Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Orefice!

I wrote last Memorial Day about my cousin Sarah's engagement to her long-time love, Ian - and after 17 months, the big day was finally here.  Mike and I have been to a ton of weddings since we started dating over 6 years ago - but there is something extra special about family weddings. It's just more fun when you get to go to a wedding where you absolutely know, that at the very least - you'll be related to more than 30% of the wedding attendees.   And we've been lucky enough to have TWO of those this year.  After Garrett & Jenny got married in May, we shifted focus to Sarah & Ian & their impending September 27th nuptials.  There was so much excitement and anticipation between all families leading up to the big day - and now it was actually upon us!

Sarah & Ian decided to have their wedding in Warwick, Rhode Island - just 20 minutes outside of Providence, at the Aldrich Mansion.  I don't think the weather could have been any more perfect for an early fall wedding in New England.  I had never spent any time in Providence, so it was lovely not only to spend some time in a new city that I had never explored before, but to also experience the place that meant so much to our bride & groom - the place where they fell in love as two Providence College students 10 years ago.

The night before the wedding, Sarah & Ian hosted a giant welcome dinner at one of their favorite bars in Providence.  Between the two of them - I think there were over 100 family members alone at the dinner!  It was so great to see everyone arriving and spend some time with all of the wedding guests, but there was a definite highlight of the rehearsal dinner - and it was Ian's special video dedication to our favorite bride.

Ian has spent his entire career in production - the guy has an EMMY! - so it was only fitting that some of his greatest work was the personalized video he shared with all of us and his blushing bride the night before the wedding.  It was a beautiful mash-up of photos from their 10 years together, some adorable anecdotes from some of our favorite romantic comedies, and of course a perfect proclamation of love for his soon to be wife.  When the credits rolled, there were quite a few tears, a few sniffles, and more than a few wives punching their husband in the arm for Ian making all the men in the room look bad!

I'm not surprised that Sarah remained completely calm and unnerved during most of her wedding planning, which made being her bridesmaid one of the most enjoyable wedding parties I've had the pleasure of being a part of.  Sarah let us pick our own style of bridesmaid gown, and she let us do our hair, nails & makeup any way our hearts desired - which made her pretty much the opposite of a Bridezilla.  But there was definitely some stress on the big day - but only the stress that comes when you spend too much time worrying that every single detail will be absolutely perfect and flawless on the most important day of your life...the day that's been 10 years in the making....NO PRESSURE!

When Sarah put her dress on, and slipped on those sparkly bridal shoes - she was a vision. My cousin looked flawless.  Sarah is my first cousin to have a wedding - so part of me just saw my sweet little Sarah as the tiny 3 year old in a big pretty gown playing dress up, with her stuffed Puff that she brought everywhere.  But the other part of me appreciated and admired the gorgeous woman she has grown up to become and the friend I've been happy to have for 28.5 of my 30 years of life.  It goes without saying that I was extra emotional when she took her steps down the aisle towards her soon-to-be-husband with my Uncle Cary.  It's always my favorite moment of any wedding - but it really takes your breath away when that father & daughter are some of the most important people in your life.  Despite some sniffles that I may have blotted with my bouquet, I was so happy to be there by her side for her a lovely ceremony.   .

There were a few things that were truly unique about Sarah & Ian's ceremony & reception.  First was the venue.  I already mentioned that it was at the Aldrich Mansion, but if you don't know anything about it, it's a historic site that boasts some incredible views.  It was like a mansion straight out of Great Gatsby - complete with the vintage champagne glasses, luxurious sitting room, lush gardens, floor to ceiling windows, and a back porch that overlooked the waterfront and was big enough to host the entire party.  In between speeches & meals, we wandered around the different nooks of the mansion discovering all of the charm in the expansive estate.

The second element was the collection of family of friends the two of them had in attendance on their special day.  Between the two of them, their list of family members is overwhelming - but it was just that many more people who love these two fantastic humans.  It was just as impressive getting to witness all of the friendships that they have been able to nurture over the course of their lives.  They both had so many childhood friends, friends from High School, friends that the two of them have from their time at Providence College, and friends from beyond their college years.  We're so lucky to have been able to see the entire DuPont side of the family back in May for Garrett & Jenny's fabulous Long Beach wedding - so getting a double-dose of DuPonts was the icing on the (wedding) cake!  I adore, ADORE, events when we're all together.  And thank GOD we get another one together in 2015...I'm already counting down the days!

And finally - the bride and groom.  Ian got a lot of grief from my Uncle Cary & some of his groomsmen for this day being "ten years in the making", but those ten years just meant more time for memories between the two of them.  More time for them to grow their many, many friendships as a couple,  More time for people to witness how perfect the two of them are when they are together.  And just a tiny extra time to make sure that the day was absolutely flawless.

I know I'm late in saying this again and they are approaching now their 3rd month of marriage - but congratulations again to some of my favorite cousins.  You guys mean the world to us & we can't wait to see what the future has in store for you both as all of our families continue to grow.  We love you both....TONS!