Wedding Celebration
Rob and Roda are married! Everything went beautifully.
It was a mad rush to the finish though. The carpenters were at the house on Friday, putting on the finishing touches of paint. Mom took off of work on Friday and was up at 5am, trying to reorganize her house to pre-renovation state. I took off of work for half a day and met up with my parents and Greg at their home to help out with the organizing and cleaning. (I've been to my parents' home every day this past week to help out.) Then Rob and Roda arrived, as well as Mimi and Al (Mom’s sister and brother in law from Texas). It became a decorating party!
The morning of the wedding, Mom made arrangements for herself, Roda, Mimi and me to have our hair done. Yes, I brought my camera (it’s so small I keep it in my purse now). During the week, I would ask Roda, "Are you getting nervous?" She would say, "No. I’m not nervous." The wedding morning, when I picked Roda up to go to the hair salon, she said, "I woke up this morning and now, I’m nervous!" Too cute.
I took pictures of just about everything; I know I'm a shutterbug. I highly recommend Capdeboscq Catering for any event. They were professional, dressed in black and white attire, the food was delicious, the set up was lovely and the hostess kept the events moving along; they had staff manning the roast carving station and people serving and wow, they cleaned up the place quickly and efficiently. They offer the entire package for catering! Dad looked at me and said, "Aren’t you glad that we got this for you and Greg too?" Absolutely! I have great faith in their professional abilities and decorating skills.
Relatives and friends ran through the rain. We were a little nervous, as the Justice of the Peace arrived 10 minutes before the hour. True, that was the time he said he would be there, but we were a bundle of nerves.
Rene, the Best Man, and long time family friend called me prior to going over to my parents’ home. He said, "Aleta, I’m at the airport. I’ve been here since 8am; they lost my luggage!" Oh my gosh, Rene was fit to be tied. He continued, "They told me it would be here at 11, so here I am waiting. And of course, my suit is in the luggage bag!" We talked for a minute, as it was close to that time and I was relieved to hear Rene say, "They said it would be here at 11 and it’s 11 right now. Wait! I see it!" Oh good. Then Rene asked, "I have another problem. The friend where I was supposed to take a shower and change at had to leave his home. Can I come over to your house to shower and change?" Not a problem at all. Rene continued, "Could you call Rob and let him know that I’m here. Don’t tell him about the missing luggage though, because I don’t want him to get worried even though I have it now."
I think Rene's luggage fears were the only problem of the day. Later I asked Rene if Rob was nervous, but he wasn’t. Rene did say, “Well, there is something funny. When I drove Rob to your parents’ home, I told him that he wasn’t wearing his seat belt and Rob replied, ‘I’m living dangerously today!’”
Dad gave Roda away. It warmed my heart that she wanted him to do so. Mom and I didn’t know if she would want to walk to Rob by herself or maybe with Rowena and we didn’t know how to offer that Dad could do this. It tickled Mom and I when she said she wanted Dad to do so.
I took pictures of Dad giving Roda away, coming towards the area that was decorated for their ceremony and then I looked back at Rob. His face was beaming with love! I have never seen him happier and I felt a rush of tears, tears of joy. Can I say it again? I’m incredibly happy for them!
During the ceremony, Rob had on his glasses, but when the Justice of the Peace said, "You may now kiss the bride" Rob took off his glasses and everyone was look "ohhh, wooahhh" meaning – it’s going to be a special kiss!
Outside it rained, but inside it glowed. Roberta, a close friend of Mom’s and teacher at her school, said, "It’s good that it’s raining on their wedding. It means that they'll have wealth." There you go, rain on!
Greg recorded the wedding on video; I took tons of pictures and Greg was in charge of the music. For their (Rob and Roda’s) first dance, he played the song that we had chosen for our first dance, "At Last." It’s a beautiful song and at first, I thought, "We should change our first dance song, since Rob and Roda danced to it." But no, it’s appropriate for both of us, because it took us this time to find our true love. It will make the song even more special. It's funny, because my cousin, Kevin and his fiancé remarked about the "At Last" song being the one that they wanted to dance too at their wedding. Maybe it will become a family tradition?
Rene gave a lovely Best Man speech, starting it off with, "Rob and I have been friends for a long time. When I met the Grimball family, I knew that they were a solid, strong family unit and I know that Roda will enjoy being a part of the family. I look at Rob and see how happy he is and I know this is what Roda brings with her to the family." He ended it with wishing them well and congratulations. It was simple and sweet and thoughtful.
Instead of tossing the bouquet, Roda came to me, handing me the bouquet and said, "This is for the next bride." Aww, she’s the sister I never had!
The wedding ceremony and reception ~ couldn’t have asked for better. It was lovely with lots of friends and family. I was tickled that Greg's parents and sister were there as well. Whenever my family was introduced to them as, "This is Greg's Mom and Dad and Sister." My family was thrilled to meet them. Everybody loves Greg. (Especially me!) We could truly feel how many people were concerned about Greg’s health and how they were glad that he was there.
Somehow, Rob managed to keep the honeymoon destination a secret from Roda. He even surprised her with a stretch limo to take them to the airport. Rice was thrown as they left the house. When they entered the limo, Rowena (Roda's sister) turned to me and asked me excitedly, "Tell me now, where are they going? I want to know." I answered, "Las Vegas" Rowena smiled and said, "Ohh, that was one of the places I wanted to go." Mom saw Rowena crying as they drove off and Rowena explained, "These are tears of joy." I think her words sum it up, from beginning to end, what a blessing!
Rowena also shared with us that Rowena and Roda’s Mom and family were having a celebration in the Philippines in honor of their wedding. That warms my heart to know they were sharing this happy occasion on the same day! Across the world, the love could be felt and honored ~ how precious is that?
I only included a few pictures on this blog, but I have a Picasa site where you can see the rest of them. At the beginning, you'll see pictures of my Mom's birthday celebration. Did I mention that not only did we have to contend with renovations to finish, but we also made time to have gifts and cake too? It's been a hectic week, but well worth it!
The pictures were too many to copy to the blog, so feel free to visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aleta.grimball/RobAndRodaSWeddingSept202008#
It was a mad rush to the finish though. The carpenters were at the house on Friday, putting on the finishing touches of paint. Mom took off of work on Friday and was up at 5am, trying to reorganize her house to pre-renovation state. I took off of work for half a day and met up with my parents and Greg at their home to help out with the organizing and cleaning. (I've been to my parents' home every day this past week to help out.) Then Rob and Roda arrived, as well as Mimi and Al (Mom’s sister and brother in law from Texas). It became a decorating party!
The morning of the wedding, Mom made arrangements for herself, Roda, Mimi and me to have our hair done. Yes, I brought my camera (it’s so small I keep it in my purse now). During the week, I would ask Roda, "Are you getting nervous?" She would say, "No. I’m not nervous." The wedding morning, when I picked Roda up to go to the hair salon, she said, "I woke up this morning and now, I’m nervous!" Too cute.
I took pictures of just about everything; I know I'm a shutterbug. I highly recommend Capdeboscq Catering for any event. They were professional, dressed in black and white attire, the food was delicious, the set up was lovely and the hostess kept the events moving along; they had staff manning the roast carving station and people serving and wow, they cleaned up the place quickly and efficiently. They offer the entire package for catering! Dad looked at me and said, "Aren’t you glad that we got this for you and Greg too?" Absolutely! I have great faith in their professional abilities and decorating skills.
Relatives and friends ran through the rain. We were a little nervous, as the Justice of the Peace arrived 10 minutes before the hour. True, that was the time he said he would be there, but we were a bundle of nerves.
Rene, the Best Man, and long time family friend called me prior to going over to my parents’ home. He said, "Aleta, I’m at the airport. I’ve been here since 8am; they lost my luggage!" Oh my gosh, Rene was fit to be tied. He continued, "They told me it would be here at 11, so here I am waiting. And of course, my suit is in the luggage bag!" We talked for a minute, as it was close to that time and I was relieved to hear Rene say, "They said it would be here at 11 and it’s 11 right now. Wait! I see it!" Oh good. Then Rene asked, "I have another problem. The friend where I was supposed to take a shower and change at had to leave his home. Can I come over to your house to shower and change?" Not a problem at all. Rene continued, "Could you call Rob and let him know that I’m here. Don’t tell him about the missing luggage though, because I don’t want him to get worried even though I have it now."
I think Rene's luggage fears were the only problem of the day. Later I asked Rene if Rob was nervous, but he wasn’t. Rene did say, “Well, there is something funny. When I drove Rob to your parents’ home, I told him that he wasn’t wearing his seat belt and Rob replied, ‘I’m living dangerously today!’”
Dad gave Roda away. It warmed my heart that she wanted him to do so. Mom and I didn’t know if she would want to walk to Rob by herself or maybe with Rowena and we didn’t know how to offer that Dad could do this. It tickled Mom and I when she said she wanted Dad to do so.
I took pictures of Dad giving Roda away, coming towards the area that was decorated for their ceremony and then I looked back at Rob. His face was beaming with love! I have never seen him happier and I felt a rush of tears, tears of joy. Can I say it again? I’m incredibly happy for them!
During the ceremony, Rob had on his glasses, but when the Justice of the Peace said, "You may now kiss the bride" Rob took off his glasses and everyone was look "ohhh, wooahhh" meaning – it’s going to be a special kiss!
Outside it rained, but inside it glowed. Roberta, a close friend of Mom’s and teacher at her school, said, "It’s good that it’s raining on their wedding. It means that they'll have wealth." There you go, rain on!
Greg recorded the wedding on video; I took tons of pictures and Greg was in charge of the music. For their (Rob and Roda’s) first dance, he played the song that we had chosen for our first dance, "At Last." It’s a beautiful song and at first, I thought, "We should change our first dance song, since Rob and Roda danced to it." But no, it’s appropriate for both of us, because it took us this time to find our true love. It will make the song even more special. It's funny, because my cousin, Kevin and his fiancé remarked about the "At Last" song being the one that they wanted to dance too at their wedding. Maybe it will become a family tradition?
Rene gave a lovely Best Man speech, starting it off with, "Rob and I have been friends for a long time. When I met the Grimball family, I knew that they were a solid, strong family unit and I know that Roda will enjoy being a part of the family. I look at Rob and see how happy he is and I know this is what Roda brings with her to the family." He ended it with wishing them well and congratulations. It was simple and sweet and thoughtful.
Instead of tossing the bouquet, Roda came to me, handing me the bouquet and said, "This is for the next bride." Aww, she’s the sister I never had!
The wedding ceremony and reception ~ couldn’t have asked for better. It was lovely with lots of friends and family. I was tickled that Greg's parents and sister were there as well. Whenever my family was introduced to them as, "This is Greg's Mom and Dad and Sister." My family was thrilled to meet them. Everybody loves Greg. (Especially me!) We could truly feel how many people were concerned about Greg’s health and how they were glad that he was there.
Somehow, Rob managed to keep the honeymoon destination a secret from Roda. He even surprised her with a stretch limo to take them to the airport. Rice was thrown as they left the house. When they entered the limo, Rowena (Roda's sister) turned to me and asked me excitedly, "Tell me now, where are they going? I want to know." I answered, "Las Vegas" Rowena smiled and said, "Ohh, that was one of the places I wanted to go." Mom saw Rowena crying as they drove off and Rowena explained, "These are tears of joy." I think her words sum it up, from beginning to end, what a blessing!
Rowena also shared with us that Rowena and Roda’s Mom and family were having a celebration in the Philippines in honor of their wedding. That warms my heart to know they were sharing this happy occasion on the same day! Across the world, the love could be felt and honored ~ how precious is that?
I only included a few pictures on this blog, but I have a Picasa site where you can see the rest of them. At the beginning, you'll see pictures of my Mom's birthday celebration. Did I mention that not only did we have to contend with renovations to finish, but we also made time to have gifts and cake too? It's been a hectic week, but well worth it!
The pictures were too many to copy to the blog, so feel free to visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aleta.grimball/RobAndRodaSWeddingSept202008#
Comments
Please convey my very best wishes to Rob and Roda.....
You pictures are great, even when I look back on my own wedding I find the ones my friends and family took make me smile the most, the candid photos really have a way of capturing the moment.
Have a great day!
~K
BTW, is there a symbolic meaning behind the rice-throwing ceremony? We have a similar custom of throwing khoi (puffed rice) on the bride and groom as they circle round the fire seven times for eternal bonding. The rice symbolises the shower of prosperity. Is it something similar in your part of the world?
Hi Barbara (aka Layla) ~ Thank you for stopping by and visiting. I hope you'll come back again. You're right, weddings are fun!
Hi Ugich Konitari ~ Aww, thank you. That's so nice to know that you checked a couple of times. I was trying to get the post and pictures up as quickly as I could. I'll be sure to convey your wishes. I know that Roda reads my blog as well, so she'll be tickled with all the sweet comments here.
Hi Lauren ~ You know what, you're right ~ I think I did enjoy it as much as the bride. Well, I'm sure she enjoyed it more *smiles* but it was wonderful to welcome her to the family. I started getting teary-eyed when I welcomed her to the family and followed it with, "You are the sister I never had."
Hi Kel ~ I like the candid photos too, when you aren't ready for the picture... it captures the laughter, the looks, when you don't expect it, rather than just the posed shots. (Not knocking the posed ones though!) Thanks for enjoying this special day!
Hi Debbie ~ I can't tell you how much it means to me to see my brother happy. It took him almost 41 years to find Roda and for us to see that happiness in his eyes. They are good for each other and to each other. Wasn't her dress perfect for her cute figure? They plan on having a second wedding where they will be married in the Catholic church. They had to do the Justice of the Peace this time, because of the time constraint for Engagement Visa's.
Hi Leigh ~ Thank you for stopping by and for your wishes. I visited your site and love the pictures.
Hi Sucharita Sarkar ~ You just made my day! I was actually hoping that someone would ask about the rice, because I love to learn about different cultures and sharing as well. Throwing rice dates back to ancient Rome. It's a custom that represents good luck to the newlyweds. In the past, throwing rice meant fertility or "plentiful crops." For all that was thrown with Rob and Roda, I'd love to be an aunt one day (soon!) hehe.
Take care - Kellan