Down the Aisle

So the big question this holiday weekend was... would Violet make it down the aisle?

That's right, Joyce's wedding weekend had finally arrived! We headed towards Athens on Saturday, arriving at the Boutier Winery in time to help decorate and then rehearse. The rehearsal was a bit... chaotic. Poor Violet endured lots of directions before breaking down in tears when it was my turn to walk down the aisle... away from her. It seemed that despite our practice and preparation, she still wasn't quite prepared for me to leave her in the midst of strangers as I walked away. I was nervous about the big day, to say the least. The good news was, Joyce was the most laid-back bride I have ever seen. Whatever scenario went down during the wedding, she seemed poised to be okay with it.

Ringing the Chapel Bell!

The next day we bummed around our old college town until it was time to get ready for the wedding. We took Violet on a tour around North Campus, stopped to check out the fountain at Herty Field and ring the chapel bell, before grabbing lunch downtown. Then it was back to the winery to prepare for pictures, the part of the day that had me stressed out almost as much as the wedding itself. We were now going on day two with no nap, and as we'd all seen before, Violet does not do great with lots of people telling her what to do.

Well, girlfriend did admirably. The photographer quickly realized that the minute Violet made her happy face, she better grab as many pictures as possible. Hopefully some of them turned out!

Happy face!

Me and my girl.

And our lovely bride!

Fellow maid!

Finally it was time for the walk down the aisle. I took off while Matt stayed with Violet, giving her a last minute pep-talk. Whatever magical words he said, they totally worked, because Violet smiled all the way, dutifully dropping flower petals from her adorable little bird basket. The too-cool-for-school ring bearer trotted right behind her. It was awesome. I was so proud!

After the shortest ceremony in history, we all headed back inside for an awesome blend of barbeque and Korean food. My parents, who Joyce graciously invited, were on hand to act as babysitters, leaving Matt and I free to party. Well, as much party as you can do while pregnant. It was a beautiful day. Congrats, Joyce and Nick!

Impressed I stayed up past 11 p.m.!

Book club ladies, lookin' fine!