California Stars

Potato and I just got back from our trip to California.  Though the actual itinerary was horribly planned out we still had a great time.  The wedding itself was was of the sweetest I've ever seen.  Everything about it seemed so genuine.  Perhaps it was just that I knew the bride and groom well and I knew how happy they were.  Or, maybe it was just that you could see the amount of work that all their friends and family had put into their wedding that made it feel so special.  By keeping things simple the beauty of the ceremony really came out. The couple added their unique/fun touch to everything. Even with the eye-watering heart string-pulling vows, it was such a lighthearted feel. The groom cleverly weaved a "rickroll" into his vows and the bride "iced" the groom while they did the garter toss.  They took another step away from wedding norms and had a pre-ceremony cocktail hour.  When I first saw this on the invite I was a bit weary.  However, it was a great way to get everybody there on time and makes the schedule that much more flexible if the bride leaves her sash or a bridesmaid leaves her dress at home.  You can start the ceremony whenever because people are happily socializing, wandering around, and taking pictures.  The relaxed feel to the wedding went well with the location.  The whole thing was done on the Bride's family's walnut farm while it was 83 degrees and sunny.
The only thing that was a misstep was that the band was only okay.  They weren't bad musicians but the music they were playing wasn't very dancey.  So, when they took a break one of my friends put their ipod on and finally everybody started dancing.  After that, the band took the hint and just danced with us.  At that point my friends and I became the unofficial DJs using our phones and ipods to keep the party going.  (Note to self - don't hire a band unless they are 100% amazing) We finished the night with just my friends on the dance floor and 3 Killers songs in a row - of course, making it weird.  At the end of the night the Milky Way was in full bloom - cleverly trying to disguise itself as a cloud.  Naturally I was geeking out and needed to use Potato as a walking aid as I was far to busy looking up to share my focus with the ground.
Everything was just so lovely and perfect. When I speak of other weddings I'll usually site a showy prop used.  But here there was nothing showy.  It was so simple that it is hard to find the words to describe it.  The feelings and the beauty are the things I'll remember from this wedding.  Just true bliss.