Dan gets married

My younger brother Daniel got married in June to a beautiful Christina Hamilton in the Bountiful Temple.

The celebration started the night before with a dinner with both families.  It was supposed to be at Sugar House Park, but it was unseasonably cold and windy. I think lots of us came unprepared and instead of toughing it out at the park, we went to my grandma's house nearby. It was very informal and fun.

This was a special wedding. Both Daniel and Christina are deaf, so the ceremony was signed in addition to spoken.  I have always gained a little extra out of watching signing.  I'm not sure what, but it does always make the spirit closer and more obvious to me. It's not that I have any real fluency with signing. Afterwards we took pictures outside with the beautiful couple and then went back to hang out at the Madsen's until the reception.

 

The kids all ready for the reception that night.

 The reception was at a beautiful reception house in Bountiful, Eldredge Manor.  I have always like the idea of a reception house.  It is what Mollie and I did.  They take care of most everything for you and that's a big help on such a busy day. Eldredge Manor is a beautiful spot.  They have gorgeous  inside seating area, and an enchanting outdoor patio that we used for dancing and socializing. The weather was amazing, so we spent much of the evening outside.  In addition, there was an upstairs room with toys and a TV/VCR to let bored/crazy kids have a space of their own. Dan and Christina did an amazing job planning out every detail of this wonderful day.  They had assigned all the siblings and nieces and nephews with duties (guest book, collecting gifts, watching kids upstairs, etc.) It was a very organized and wonderful evening.   I think that this really helped having some entertainment for the kids, because they do get restless and rowdy. I had fun dancing and playing around outside.  It was a beautiful summer night and we enjoyed the company of Dan and Christina and all the extended families.

The beautiful bride with the nieces and nephews.

Olivia at the outdoor portion of the reception center.

Dan and Christina with even more nieces and nephews.

Cutting the cake.

Eating the cake.

Playing around.

Hangin' out.

Breaking rules (note sign just below the fountain.  Oops!)

Tossing bouquets.

Dancing...

dancing...

and more dancing. 

 We all had a great time.  The photographer was great, and got some family shots for us. Unfortunately, family weddings are notorious for wearing out my kids, and putting them in a "don't take my picture any more" kind of mood, so this is as good as we got.