More on Rebecca & Wes's Wedding Weekend

Continued on from here.

The rehearsal & dinner were Saturday night Oct 6th. The church had an afternoon wedding so we couldn't get in there until 6. It was helpful for Tim & I to be able to see where our cameras could go, and to hear the order of the ceremony.

And we got to see some really cute things!

Once the basics were over at that, we high-tailed it over to a little BBQ joint nearby to set up the sound system and cameras for the rehearsal dinner. The bride & groom really wanted to be able to remember their rehearsal dinner and especially the speeches. So we made sure they would be heard {hence our speaker/mic system} and had two cameras - Tim was on the one recording the speeches and I was on the one recording reactions from the bride & groom and sometimes the other guests. Despite that it was laid-back with real Texas barbeque, it was also elegant because, well, they're just amazing people. 

{the cowboy hat wearer is the groom's dad :)}

Speeches.

That went on.

Forever. {no, really...}

But it was sweet. :)

I admit I was completely exhausted and in excruciating pain as the night came to an end. We wrapped up after 11, after about an hour and a half of me standing in a tight corner during the speeches, trapped with nowhere to go and nowhere to sit--it wasn't meant to happen that way but through an odd set of circumstances it did. I could barely walk to the parking garage 2 blocks away to get into the car. Thankfully Tim tolerated my wincing and freaking out, and graciously massaged my feet after we got home. He's a sweetheart. :)

Then the wedding day came. And I could barely get up. 

Fibro. Flareup. BAD.

But I pushed through it the best I could, put my game face on, powered through church {but sat down during some of the worship}, and we spent a couple hours resting up. 1 pm came and it was time to start getting ready for our 2:30 departure. We got all spiffied up.... me in my new blouse and Tim is his new dress shirt. It was nice to wear new stuff for this special occasion! 

{lame attempt to get a pic of ourselves quickly in our kitchen before leaving with my cell phone...}

... and made our way to the church.

It was seriously such a PERFECT day! There was a bit of a chill in the air, but the sun was shining and the trees were gorgeous and peaked in their Fall colors.

Tim quickly started getting the cameras set up and placed, while I took pictures outside and wandered around a little. Found some other good picture moments inside the church like this one between Rebecca and her soon-to-be father-in-law:

Here's hubster at work:

My coworker Herb and his wife Karen being escorted to their seats:

Tim & the amazing photographer Robb pow-wowing:

My dear friend and coworker Lindsay... whom I texted back & forth with before & after the ceremony because we were sitting by ourselves and wishing we could have sat together! She's such a riot.

You may notice that it's crowded. 350 guests in a church that could seat 350 people. We needed every. single. seat. It was very intimate which made it really nice!

Beginning of ceremony with the mothers lighting the candles:

Processional:

Hahaha!! These two were SO cute!

I couldn't grab a pic of the bride walking down the aisle because I was on video camera duty at that time, but here they are after she's up the aisle {so pretty!!}

Three-strand cord talk {God, husband, and wife}

Exchanging of rings:

Lighting of unity candle:

Group prayer after unity candle - this was really cool:

About to be...

Man & wife!

{of course, I caught them right after the kiss!}

Woohoo! They're married!

Me with coworker & dear friend Lindsay after the ceremony:

Moving on to the reception at the coolest reception site I've ever seen:

Have to show you another pic of my man hard at work!

Speeches! 

Both sets of parents were soooo nice & sweet!

Major love & respect to both their families!!

These two are seriously two of the most compatible I've ever met.

Awesome table of coworkers!! :) 

{not pictured because the only pic we got all together was taken by the photographer, doh!}

Cutting of the small cake... and an excuse for another look at the back of Rebecca's gorgeous dress!! Again most pics were snapped in random moments because I was also on the back-up video camera, assigned to getting people's reactions. There's a lot of wobbling. I should not do this video thing for a living. Especially on my med that makes me shaky. Just sayin'.

The food stations were incredible. There was a meat carving station with roast been and turkey, with potatoes & mixed veggies on the side:

The pasta stirfry station where chefs stirred the food up for you quickly on a line of burners. Amazing:

Southwest station with fajitas, taco salad, etc:

A salad & veggie station in the middle {not pictured}. 

The favor station was crazy. I've heard of these and I was shocked & awed at how great it was:

Coffee & tea bar:

Desserts. Wow. I was in *heaven*. Sadly though, they look better than they tasted:

Insanely amazing chocolate fondue fountain where a lady was stationed the entire night to help scoop things in there. *drool*

Okay enough of the food. Had a great time with coworkers - pictured below are Denise & Linda from customer service, these ladies are as sweet as can be!

Our friends Matt & Danielle - they're a hoot!

Me & Danielle - love her!!

And the grand finale - the sign-in station where you signed pictures of the couple (right) and looked up your table assignment (left).

What a great, great time!!!! We were so blessed to be a part of all of it!! And I think this amazing party just really showed how much all of them love people {and yes, a bit of money to back them up}. It's hard to point into words just how much this type of celebration really makes you feel honored - I've never been to one quite like this, with it so elegant but the people so nice & down-to-earth {I mean, this bride asks YOU what she can get YOU on her wedding day and if YOU are doing okay - good grief!!}. It was just so amazing. 

For more incredible pictures, please check out Robb Davidson's Photography. That guy was so professional, hilarious, and talented that I'd recommend him to ANYONE!!!! For realz. Live in the Chicago area? Call him.

Thanks for letting me share all of this with you! It was a great, albeit exhausting, weekend. We loved it!