A Summer Wedding

It has already been a month since my brother's wedding and I have yet to share any of it with you!

Yes, my brother got married! We were thrilled when he popped the question last December and a little nervous when they set the date for 8 weeks after my baby's due date. But Stephen came early and was cleared to fly, so we all made it! Whew!

John and Ellen were married on July 30th, on Ellen's parent's farm. It was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful (really hot) day. They will forever be the cutest couple alive in my opinion. See for yourself:

photo from last summer

John had asked his brothers-in-law to be his groomsmen and William to be his ring bearer. Can I just say that I would have been devastated if Stephen and I couldn't have been there?! It would have crushed me. But he got his shots and could fly, so we were there! No worries!

The rehearsal the night before went really well. I was acting as the wedding coordinator and thankfully everyone was pretty easy going and let me boss them around. Just kidding! But everyone did great; William and my niece Charlotte (flower girl) were perfect!

Saturday morning finally arrived and William woke up with a 104 degree temperature. Argh. He was a champ though and didn't let it get him down. We tried to keep him better hydrated and medicated for the rest of the day. He even went without a nap all day because he was needed for the photos. He did great for photos too, but had a hard time really smiling. Totally understandable little dude.

I'm so glad I got this photo! It was one of very few smiles of the day. My two handsome guys!

The ceremony was beautiful. It was really hot and the sun was beating down hard; no one except me complained. I stayed in the back to help cue everyone when to walk down, which they totally could have done without me. Stephen stayed asleep until it was William's turn. Perfect, right?! Well, my sister saved the day and rocked two babies until I could get him. And then I ended up feeding him until he fell asleep. As I looked around, the surrounding trees acted as great mom hide-outs as two or three of us ended up rocking little ones.

And then Mr. & Mrs. Hagen walked down the aisle! I have to say, I love that there is another Mrs. Hagen! My grandma will always be Grandma Hagen to me, and my mom is now Grandma Hagen and will always be to my children. And now there is another Mrs. Hagen!! (I have two Aunts who are also Mrs. Hagen) My brother is one of two "Hagen" grandchildren (boys with the last name Hagen). So, there aren't going to be many Mrs. Hagen's around!

The reception was super cute. I wish I had taken a few more pictures, but this will give you an idea.

I call this "Stroller Row" 

It was incredible how many babies were at this wedding!

There were at least five babies under 7 months old!
And nine kids ages 2-7.

In 20-30 years, there could be a lot of weddings to celebrate together!

Stephen was pretty fussy the whole time, but my relatives were still happy to hold him and love him. I was so thankful for that because I had so many people to catch up with! It was a late evening for us, we got home around 10 p.m. with our feverish toddler who hadn't napped all day.  Near the end, he he looked like he was falling asleep standing up, but he had so much fun dancing and watching the band!

I got some great photos of my parents and my sisters with their families that day. I failed to have someone take a photo of my little family though. . .

I did manage to get one of me with the bride and groom!

It was a wonderful day and I am so happy for my brother and his wife! I loved seeing all the family together and just so thankful nearly everyone could be there. Its times like this that make it really hard to live so far away. Admitting that I won't see my new sister-in-law again until next summer brought tears to my eyes as I said goodbye.

It has already been a month since my brother's wedding and I have yet to share any of it with you!

Yes, my brother got married! We were thrilled when he popped the question last December and a little nervous when they set the date for 8 weeks after my baby's due date. But Stephen came early and was cleared to fly, so we all made it! Whew!

John and Ellen were married on July 30th, on Ellen's parent's farm. It was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful (really hot) day. They will forever be the cutest couple alive in my opinion. See for yourself:

photo from last summer

John had asked his brothers-in-law to be his groomsmen and William to be his ring bearer. Can I just say that I would have been devastated if Stephen and I couldn't have been there?! It would have crushed me. But he got his shots and could fly, so we were there! No worries!

The rehearsal the night before went really well. I was acting as the wedding coordinator and thankfully everyone was pretty easy going and let me boss them around. Just kidding! But everyone did great; William and my niece Charlotte (flower girl) were perfect!

Saturday morning finally arrived and William woke up with a 104 degree temperature. Argh. He was a champ though and didn't let it get him down. We tried to keep him better hydrated and medicated for the rest of the day. He even went without a nap all day because he was needed for the photos. He did great for photos too, but had a hard time really smiling. Totally understandable little dude.

I'm so glad I got this photo! It was one of very few smiles of the day. My two handsome guys!

The ceremony was beautiful. It was really hot and the sun was beating down hard; no one except me complained. I stayed in the back to help cue everyone when to walk down, which they totally could have done without me. Stephen stayed asleep until it was William's turn. Perfect, right?! Well, my sister saved the day and rocked two babies until I could get him. And then I ended up feeding him until he fell asleep. As I looked around, the surrounding trees acted as great mom hide-outs as two or three of us ended up rocking little ones.

And then Mr. & Mrs. Hagen walked down the aisle! I have to say, I love that there is another Mrs. Hagen! My grandma will always be Grandma Hagen to me, and my mom is now Grandma Hagen and will always be to my children. And now there is another Mrs. Hagen!! (I have two Aunts who are also Mrs. Hagen) My brother is one of two "Hagen" grandchildren (boys with the last name Hagen). So, there aren't going to be many Mrs. Hagen's around!

The reception was super cute. I wish I had taken a few more pictures, but this will give you an idea.

I call this "Stroller Row" 

It was incredible how many babies were at this wedding!

There were at least five babies under 7 months old!
And nine kids ages 2-7.

In 20-30 years, there could be a lot of weddings to celebrate together!

Stephen was pretty fussy the whole time, but my relatives were still happy to hold him and love him. I was so thankful for that because I had so many people to catch up with! It was a late evening for us, we got home around 10 p.m. with our feverish toddler who hadn't napped all day.  Near the end, he he looked like he was falling asleep standing up, but he had so much fun dancing and watching the band!

I got some great photos of my parents and my sisters with their families that day. I failed to have someone take a photo of my little family though. . .

I did manage to get one of me with the bride and groom!

It was a wonderful day and I am so happy for my brother and his wife! I loved seeing all the family together and just so thankful nearly everyone could be there. Its times like this that make it really hard to live so far away. Admitting that I won't see my new sister-in-law again until next summer brought tears to my eyes as I said goodbye.