My Love. My Life. My Best Friend.

Showing posts with label Weddings. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Wedding Bells!

Posted by McKenzie

I'm so lucky! I'm getting a new sister this summer and couldn't be happier!

Welcome to the family Sarah! We can't wait until July 12th!

April 12th - The happy couple! Congratulations to my older brother, Chris, and his fiancé, Sarah! They are the cutest! #engaged

The whole family plus our Saudi brother, Naif!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Within the next week, we have four summer weddings! Yesterday began the festivities with Ryan's cousin, Dani's reception. She and Jon are the most beautiful couple and their reception was gorgeous! Jon is going to be attending BYU, so they'll be moving down to Provo in the next year or so, and we're so excited to have them close!

Congratulations Dani and Jon!

We got there a few minutes early to catch the last of the photos...

And then headed inside for the party...

Dani's vision for her reception was simply gorgeous. Shabby chic with old and new touches.

It was in an old hardware building that has been converted into office space. It was beautiful The industrial feel was contemporary, but the exposed brick made it timeless.

I loved the hanging tea lights, banners, and other table decorations and flowers too!

Adi liked meeting the "princess...

And the ice cream bar and darling chalk board ideas were darling.

Yes, please.

Adi had fun seeing Grandma Jennifer and Papa...

And danced her little heart out...

It was a fun night!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Crackpots

Posted by McKenzie

When we traveled to Denver for this happy occasion... Ryan, Adi, and I painted frames as party of the wedding activities.

It was a blast.

Erin just sent us pictures of the final (kilned) products! And we're anxiously awaiting a little girl's tiny handprint in the mail.

Aren't they cute!? Such a fun wedding idea!

Ryan's fish-themed frame (perfect for honeymoon pictures? ;)

My frame (thank you crackpots for awesome rubber stamps.)

Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas Miracles

Posted by McKenzie

My friend Katie is amazing.

We met in August 2008 the first day of graduate school. She was a recently returned RM and a stats undergrad. Basically amazing and super intimidating.

I remember when I first realized I admired her. It was in a during a presentation in managerial economics where she demonstrated supply and demand using her arms. Way more intellectually gifted than me.

I was lucky enough to be on the same team with Katie that semester. I learned so much from her and come to find out we were basically birthday twins (Oct. 26th/27th).

Halfway through the semester Katie came to class one Monday. We were chatting about the weekend, and I asked how her weekend had been. Completely non-chalently she said, great, I got engaged. Say what?! Yep, Katie was engaged to Fabio. Fabio is Brazilian, and amazing. He's also like 7 feet tall. Katie's basically like 5 fee tall. Perfect match? No doubt.

Because Katie was engaged, she was also moving going to be moving and leaving the program at the end of the semester... boo. It turned out okay though because Ryan was able to start the program with the empty slot.

It also turned out okay because Katie was moving to Tucson, and my parents still had ties there which meant we ended up there at the same time one random November weekend. It was fun seeing Katie in Tucson with Fabio, even before they were married.

After fall semester ended, in January 2009, Katie and Fabio got married in Salt Lake City. They had a luncheon first and were then sealed. Katie wanted the emphasis to be on the most important part: the temple. So she forwent a reception and a dress. I thought that was pretty neat, and the fact that her red dress, white coat, bouquet, and taxi ride were so completely classy.

Fabulous, right?

I saw Katie a few times while we were finishing graduate school. She came up to Utah a few times, and worked for a government agency in Utah the entire time she was finishing her MPA at U of A f--she teleworked. Like I said, she's amazing.

In Feb/Mar when I went to Arizona for work, Katie and Fabio took me out to dinner, it was such a treat, especially because it was the first time I'd seen her since finding out she was expecting!

And, as luck would have it, I would get to see her again while she was still pregnant.

After moving over 8,000 miles away, Katie had her baby in Singapore in early November. I had been dying to know if she'd had her baby (she was due on her birthday, October 27th) and considering there is a 15-hour time difference and no texting between 8,000 miles I had to sit and wait and wait.

Finally, I heard the good news and a few days later she blogged with this darling picture of their complete family.

How cool would it be to take your new baby home in a Taxi?!

Anyway, fast forward to last week when I sent an address request for Christmas cards. I hadn't heard from Katie. I sent her an e-mail, I wrote on her facebook wall, and finally went to send her a message when I saw that I already had it in a previous message.

Then Wednesday, I get this: "Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you... I've been in the hospital for the past nine days. I'm in the mend now, don't worry. Long story, but you should know I'm definitely not ignoring you!"

What?!

What could possibly have happened to Katie? Why would she have been in the hospital for

nine days? Was her baby okay? And Fabio? Were they in a car accident?

I responded immediately, but didn't hear back right away. (Curse you 15-hour time difference.)

I was a little panicked, despite knowing she was on the mend.

In fact, yesterday morning when I was eating breakfast I told Ryan that I might look up her parents in Kaysville... it wouldn't be too hard, right? They would certainly know something.

Then, during lunch my iPhone buzzed with a facebook message from Katie directing me to her blog.

She wrote about the whole ordeal. She almost died. I couldn't help but cry. I cried for all that Katie must have been thinking, worrying about her little boy and husband. I cried for Fabio, thinking he might be losing his wife with a 6-week old son. I cried because I knew that God lives, that miracles are abundant, and that the heaven's are not closed, but that they are open. God speaks to man and priesthood blessings and praying and fasting can provide medical changes that can only be described as miraculous.

After reading Katie's blog, I jumped on gchat to see if she was there. Sure enough 5am medications had her up and we talked for a little while. I learned more about what had happened, and feel blessed--even as a friend from far away--that I have been able to witness her miracle.

Miracles are real, and I'm grateful for the prayers and fasting that brought Katie's Christmas miracle about.

Merry Christmas

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

My mother-in-law is amazing. Period.

Posted by McKenzie

In 2010, my mother-in-law created a beautiful winter wonderland for Hannah and Andrew's wedding...

And, she did it again for Austin and Bri's wedding two weeks ago.

Ingredients: blood, sweat, thousands twinkle lights, hundreds of yards of shiny, shear fabric, and two days.

Final product: amazing.

Jennifer came up with the canopy design and we all helped make it a reality.

My parents rented table runners and chair ties, and my mother-in-law owns the chair covers and tablecloths. Needless to say, I won't be ironing any time soon.

Austin and Bri had a fun video for people to watch.

I envisioned having the cake in the very center and it turned out perfectly!

Shelli Spotts, the baker who made our fabulous wedding cake (and our former landlord)

made their beautiful and delicious cake! White chocolate and raspberry and fresh pumpkin chocolate chip!

(I had more of their cake than I had of my own.)

Austin and Bri went to a bridal fair a few months ago and won this amazing ice sculpture.

Austin and Bri ended up using the cater who sculpted the ice for their amazing crepes bar as well!

So yummy.

So pretty.

The tables were a lot of fun...

Especially our fun table-piece creation. (My mom and I were trying to come up with something turquoise/tiffany blue for the the centerpieces and found 'grow your own marbles' in turquoise at Wal-Mart. Perfect.

The complete views...

...

Happy Weddings! And a huge thank you to Jennifer for her generosity and hard work!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Erin & Mark

Posted by McKenzie

After these happy nuptials, Ryan, Adi, and I headed to Denver to see our friends Erin and Mark tie the knot.

The happy couple with best man: Nikos

It was so. much. fun.

After a crazy flight from Provo to Denver (more details to come), Ryan and I landed in Denver, rented our car, and drove to Crackpots in Longmont to paint with the wedding party.

We painted ceramic frames for the happy couple; it was such a great idea. I loved the destination wedding feel, and was so happy to meet Erin's family.

After painting, we had dinner with the friends and family and had an interesting time with Adrielle thinking Erin's aunt was my mother-in-law (more details to come). It was also a re-lie-ving evening to learn that the ceremony would be approximately 30 minutes, not two and a half hours like I had previously thought (I was racking my brain to think of how to occupy Adi for those two-plus hours.)

The wedding day was simply gorgeous. We looked up a chapel to attend Sacrament Meeting and while we drove around Longmont, we ran into a different chapel. (It's a good thing too, because we were late.)

After church, we headed to the ceremony that was held at a beautiful barn in Berthoud, Colorado. Despite being mid-November, the weather was perfect, mid-60's if my memory serves me.

The ceremony was beautiful. Erin looked beautiful, and Mark, dashing. In fact, as Adi saw Erin for the first time, she said, "Oh, princess!" I didn't even know she knew that word.

Erin and Mark had asked me to read a children's story during the ceremony; "My Personal Penguin" to be exact.

I was soooo nervous. I had read it a few times, and felt prepared, but I wanted it to be perfect for Erin's special day. However, when it came time to read it, I did my best, thinking about how the book describes Erin and Mark to a "T". It was also kind of neat, because both Erin and Mark turned to listen--so I was reading it to them.

After the rings and the "I do's" Erin and Mark became Mr. and Mrs. and we couldn't be happier for them!

I took a few iPhone photos...