We Had A Wedding!
An October Weekend In Pictures

After months of planning and anticipation, our son Ben and his beautiful bride Lara tied the knot this past weekend. We had a fabulous celebration filled with family, friends, laughter, and more than a few happy tears.

Rather than try to put the whole experience into words, I thought I’d let the pictures do most of the talking. So here’s a look at our October wedding weekend, including a few of the festivities leading up to the big day.

Before The Big Day

The wedding was on Sunday, and the pre-wedding events started on Thursday with a Challah Bake. Lara invited the women in her family, two of her mother’s oldest friends, and my daughter and me. Lara’s mother passed away in late August so this gathering held special significance for everyone involved. Using her mother’s recipe was one way to honor her memory and include her in the weekend’s celebrations.

Lara prepared the bread dough in advance. She also made three challah loaves to use over the weekend, including at the wedding itself. Our group of ladies made rolls to be served with the Shabbat dinner the following night.

The following evening, we were back at Lara’s parents’ home for Shabbat dinner. The attendees were family and a handful of close friends. A tent had been set up in the backyard in case of rain or wind. Fortunately, we had neither. The bride and groom, with siblings, partners, niece, and parents, are shown in the bottom photo below.

On Saturday, there was a welcome luncheon, also held at Lara’s parents’ home. Below is Lara with her dearest friends.

Wedding Day

One of our key jobs on the day of the wedding was to get the groom there on time.✅ Along with a first look and some pre-ceremony photos, there was also the signing of the ketubah (Jewish marriage contract) as well as the Badeken. Displayed on the fireplace mantel behind the bride and groom are pictures of their family members. Our wedding portrait is third from the right, and the portrait immediately to its left is of the bride’s parents.

A second collection of family photos was displayed on another mantel in the banquet room.  In the photo third from the left, you’ll find yours truly with my guy; to our right are the bride’s parents. On the other side of them are my parents (May 1952), and to our left are my husband’s parents (October 1956).

Soon, it was time for the couple to meet under the chuppah and become husband and wife.

Ben and Lara chose the venue because of the garden setting and scenic views it offered for the ceremony and the cocktail hour that followed. Mother Nature was in her glory that day, and the weather was picture-perfect.

And since this is, after all, a style blog, I can’t let the occasion pass without mentioning my dress. Remember the contenders I shared in my September Moodboard? Well, here’s the winner! Did any of you guess correctly which one I’d chosen?

Let’s All Celebrate And Have A Good Time

With the ceremony over, it was time to party! After cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, we moved indoors for dinner, dancing, and all the festivities that go along with a wedding celebration.

The reception was everything we could have hoped for. Good food, great company, and plenty of reasons to get out on the dance floor.

My husband and I had the honor of giving a toast to the newlyweds. We’d spent quite a bit of time working on what we wanted to say, not to mention figuring out who would say what. In the end, we managed to get through it without stepping on each other’s lines! Here’s how it went.

With our toast and the one given by the father of the bride behind us, the rest of the evening was all about enjoying the celebration.

Having fun with family from the East Coast.

A photo booth always guarantees a good time.

He may be a married man now, but he’ll always be my little boy. And apparently, neither of us is too old for him to sit on his mother’s lap!

And just like that, the wedding weekend was over. After months of planning and anticipation, it was a relief to see everything come together so beautifully but, more importantly, to have so many of our family and friends there to celebrate with us. We couldn’t be happier for Ben and Lara or more excited for this next chapter in their lives.

Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Photo credits: MMPerez, Melissa Foster, and myself