Party of the Year

AKA The Wedding

Beware, I included a lot of photos (and I could have added more), but there is just so much to share about my brother and Sabrina's special day. 

The wedding day started off early. I was up and at 'em at 7 to head to the hotel gym to get my strength on. I did a serious sweat session for about 40 min (the gym was a balmy 74 inside) before heading out for an easy 30 min run.

We were staying at an Embassy Suites so after showering, I headed downstairs for a hearty breakfast and managed to eat more than my share of food - oatmeal, eggs, banana, pancake. Ha!

Then mom and I headed to the hair salon where the ladies were getting our hair done. 

What began as a crazy mess of hair...

actually turned out pretty cool!

I asked the stylist to do some kind of side swept ponytail with some curls and some twisted up. Because my hair is so stick straight, she had to put nearly half a bottle of hairspray on my head. 

After the hair salon, we headed back to Sabrina's parents house for makeup, which was done by two girls from the Bare Escentuals counter at the nearby Nordstrom. The girls were so good at what they do and everyone's makeup was perfect!

It was a warm day, but we were inside for most of it so we just tried to stay cool and stick to the timeline. We had plenty of snacks and sandwiches to snack on during the afternoon.

Bride and mom looking beautiful just before wedding dress photos

After some photography of the bridesmaids and Sabrina putting her dress on, it was just a waiting game. But eventually, it was time to head to the church for the 3 pm wedding. 

I'm not going to lie, as I walked down the aisle, I tried not to focus on anyone. So many eyes are on you! 

And when the doors to the back of the church opened and Sabrina stepped out with her dad, I started bawling. It was just one of those surreal moments realizing your brother is getting married. When did we get so grown up?

Their ceremony was perfect. I'm so happy for them as their relationship has been 8+ years in the making. They met in the dorms freshman year at the UO. 

The courtyard next to the church was beautiful and a perfect setting for photos.

After the wedding and photos of the bridal party, it was time to head to the reception!

Their reception was held in the ballroom at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. It was very nice and convenient to have many of the guests staying at the reception location. 

For dinner, I had the vegetarian option - roasted veggies on top of a portobella mushroom. It was delicious. I'm not sure what the sauce was. We also had caesar salads to start and bread. 

After dinner and toasts, was the father - daughter dance. It started out slow and ended with a few fast songs where they both pulled out black sunglasses. 

The guests were then offered sunglasses and everyone was invited to get on the dance floor. 

It was a great way to get the party started right. And what a party it was...

Kyle and Sabrina met at the University of Oregon in the dorms, so many of the guests went to the UO, hence the "Ooooo."

                                      

Loved her dress! The straps could be tucked in so she could dance the night away. 

Their cake was a-mazing and my brother said a few sweet words.

You know it's a good party when my dad is out on the dance floor several times! I have no idea where I get my dance face from...

No one wanted the night to end, so after the rehearsal, we made our way over to the hotel restaurant bar and stayed until last call. 

We even ordered pizza to the bar because they were no longer serving food. Hey, 3+ hours of dancing works up an appetite!

It was such a fun day filled with great memories and conversations with friends and family. Congratulations, Kyle and Sabrina!

A few of the fun details from their reception: sunglasses passed out to the guests, a photo booth in the corner to take silly photostrips, a table of wedding photos from both of their grandparents' and parents' weddings, an amazing DJ that never let the party die and duck lips given to the bride and groom (in reference to the Univ. of Oregon) during dinner. We even got a photo of everyone in attendance who is an alumni. 

The happy couple is now honeymooning in Hawaii before heading back to life in Portland, OR. 

I hope you're having a fabulous day with family/friends if you're celebrating the Fourth of July! I managed to get out on the trails early for a 12 mile run (ouch). And now we're off to check out a local winery and then head to a friend's BBQ.