Debbee and Lenny’s wedding and reception were both in Huntington Beach on opposite sides of Beach Blvd. We met up with my sister Lana at the reception venue before the fact to help Lana facilitate and do whatever we could to get things ready for the event after the event.
We worked with Lana as long as we could before the time we needed to be at the church for the family photos. Thankfully we had enough time to get it all together.
We had appetizers and drinks while we waited for the newlyweds to arrive. They were taking photos at the beach after the ceremony.
The wedding party and bride and groom arrived with everything set up and ready to go.
The first dance happened as soon as the couple arrived and before dinner was served. The groom worked hard to find a caterer who would prepare gluten free options since his bride has a strong reaction to gluten. The caterer was great with delicious choices for all.
The flower girls being true to their title.
My father gave advice and a blessing on the couple and on the food.
It was so good to have my kids together and to have them catch up with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
The next family wedding will be in August when Marie (in the middle) marries our nephew Caleb in Santa Barbara, California. Marie is bookmarked by our nieces by marriage and her soon to be SIL’s who she also went to school with at Westmont College in the Santa Barbara area of California.
The father daughter dance left us all in need of a tissue!
We had a great time and headed back to our hotel knowing Saturday would be another full day of organizing and pulling off another milestone family event. More to come…
In the meantime here’s where I’ll be for the next few days!
Mennonite Girls Can Cook Book Launch for our new book Celebrations
The weather promises to be just as fine as this day last July!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Such a beautiful place to have a reception! I always smile at your family photos. Lots of smiles and togetherness!
Weddings are just so cool. LOVE the picture of your kids and seeing your dad praying ….so special.
The picture of your dad praying made me cry.
This post has me in a need of a tissue. So many emotions were triggered that I saw in our daughters wedding last summer. The blessings continue from generation to generation….
See you tonight.
How beautiful! I love the picture of your children, the father-daughter dance, the bride and groom, heads bowed as your father blesses them – we’ll all need a tissue!
My favorite? Your father’s blessing on the new couple. Beautiful!
Precious, beautiful memories! God bless the bride and groom!
Oh, my….so, so sweet! SO sweet! You guys did a wonderful job of putting the reception decor up, and it just makes my heart go pitter patter to hear that the groom is the one who made sure the caterer could provide lots of gluten-free for his wife. That’s so sweet!!! Congratulations all around!!! AND BEST WISHES FOR A FABULOUS BOOK LAUNCH!!!!!!!!!!! I’m really proud of you guys!!!
Thank you Ellen and to the whole Bayles team that helped make our reception so wonderful! It was absolutely perfect!
Love is timeless! Enjoyed all the pictures of the reception. You are just moving from one celebration to the next. So good to see you last night here in the valley….it’s time to celebrate!