On October 21, 2012, my brother Abram married his bride Ashley in what was such a beautiful and emotionally moving ceremony. I was excited for them both, but also so full of joy that my brother found a person that made him feel so happy that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
I'll start off with the wedding photos I collected since that always seems to give the best impression of an occasion. Here are some of the professional photos. Here are the Facebook photos I put up.
Abram is my younger brother and he lives here in Austin. There is something about being able to watch a person grow up from birth to adulthood and to be there to watch as they hit different milestones in their life. One of the most important is when they meet a person, fall in love and get married. I've never had a sister-in-law, and I must say I'm very excited to have such a kind and caring one as Ashley. She will forever be family and that is something to cherish.
I remember hearing about Ashley and meeting her for the first time. There was something special about her and the way they instantly connected. I was living with Abram at the time, so I had the benefit of being witness as their romance developed. I quickly considered Ashley a friend and could see how much Abram meant to her. They made a good couple and I was delighted to hear the news when they got engaged.
Abram and Ashley were so much on top of the wedding planning, I wondered if planning was even happening. I knew Ashley had her book and that things were indeed happening, but they seemed so calm about it. I know it was probably extremely stressful and a lot of hard work, but as a family member, all I had to worry about was just showing up. That was very thoughtful of them.
All their hard work paid off and they put together a beautiful wedding and everything went according to plan. I later found out that Ashley's mom also worked very hard to make sure her daughter had the day she deserved. I was impressed with the choice of venue, the decorations, and even enjoyed the food. If I have learned anything in this year of wedding after wedding, its that they are a lot of hard work. But they also have a good payoff.
Abram's best man Cory is the kind of man anyone would be lucky to have by their side. Abram met Cory in college and was his best man when he got married. Cory performed dutifully and it was nice to finally meet his wife after having met her once while they were in college. They are one of those role model couples that seem to genuinely fit together so well. I got to get to know Cory better during the hike to the top of Longs Peak this past summer. I was given the honor to walk Ashley's mother down the aisle and really appreciated the flowers they had set out for my sister Veronica.
This was also a big day for my family, Abram is the baby of the family and his getting married marks the end of an era almost. Like a transition from "the kids" to "the families." My sisters, who can be protective, were so very happy and visually emotional. My parents probably went through the, "your not losing a son, you are gaining a daughter" phase, that seems to apply more to parents of the bride. You could see the pride in their eyes. All the nieces and nephews ("grand kids") were there to celebrate their uncle getting married. Ranging from ages 22 to 3, the grand kids run the gamut of uncle vs. older brother type relationships with Abram. I have a lot of things to be thankful for, but one is that we have a close family with strong bonds. We might not be as outwardly affectionate as some families, but the love is strong and loyal.
When the wedding music started, Abram was at the alter looking sharp dressed in his tux and you could see a sparkle in his eyes as Ashley came out down the stairs in her beautiful wedding gown. Everyone's eyes were on the bride, but none probably as close as his were. As they stood at the alter together, Ashley was outwardly emotional as she couldn't hold back the emotions she was feeling. It was genuine and moving. You could see it in how they held hands, as she squeezed tight looking for the comfort of his hand. They could have both jumped off a cliff into the water at that moment, and she would have happily followed, though I think I'm just describing one of their early dates.
A lot of people talk about when you become a man, and though there are many rites of passage, Abram was now mostly clearly a man. This was the start of his own family, the next step in his life that was no longer just his, but shared with a person that he was vowing to love and protect for the rest of his life. The meaning of this day did not seem lost on them. I was very proud of my brother.
They did the mixing of the different color sands and the letters they wrote to each other, instead of being read at the ceremony, were sealed with wine for their first anniversary. The outdoor ceremony was lovely and everyone cheered when they were pronounced man and wife. Weddings have this surreal feeling to them where everything seems the same, but you know it isn't.
The family all took a lot of professional post-wedding photos which can take some time with such a large family. After, we worked our way to the reception hall. A great thing about weddings is that they also function as much needed family reunions. I got to visit with family on my Dad's side and a lot of my cousins on my mom's side. My cousin Rino and his wife Jessica were there, and my cousin Adam and his wife Kirby were there, newlyweds and a little more seasoned newlyweds. Adam, Rino, Abram and myself spent a lot of time together as kids and we are all very close like brothers. So many of my cousins were there and it made me so very happy to catch up.
The reception was fancy and I had a very good time and even made it a point to do my signature wedding dance moves which I reprised from my sister's Ana's wedding when I was about 15 years old and which always bring me a great laugh. The table decorations were very impressive and I liked the tree cut outs with candles on them. Two new families are now connected and I enjoyed getting to know Ashley's family even better. I had some very good conversations with them. The reception also had one of those photo booths were people take silly pictures. Man those are always a hit, but I'm still waiting for a person to explain the ironic mustache to me.
At the end of the night, we all blew bubbles as the bride and groom headed out to cheers, which ended up making really great photos as light reflects in rainbows off bubbles. A lot of us retired to my house were we had menudo that my dad worked hard preparing all day. It was the perfect dish to end the joyous day.
The entire weekend was a lot of great family time that makes you appreciate coming from such a loving family and watching it grow over the years. I did take a moment to reflect on how old all my parent's grand kids/my nieces and nephews are and it isn't going to be long before they too are getting married. Life can move fast.
In related news, Abram and Ashley are buying/building a house. What a perfect way to start a new life than with your very own home to call your own. They are literally and figuratively building a home. They will be closer to my part of town which is nice and seem to be in an area that fits them perfectly. I can't wait until they close and I get to go visit.
another milestone
Great recap, couldn't have said it any better. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post!
ReplyDelete