Rocky Mountain Wedding

We're home from the most amazing weekend in Winter Park, CO, for Mollie and Kenny's beautiful wedding! The only thing more gorgeous than the views at 9,200 feet in the Rocky Mountains was Mollie! She looked more stylish than a New York City bride in her sassy birdcage veil, BCBG gown and four inch platform heels. She wore the same crystal necklace that my mom and I both wore in each of our weddings, an heirloom worn by two of our great grandmothers! Andi did her hair and I did her make-up. But Madeline and Charlie could have done it for her and she still would have been the definition of lovely.

The grassy valley, silver mountains and crystal clear skies were backdrop -- God's cathedral -- for a deeply moving ceremony. Madeline took her flower girl duties very seriously, dropping every petal one-by-one until her bird nest basket was empty (Ning slipped her Skittles the rest of the service to keep her quiet). Everyone held their breath as my dad walked Mollie down the aisle. Kenny's father officiated; Andrea read an excerpt from a poem she wrote about our mom; I read romantic Bob Dylan lyrics Mollie and Kenny chose; and Kenny's grandfather gave a tribute that moved many to tears. One of Kenny's groomsmen, a childhood friend, waved an American flag to honor Kenny's brother and best man, Nate, who is serving our country and couldn't leave ranger school to attend the wedding.

After the ceremony, everyone sipped champagne and listened to live guitar at the lookout point before heading down to the beautifully-decorated 100-person reception. Kenny is accomplished at brewing his own beer, which he's been working on for months to serve at the wedding. What a party! The music was thumping and the dance floor was packed. One of my favorite moments was when Mollie took center stage, revealing her broken-in cowboy boots to the crowd while she danced to an upbeat bluegrass song! Madeline was a complete ham -- she loved having an audience! -- and ran around in her ballet slippers wearing props from Mollie's photo booth corner. Sweet Charlie found his way to into the cupcakes before dinner even started.

With a one year old and a three year old, sometimes the things that don't quite go as planned are the funniest. Madeline entertained everyone Friday night by stripping down to nothing but her tights and hairbow during the rehearsal and scooting herself all the way down the aisle on her rear end. The next night, she barfed at the wedding reception in all the excitement (and after all the s'mores she ate, which Mollie gave as favors to go with the late night bonfire), but at least she managed to do it discreetly behind the head table. And Charlie, who is becoming increasingly independent, refused to wear shoes, but insisted on wearing his tie clipped on to his pajama shirt underneath his seersucker jacket. Oh, and he had turtle embroidered shorts on under his linen pants. Minutes before the the ceremony started, I sent Rob on an errand back to our cabin -- I found out the next morning that he actually had to pop a screen and break in since all the doors were locked.

It was an incredible weekend celebrating the newlyweds, with a wonderful rehearsal dinner (the caterer recreated Kenny's dad's spaghetti sauce) and a relaxed brunch on Sunday morning. It is an absolute gift to have Kenny officially be a part of our family. And it was an extra special treat to be able to spend four days with family and friends in one of the most beautiful settings in the world. We love you, Mollie and Kenny! And we wish you a lifetime of love, happiness and good fortune in your marriage and in life!