks!!
We left the wedding with homemade fudge as our wedding gifts. Oh my goodness was this stuff good. Dan ate all of his on the way to the car (there was a lot) and I saved mine till we got home and savored every bite.
What a weekend!
Overall, I would say it was the best wedding I've been to since mine! No bias.. I swear.. 0:]
Congratulations to my cousin and my new cousin!
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