The Wedding

We just got back from our daughter's wedding.  I wish I could say that I helped plan the whole thing and I did a magnificent job.  It WAS magnificent, but no thanks to me.  Poor Trista had to do the whole thing.  Her Maid of Honor and Mother of the Bride were conveniently elsewhere and it all fell to her.

   

I had seen her dress on line, but was thrilled to be able to go with her to the final fitting.  Trista and Rob have been gym rats for months and when we went for the final fitting, there was a bit of adjusting for the dress to fit her sleekly svelte figure. She looked absolutely gorgeous and wore shoes with a pop of color

She chose the Holme Pierrepont Hall, a Tudor house in Nottingham. It is absolutely perfect for weddings and you should all go out and book it.  There was a hallway that had paintings of the Hall in each century since the 1300s when it was wood.

   

 The current structure is from the 16th century.   

   

And you thought YOUR house was old!  I loved to see how it changed over the years and yet how it stayed the same.  This photo is from a card placed discretely in their entrance (and taken openly, by me!)

   

The gardens were glorious and the formal pictures were taken in their topiary gardens.  I would be surprised it they didn't have a full time gardener.  ("I want one, too," she said in a whiny voice.)  It was the first and only sunny day during our visit.  Other than a bit of a chill, it couldn't have been better. 

   

Rob is part Scottish and Trista was born in Hawaii, so they combined these two disparate themes into a cohesive whole.

A before, or during shot.

   

And then the after. 

   

We had a bagpiper for the music as Lee walked her down the aisle. of the Church of St. Edmunds next door to the Hall.  Then he led us over to the Hall where all the guests were greeted with a lei.  Yes, they were fake flowers.  How do expect to get Plumerias in England?  Well, you can't.  It was fun to see most of the guests, including the children, wearing their leis throughout the evening, even through the dancing.

  

There was a man playing a Ukulele in the gardens for the reception.  He even played Sweet Leilani for Trista.  Her middle name is Leilani.

   

The meal included a roast pig, rice and grilled pineapples.  It was all delicious, therefore I can also recommend the caterer that works with the Hall.

The cake was designed by Rob and changed inexplicably by the caterer.  Travis carved the topper and they cut the cake with a family heirloom sword.  It had apparently been used in battle in the distant past and I am glad MY piece of cake was cut by the caterer.
   
   

Trista and Rob gave us a candle with their wedding invitation affixed to it to match the one we were given for our wedding.  Ours was lit some time ago during a power outage.  I think it was during Hurricane Iwa when we lived in Hawaii and Trista was an infant.  Theirs is pristine and holds a place of honor in our home.  That won't keep it from being used to keep the dark at bay during an emergency.  But I'll buy some batteries to use, just in case.

 

I didn't take many pictures. I was too involved in seeing all that she had planned come to fruition. Rob's sister Maggie is a fashion photographer and kindly offered to take the wedding pictures. I can't wait to see them and I hope she can PhotoShop me to look younger and thinner! I hope she was able to enjoy some of the festivities in addition to her "duties".