Saturday, November 1, 2014

Wedding Bells!

I know this post will be far more interesting to my family and those who know them than it is to most of you, but bear with me.I recently had the joy of attending the wedding of Mark, my cousin's oldest son, and his wonderful Katie in the Cleveland area.


This is Mark and his brother, best man, best friend, Jeff -- waiting for a first spotting of Katie!


Mark was the first of the kids from "our gang" of cousins. I think of him more as a nephew because his mom, aunt and uncle are more like siblings to me. He waited a long time to find just the right woman -- but he scored big!


Our day began with a ride to the church along the beautiful Chagrin River. It, too, was decked out in its best for the big day!


This was the first interfaith wedding service I'd ever been to and it was remarkable. Held in a Catholic church, it also included a rabbi, along with the priest, and many of the traditions of both faiths were implemented.


Among those I found especially moving were Katie's giving flowers to Mary, as in the Virgin Mary, at an altar by the side. This confused some of us when we saw it in the program because we thought they were giving flowers to Mark's mom and couldn't understand why Katie's mom wasn't getting them too. (We Protestants had as much trouble with this one as anyone else!). (That bouquet is Katie's wedding flowers -- Mary's are beside her.)

 In one of the Jewish traditions, the couple drank from a wine glass. Later a different glass was broken as we shouted "Mazeltov!" (The rabbi said that was the last time Mark would be able to put his foot down -- and at the reception, Katie's 10-year-old nephew told Mark that was true -- he saw it in his house all the time!)


And the rabbi read the marriage contract, called the Katuba, which they both signed.


Finally, they were married! Applause and cheers!


Outside we waited for them to appear as bubble bottles were passed out.


Some of us had more fun with the bubbles than others! Check out David's beard! I love my family!

 
(This is the same photo taken after the bubbles dissipated. I think I like the bubbles best!


Of course, we had to take the "gee, we finally cleaned up -- and we're not too bad shots!" My cousin was one happy Groom-mum!

           

And then the departure. It was off to the reception -- but not before a hug for dad!
.
 

Mark and Katie greeted us at the reception -- in a manner of speaking!


Some fun things at the reception -- cut outs where you could have your photo taken. I love this one of my cousin Patty ...


and of course Rick and me!


There was delicate and graceful cake cutting.

 

And in the toast department, Mark's brother Jeff rocked it with a funny and loving toast.

 

You can't beat a wonderful family time -- especially when a lot of love is involved!


Soon I'll take you to some terrific spots around the Cleveland area and share another special day with you! But this post is long enough for now!


24 comments:

Willow said...

Happy nuptials and lovely photos of the ceremony and after fun.
Everyone looked beautiful.
Yes Id say you clean up quite nice indeed :)))

Mae Travels said...

SO nice to have a happy family event!

21 Wits said...

Oh I like that comment by the rabbi! It looks like a beautiful wedding, I enjoyed the photos very much. You did an excellent job of taking special photos!

Joanne Huffman said...

It's always fun to go to a wedding - especially a happy one. Thanks foe bringing us along.

Anonymous said...

It was a wonderful event. I am so happy these 2 found each other, and it was great spending time with you!
- bonnie

Annie said...

Oh the joy of weddings. Time of celebration and hope. Love the bride's dress.

Marilyn Miller said...

I just love JOYFUL weddings and this one looks to have been full of great JOY. Thanks for sharing.

Arti said...

Interesting... I've never been to an interfaith wedding. But I've been to Cleveland! My cousin lives in Kent, OH. I visited her a few years back and she took me to Cleveland. Wonderful city.

Jennifer Richardson said...

I love weddings:)
Especially when they thoroughly reflect the uniqueness of the
families being joined and the new one being formed. This looks wonderful. Like you wrote, especially when there is a whole lot of love.
I love love:)
-Jennifer

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

Very nice! Just realized it's been a while since I've attended a wedding.... Thanks for sharing.

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I always love reading about weddings, even when I don't personally know the color. I have never been to an interfaith wedding but it's nice to hear when that is done! I've never been to a Jewish wedding but a good friend of mine is probably going to get engaged soon so I will finally get to attend my first Jewish wedding when she gets married!

Looks like such a fun event - the cut outs for photos for the guests is so clever!

Barb said...

Weddings are such happy (and sometimes nerve-wracking) times! Those are great shots of you and Rick, by the way.

Angelsdoor * Penny said...

Hi Jeanie,
What a beautiful wedding! Thank you for sharing... I love her dress. You and hubby look great!
blessings,
Penny

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

What a good looking couple and such a pretty dress, I like the short length. Thanks so much for sharing their special day.

Anonymous said...

Lovely wedding!
You are so photogenic, too.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Good morning, JEANIE! What a super fun post....we LOVE THIS! A wedding, and such a special one...two faiths making one heart, now that is a tear-jerker! I have to say that Katie, looks JUST LIKE ME! I am stunned to see my TWIN here! My hair is currently her length and her smile and eyes are like mine! (what a beautiful bride..teeeeeheeee)

Your "nephew" is a truly handsome chap and I just roared at the Rabbi's statement after the smashing of the glass....OH YEAH, IT'S TRUE! teeeehehee.....I think most husbands see it coming!

You look fantastic. Happiness and love to you all! Anita

The French Hutch said...

Hi Jeanie dear, Love weddings and I enjoyed all the pics you share here. What a lovely day and this wedding was interesting with combining their two faiths. Love the photos of you, looking lovely as always. Just recently we’ve had two weddings to attend. My husbands sister’s son and daughter married only two weeks apart! Not good timing for mom and dad....
Have a beautiful week. We finally have fall, cool weather, yay!

The Old Parsonage said...

Well I'm not family, but I love seeing these kinds of happy celebrations. Love is in the air! Those cut-out are fab! Speaking of fab...you look wonderful!

Happy November

Quiltmoose - Dagmar said...

Beautiful wedding pics! You look great as always :)

Tracy said...

Oh, how LOVELY! The happy colorful flowers are so pretty. And I've always loved the Catholic tradition in marriage ceremonies where the bird offers a bouquet to the Virgin Mary. :o) This looked like a very sweet occasion. Wishing Mark & Katie a long, happy, love-filled life together! And you & Rick cleaned up GREAT for the day! ;o) ((HUGS))

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

It looked like such a joyous wedding on a beautiful day with love all around! I'm sure it's of interest to anyone who enjoys sharing such happy moments. Thanks so much for taking us along. I loved it!

~*~Patty S said...

Weddings are always fun!
Thanks for sharing this special one with us.
Nice these days all of the personal and imaginative touches that are included.
oxo

paris parfait said...

What a beautiful couple (love the bride's dress!) And that other couple w/ the initials J and R look pretty good too - very photogenic indeed! :)

Christine said...

I had fun catching up on your blog today.
I adore this last photo of the two of you :)

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