Dykeman

Today we went to Erik and Sophie's wedding at OceanCliff in Newport, Rhode Island. It was a gorgeous day and wonderful celebration of our friends' love and commitment! OceanCliff is located right on the water in Newport and Erik and Sophie opted to have their ceremony outside. The altar was right in front of the water, so the guests were looking at the ocean, which made for some beautiful pictures. The ceremony was non-denominational, performed by a justice of the peace, and included a handfasting ceremony. They held one another's hands and the officiant wrapped ribbons around their wrists after reading different vows. Once the ceremony was complete, the ribbons are tied off and, when taken off their wrists, make an infinity symbol. It was something I had never seen done before and I really liked the whole ceremony. It's actually where the term "tying the knot" comes from. For music, they had a simple acoustic guitar being played which was beautiful and fit the venue really well.

Immediately after the ceremony, the cocktail hour began outside on the patio. There were passed hors d'oeuvres and an open bar with plenty of seating on the patio and surrounding grass. After the cocktail hour we were ushered indoors to the dining room for the reception. The dining room had two walls of large windows which made the room bright and gave everyone amazing views. After the newlyweds were introduced and had their first dance, the band played a few songs while rolls and salad were served. Both the bride's parents and groom's parents made speeches, followed by Sophie's maids of honors (her sisters who rapped) and Erik's best man (his brother). The main course was delicious (Matt had the steak and I had chicken) which was followed by their scrumptious wedding cake. (I got a chocolate piece, but there was also vanilla, both with buttercream frosting.) The band was great, but because it was so nice outside it was hard to stay indoors. Unfortunately Matt and I (and everyone else) forgot sunscreen so we ended up slightly burnt. Matt was able to enjoy a Cuban cigar on the patio with the groom, groomsmen, some friends, and the groom's father as well. It was a wonderful day which was followed by an after party at the Viking Hotel which included another open bar and snacks.

Congratulations to Erik and Sophie! We're so happy for you and wish you a marriage more beautiful than your wedding!

Here are the pictures that Matt and I took during the day:

escort card

escort card

escort card (inside)

Blue Bouquet

We received Erik and Sophie's invitation today! It's very cute and is part of the same matching set as their save the date. Their wedding is June 7 at OceanCliff, a resort in Newport, Rhode Island. Matt and I are going to be staying the weekend, from Saturday to Sunday, in a bed and breakfast that we'll be using one of our wedding gifts for. My parents will probably be coming to our place to watch Anthony so that we spend the weekend by ourselves. (Since it's so close to our anniversary, that will probably be our celebration weekend.)

Shower Together

We received the invitation for Sophie and Erik's couples shower this week! It is being hosted by Erik's parents, Linda and Chris, not too far from us on December 28. However, that weekend Matt and I will be with my family celebrating Christmas, so we won't be able to attend. We're currently looking at their registries to pick something out to send to them for the party, though!

Summer Blue

We got Erik and Sophie's save the date yesterday! It's so cute and I'm really excited for their wedding! We'll be heading Newport here in Rhode Island, probably for the weekend. Here's their save the date:

Hessenius

CJ and Andrea's wedding was absolutely beautiful! The ceremony was presided over by Father Iriarte and blended Andrea's Spanish heritage into the Catholic ceremony perfectly. They did a few Spanish traditions, starting with giving each other coins, followed by a lasso tradition, and finally offering a bouquet to the Virgin Mary. Their readings and musical selections were well-chosen and fit the two of them beautifully. Their programs contained the readings in English and in Spanish which I thought was wonderful. The bridesmaids and flower girls had on beautiful taffeta dresses. And the groomsmen wore long-tailed tuxes. Andrea looked stunning in her wedding gown which was very demure and fitted her perfectly.

The reception took place at The Dorrance in Providence, literally right down the road from The Biltmore! The inside of the space is stunning, with large stained-glass windows bearing different coats of arms. The cocktail space was rather small, but once they opened up the dining area, it got much better. They had delicious food and an open bar with a wonderful cake for dessert! Matt got the rack of lamb and I had the fish, both of which were delicious! It was served a little late in the evening and most people had been drinking quite a bit already, but it was still great. We sat with other PC alums in the balcony area and had a wonderful time! And for our favors we got adorable little bottles of olive oil!

I'm including a few pictures, but to see more click here. And to see more about the programs and menu click here.

St. Dominic Chapel

The organ in the chapel

CJ and Andrea exchanging vows

Exchanging rings

Matt and I at the reception

Bride and groom's first dance

Father-daughter dance

Mother-son dance

Jim's speech

Matt and I with the bride and groom

The Beginning

We've hit that age: the age when all of your friends get engaged and you spend large amounts of money on gifts, hotels, clothing, and parties. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm wicked excited to attend these weddings and witness the beginning of the next stage of our friends' lives especially after own wedding in June of 2012. That's the "looking glass" part of my blog; seeing a wedding from the observational side rather than being one of the main participants.

So far we have three weddings this year, possibly four. In addition, we have a wedding in 2014 with the potential of another. So I'll start with the engagements:
  -My friend from college, Caitlin, and her boyfriend, Anthony, got engaged in July of 2011. Their wedding will be held in New York on June 8 of this year.
  -My cousin, Kevin, and his girlfriend of 8 years, Kristen, got engaged in February of last year. They have planned their wedding for June 1 this year in Connecticut.
  -One of Matt's friends from college, CJ, proposed to his girlfriend of about 3 years, Andrea, only a few months after catching the garter at my wedding! Their wedding will take place here in Providence, Rhode Island on April 6. Their ceremony will be held at St. Dominic Chapel on the Providence College campus; the same place Matt and I had ours!
  -Another of my friends from College, Emily, and her boyfriend of about 5 years, Jeremy, got engaged in July of last year. Their wedding is planned for October 26 of this year in New York.
  -My friend that I used to dance with, Margaret, and her boyfriend, Chris, got engaged in November of last year.
  -Matt's friend, Erik, (an usher in our wedding) and his girlfriend, Sophie, got engaged in early December of last year. Their wedding is set for June 7 of 2014 in Newport, Rhode Island.