Getting Ready-the Groomsmen, Bridesmaids, Father of the Bride and some guests

Getting Ready

Getting ready meant both getting the house and the folks ready...

and special mention to Kayla's family, especially her mom, for preparing and setting up all the food-it is impossible to overstate how hard they worked and how wonderful it all turned out!!

The bride...

                                                   

                                                                   the groom

                             

Rehersal Dinner

Steven and Kayla picked a great place for the rehearsal dinner...Thai food for all!  It was a nice evening, hanging out and relaxing, talking about the upcoming ceremony, a quieter time for the families to get to know one another...very nice!

Pre Wedding Fun

As they prepared for the wedding, Steve put together a great website as a resource and they also set up a Facebook page.  Need info?  Check them out!  Of course, that did not prevent a mix up or two but no worries, everything worked out in the end!
 

 some pre-wedding pictures of the happy couple:

In the days and hours leading up to the wedding, things got exciting all around.  Family arrived from near and far, with Kayla's whole family traveling from Wisconsin, including her dad who brought homemade beer for the reception.  Everyone was gearing up for a good time!

The ladies went for pedicures, ensuring everyone's toes were a delightful shade of purple.

The morning of there was breakfast for everyone.  Kayla's mom went above and beyond!

Steven and Kayla Wedding: The Venue

Steven and Kayla had a vision for how the wedding weekend would go and it all started to come together when Kayla's sister found Ocean's 12, a beautiful beach house at the Point on Oak Island, NC and they realized it was available the very weekend they wanted to get married.  The last house on the beach, Ocean's 12 is surrounded on three sides by water and would be amazing for just about anything...and for a wedding, wow.  Hard to argue with it being the perfect setting.

 from the beach, the house is picture perfect

 from the house, you can see the ocean in front, the point and the island across the water from the side, and the waterway from the back...amazing.

 from the deck of our house as the wedding reception went on behind us, some of the guests watched a couple two houses down get married on the beach.

 the location was not only perfect for the wedding reception but the yard provided built in scenery for formal wedding pictures

The couple took full advantage of the house, filling it with the bridal party, the parents and friends of the family for the extended weekend and for the reception, all the guests.  There was plenty of space for food and drink, dancing and hanging out.

                                                          What a weekend!

Evolution of a Cake Topper

Long ago and far away (July 1968 to be specific), a lovely couple got married and had an amazing cake with an amazing cake topper:

After the wedding, life happened...jobs, cities, houses, 5 kids, 8 grandchildren, etc., etc.,...

and the cake topper somehow ended up in a box in a basement in Minnesota.  If only cake toppers could talk...  In October 2019 (over 50 years later...you do the math) the couple's youngest child and only son was planning to marry and alas, he and his bride had no cake topper.  Enter the box from the basement...

The base of the cake topper was in good form but sadly it was discolored and the roses had seen better days:

Off the box went from the un-creative daughter to one of the more creative daughters who took one look at it and decided a major overhaul was required. Daring to peel it apart, she worked on it for a couple of hours:

Eventually, with the original base and top-side decorations and updated tulle and flowers, the cake topper looked like new:

The cake display at the wedding reception was perfect and the happy couple enjoyed cutting the cake with the brand new monogrammed cake knife and server:

Congratulations Steven and Kayla!

NOTE:  At least two granddaughters have indicated that the cake topper is to be preserved for their weddings...       :  )