Linda & Pedro's Wedding

Jack and I have had so much of our own wedding things happening that I nearly forgot to blog about Linda and Pedro's wedding in Spokane, WA.  I know that Jack blogged right when we got back about the trip itself, but we had such a great time at the wedding, I can't resist writing about the main event!

Let me just start by saying that it was a spectacular day!  Although it was warm, it was not nearly as humid as it gets in Chicago so the weather was great.  Linda looked gorgeous in her dress, but I think the best "accessory" she had was the constant smile she had that day.  Every time I looked at her, she just looked so calm and so excited that it made me smile as well.  I can only hope I am as calm as she was on our wedding day.  Pedro looked handsome in his tux as well.  It was great to see all of my family again, but there is also something so fun about seeing everyone dressed up for an occasion.

The wedding ceremony was held at St. Aloysius Church on the campus of Gonzaga University, which is where Linda and Pedro went to college and met.  Here's a pic of them leaving the church after the ceremony.

After the ceremony, we headed to the Davenport Hotel for the reception.  The party was held in a beautiful old ballroom that had been very well restored to bring it to current times while still keeping its old charm.  The evening started with cocktail hour where various delicious hors d'œuvres were passed - mozzerella and prosciutto, tiny bruchetta, tomato with mozzerella, and asparagus wrapped with a piece of tenderloin.  These were great because it was just enough to tide the guests over while still keeping room for the dinner.  The bar was obviously open as well and the wine that was being served was from a local winery, Fidelitas, where my aunt and uncle are good friends with the owner. 

It was soon time for all to find their places and for the bride and groom to be announced.  To bring it all full circle, Linda and Pedro walked in while the song "Ain't that a Kick in the Head" played in the background.  For anyone that knew their engagement story, that song was playing when Pedro proposed.  Then the meal was served and it was fantastic.  There was a nice salad to start, then the main course was filet and salmon, and cheesecake for dessert.  A little while after the meal, the wedding cake was served, and although I think we were all full, we still all ate our cake.

One of the most unique things about their reception was that they hired an 18 piece big band orchestra for the music!  The band was great and what I particularly liked about it was that there were so many people in attendance that hadn't seen one another for a while that even if people weren't dancing, there was great music that all could enjoy in the background and it made for great entertainment.  Obviously though, there was dancing! 

My cousin had a great little contest during the dancing that I don't want to explain in great detail because we liked it so much I think we are going to do it at our ceremony too, but in the end, my parents won the prize!  My dad and I had our first dance together in quite a while.  We were a little rusty together as dance partners, but it was a good warm-up before the father-daughter dance at our wedding.

I think we were all a little sad to see the evening come to an end.  There were so many people that came from near and far to the wedding, it was practically a family reunion and it gave us all a chance to catch up, socialize and just be together as a family.  It was the first time in countless years that my female cousins and I were together that we had to take a picture together, just like we used to when we were kids.  It was a really special moment for me - to see that we have all grown up and are moving ahead with our lives, yet despite the distance between us all, there is still a closeness and a friendship.

I can also say that being at Linda and Pedro's wedding made me so much more excited for Jack's and my wedding!  It reminded me, once again, to step away from all the details and see the big picture of a day where two lives are joined together and everyone around are all there to celebrate the occasion.  I cannot wait for our day!