Megan and Brad's Wedding!

I haven't been able to update my blog in a few days because we've been down in Joliet for my cousin Megan's wedding! We had a great time all weekend, and Kathryn was a wonderful flower-girl. I'll include a few pictures here on the blog, but for a bigger set, you can go here (they're very Kathryn-centric, of course).

We left Thursday afternoon after I came home from work (I only worked a half-day). We were staying with my Dad and Pat, so we first dropped our stuff off at their place. The rehearsal was at the church at 6:00. Kathryn had been anticipating her role ever since Megan asked her to do it, so she was very excited. The rehearsal was a bit of an anti-climax for her -- I think she expected it to be more dramatic somehow.

Then we followed everyone out to the rehearsal dinner at Brad's family's farm in Minooka. I hadn't been out that way since college; back when I had that creepy experience as a intern programmer at the family-owned locomotive company... but that's a story for another time. Brad's entire family is very hospitable. It felt very natural to spend time with them. Brad's nephew, Alex, was the ring-bearer, and even though he's four years older than Kathryn, he was a really good sport about keeping her occupied. Brad has attended many of our family-gatherings, and he's a very friendly person. I feel as though he's been a part of our family forever.

At the rehearsal dinner, Megan and Brad gave gifts to all the attendants. Megan gave Kathryn a cool little Barbie "Fairie-topia" toy (she said Kathryn could bring it with her to the wedding so she wouldn't be too bored). She also gave Kathryn a beautiful cross necklace to wear for the wedding (you can see it in some of the pictures). By the way, this was just one of the many examples of how well Megan planned her wedding. She was extremely thoughtful the entire weekend. I've never attended a wedding that was better planned than this one!

The day of the wedding, we ran into our first little snag. At first, Kathryn didn't want her hair done. But that minor problem was very quickly resolved. We developed a little mantra that we would mention whenever Kathryn looked like she was going to be obstinate. We'd ask, "Who's special day is it?" Then she'd answer, "Megan's." It was an easy way to remind Kathryn that she was there to make Megan's day special, not to whine about little things. And that was the only time Kathryn showed a hint of impatience with the wedding proceedings. She was very well-behaved all weekend, and we were all very proud of her.

I hadn't seen the full-effect of Kathryn's dress, her hair, the necklace, and the flower basket until I saw her coming down the aisle. No, I didn't start thinking about walking her down the aisle someday (those thoughts came later, at the reception). But she was so beautiful! She walked very slowly, placing a petal with each step; first with the right hand, then with the left. She had a very determined look about her; very focused on her job. When she got to the front, she just walked back over to the fourth pew to sit with us, and that was it.

Unfortunately, we forgot the "fairie-topia" toy. But fortunately, a Catholic service is much more interactive than our dry Protestant services. In our Protestant churches, we might have an awesome worship time at the beginning, but after that we just sit around and listen to someone else talk. In the Catholic Mass, there are all sorts of responsive readings, candles being lit, elements being prepared, bells ringing, alter boys carrying things around, kneeling, standing, etc. Kathryn was enthralled the entire time!

After the wedding, as with most weddings, the picture-taking was a bit tiring. Kathryn's little smile kept looking more and more forced with each picture. By the time we went outside for the outdoor pictures, she barely acknowledged the photographer anymore.

But she was really looking forward to the reception. She'd been told that there would be dancing, and she couldn't wait to show everyone her moves! She had us all cracking up! One bridesmaid in particular (Emily, I think, pictured behind Kathryn here) really took Kathryn under her wing. I was delighted to see how friendly everyone was to Kathryn, and how they went out of their way to make sure that she had a wonderful time. As you can see in the pictures, Kathryn absolutely loved the dancing!

It was at the reception, when Megan and Uncle Bill were dancing, that I finally remembered that I'll probably be in Uncle Bill's shoes in twenty-odd years. Not soon enough to worry about, obviously, but still soon enough to make me get all sentimental. So when a slow song came on, and Kathryn took a break from her frenetic dancing, I picked her up for a little dance.