What an exceptional weekend!! My little brother got married,
and it was awesome.
I flew in on Thursday morning, and made it to Paul and
Sarah's house in Montpelier for dinner. My parents were there, and Brian, and
Phoebe, and Sarah's parents, her brother Tim, and Tim's wife Katie, and their
kids, and several friends of Paul and Sarah's. It was great seeing everyone and
we had a tasty dinner and talked about the weekend ahead.
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| That's the roof of their house as seen through their woods from near their creek. No, I am not kidding you. |
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| A really cool handmade wedding gift |
Friday was wedding setup. We drove to a camp called Common
Grounds, outside Burlington, and it was beautiful! The camp has a big dining
hall, lots of little cabins tucked away in the woods, a lodge, several barns,
and open spaces. Actually, everything I
saw in Vermont was beautiful. Rolling hills, tons of trees, picturesque barns
and creeks. The weather on Friday afternoon was perfect. It had rained on
Thursday night, but Friday it was clear and sunny, warm but not too hot, a
gentle breeze blowing through the trees. Ah, Vermont.
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| The view of the dining hall from the top of the hill |
We got settled in, and started getting things ready for the
wedding on Saturday. Their friend Kit
was in charge of the kitchen and planned and prepared many of the meals. Chris
arrived on Friday afternoon. I spent some time playing airplane with Tim &
Katie's boys on the impressive play structure. (We were flying to Indonesia.
The in-flight meal was hot dogs and juice.) After dinner there was big campfire
with s'mores!
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| A real live cider press |
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| Brian doing what he does best - umping kickball |
Saturday! Another
gorgeous day. I was on the breakfast crew, which meant I had to be in the
dining hall at 6:30 to help get breakfast ready. Phoebe came in and woke me up
at 6:45. Yep. I wasn't a great help at
getting breakfast ready. After breakfast, I was tired, so I took a nap, and I
spent some time reading, and some time walking the grounds with people, and
chatting with people. It was nice being part of the wedding family, because I
already knew so many people there. There was a kickball game that I watched for
a bit, and they had set up an apple press to make fresh cider from apples Paul
and Sarah had gathered at their house. Oh, Vermont!
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| The Eley men getting ready for the ceremony |
We got dressed and ready for pictures after lunch. Everyone
looked so nice! The ceremony started around 4pm. It was outside, and it was one of the best
wedding ceremonies I have ever been too. Paul and Sarah said their vows, then
we all sat in silence for a bit, as it was a Quaker wedding. Then people could
stand up and share something if they wanted. Tim stood up first and talked
about him and Sarah growing up. Friends of their said lovely things and gave
advice and told stories. My dad, Brian, and Chris, all stood and said beautiful
things about Paul and Sarah. There was lots of happy crying. Even thinking
about it all now I'm pretty much crying again. It was all beautiful. The ceremony ended around 5pm, and we headed
for the dining hall for cocktails and appetizers and rain. Yes, the rain waited
until just after the ceremony!!
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| Sarah and her dad doing some neat folk dance that I didn't know |
Sarah's mom made a lovely marriage certificate that every
person in attendance signed. We had dinner catered, then had some fun dancing.
It rained harder and harder.
Sunday morning came way too soon. I had breakfast, said
goodbye to family and friends (new and old!) and Brian drove me to the airport
in Burlington. I will say, that airport
is typical of Vermont - small, adorable, clean, and charming. Sigh. Vermont.
SUCH a good weekend. I didn't want to leave. It was so
happy, and everyone had a real good time.
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