What made our weekend wedding extra-special was that it was truly a participatory event. Here is my beautiful sister and Matron of Honor, Jessica Coller.
In attendance also was Jessica and Mike Coller's son, Dylan Michael, as our esteemed Ring Bearer.
Here comes the groom!
(and the BEST Best Man ever, Jeff Roos.) Whether it was running to find the rings at the last minute, taking down decorations late into the evening or slugging down that last bottle of champagne, we knew we could count on Jeff to get the job done! xoxo
The ceremony included readings by Thadra's closest friends, Kristie Vullo, reading a poem by ee cummings, and Jennifer Samonsky, reading an excerpt of Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road."
Impromptu photo shoot in the chapel.
A special thanks to Kristie, who introduced me to Joel on Dec 13, 1997 at a Radiators' concert at the Chili Pepper in Ft. Lauderdale.
A reunion of old friends at the Cocktail Party: Jennifer Samonsky, Kristie Vullo, (flat) Delphine Russell, Thadra Short, and Sue Glielmi.
Thadra's family arrived early on Thursday to help decorate the reception hall with a tree-honoring theme as well as the hospitality suite of the Mountain Laurel Inn, where the cocktail party was held. The Friday night cocktail party was certainly a joint venture of family and friends preparing food and drink for our guests' arrival. At 9:00 that evening, Michelle Whitewillow honored us by performing a ribbon-blessing ceremony. Over 20 woman from at least 6 states gathered in a candlelit circle on the Inn's back deck, each holding their own 6 foot piece of ribbon to contribute to what would become our hand-fasting cord for the wedding ceremony. The energy and blessings of each woman were infused into her ribbon, which after the ceremony was braided into the cord.
Here is Will, on the hunt for autumn leaves to decorate our wedding gazebo, catching up with flower fairy Johanna Vullo.
Waiting for the handsome groom!
Even friends who couldn't attend found a way to participate. For example, here is "flat Delphine," joining us in spirit all the way from France. Jojo diligently attended to Delphine's needs throughout the evening, ensuring she had a wonderful time!
Flower fairies ready for action!
... and a good time! :-)
Our friends' daughters served as delightful flower fairies for the day. They included: Kristie and Mike Vullo's daughter, Johanna Holley; Sue and Bob Glielmi's daughters, Nicole and Kailey, and Adrielle and Tim Rudzitis' daughter, Cassidy Skye.
Early Saturday morning, Michelle, Bryan and Will Cruz could be seen galavanting through the woods, selecting autumn leaves and fallen branches to decorate the ceremony gazebo. As you can see, the gazebo was a creative and colorful masterpiece, capturing all of the natural beauty of the day. We were blessed with a gorgeous, breezy sunny day in the mountains!
At the end of the ceremony, guests were surprised with a dove release~~who sprinted out of their cage and skyward, nearly attacking my brother, Alex, who was videotaping the event.
Arin exited the supermodel runway just long enough for a few photos with us. She was gracious enough to share her hubby with us for the weekend. Thanks, Arin, for all of your contributions toward making the weekend a success!
Our first dance to Ben Harper's, "By My Side."
