the wedding itself was beautiful, the drive up there and the drive back... not so much.
a combination of carsickness, arguing, getting lost and being crammed into an overstuffed car made for a really unpleasant drive up.
and with a combination of food poisoning, hangovers and lack of sleep, the drive back wasn't much of an improvement.
but enough about the bad stuff, let's get to the good.
the ranch was the perfect setting for an outdoor wedding.
the weather turned out just right, even though it was unpleasantly cold after dark. but with enough to drink and a good dance beat, one hardly notices the cold.
the ceremony was short and sweet.
it was hard not to get teary eyed when my cousin Becca walked down the aisle, preceding her sister, crying like i've never seen before and looking oh so pretty in her little blue dress.
and then of course Ariane came around the corner, looking absolutely stunning in an elegant flowy gown, very befitting the bride's personality.
and when the first few tears sprung loose from Hansie's eyes as the two were wed, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. or... on the patio, as we were...
there was a brief time between ceremony and dinner where guests could mingle and grab a drink and such.
there were also games set up around the lawn, such as croquet, which i didn't partake in as i was much too distracted by the ice cream bar.
that's right. my awesome cousin had a freezer full of giant tubs of ice cream, a huge stack of cones and a sign that read "help yourself" at her wedding. amazing. and delicious!
then came time for dinner, which was set up in a tent on the grassy front lawn.
in order to decide which table got to eat first, and which next, there was a game. a trivia game. about the newlyweds. it was a lot of fun screaming out the answers, even after our table had already been fed.
there was also a microphone set up for anyone who wished to come up and say a few words or share a story about the happy couple, in order to get them to kiss. this was instead of the usual clinking of the glass game. if one did not want to speak, the deal was you had to come up and take a shot instead. this was quite entertaining.
some people sang, some people told little stories, some people simply said their congratulations, but it was very interesting to hear each and every person who approached the mic.
then came time for the speeches, which were just beyond words. so touching, so humorous, so plain and simply fabulous. i was close to tears the whole way through.
soon after was cake. delicious, delicious cupcakes actually. lemon, chocolate and coconut cupcakes. i had a lemon one. omnomnom.
and then it was time for the first dance, which led us away from the dinner tent and back up to the patio where the ceremony had been held. another touching moment.
and then, the party began.
while i'd like to say i shook my groove thang and danced the night away like a crazy fool, sadly, this is not the truth.
in actual fact, i left early due to an unpleasant and unyielding headache which was making the fun and good times a lot less fun. i danced a few songs and rocked out to Don't Stop Believing with my dad (which the rest of the crowd was oddly enough doing a conga line to...) then i decided to call it quits and went to bed. sadly, this meant i missed the Mika song my cousin Brie had put on the music mix especially for me.
but i hear it was a great party lasting until approximately 3am. and there are some crazy pictures to prove it!
and boy, the stories i heard about that nights events... hilarious. like the way my cousin Kirsten ran through the fields and my dad thought she was a ghost. especially after she 'disappeared'. in actual fact, she tried to jump over the fence and fell. hah.
while i'm sad i missed out on the awesome party, i'm so glad i went to this gorgeous wedding.
i love my family. i can't wait to have a wedding of my own with you crazy bunch!
Ariane and Hansie, I wish you all the best. You are a perfect match & a beautiful couple.
Congratulations.
