Part II-The Wedding

The reason we came out to Utah so early was to attend Shafer’s younger brother, Cade’s wedding. (Well, part of the reason, the other part being that I’m having a baby this month and we thought I should get here early and find a doctor!) He and his fiancée, Ashley, got married May 9 in the Salt Lake temple. Just before we arrived at our hotel in Cheyenne on the drive out I realized that I didn’t have my temple recommend with me! I was so bugged because I ALWAYS have it in my wallet with me. It just happened that a few months ago the sisters in our Relief Society had done a temple trip together and I didn’t want to bring my purse along with my temple bag, so I put my recommend in my temple bag and apparently never put it back where it belongs! I was so frustrated! So, the next few days I spent contacting the Salt Lake temple and my Branch President to try to get me a temporary recommend to attend the wedding. Luckily everything worked out okay and I was able to be there, but it was not an experience I’d ‘recommend!’

My Mom offered to watch the boys during the sealing and luncheon so we were kid free for the morning! We got to the temple and were able to visit with some relatives we hadn’t seen in a while. The sealing was beautiful and Cade and Ashley looked so happy! It was the last wedding in Shafer’s family and mine, so it will be a while before we’ll have another wedding where we’re so close to the bride and groom. Shafer’s oldest nieces are 12, so we’ve got a few years!

After the sealing we went outside to wait for the couple to come out for their pictures. Ashley looked so beautiful! Her dress was fabulous! She bought it sleeveless and they cut the train off to add the sleeves and the back panel. If I could do it again I think I’d get the exact dress! Plus, her hair was fantastic! This picture wasn’t the best of the couple, but I wanted to show off the dress!
Shafer’s sisters had all brought their kids to the temple to be watched during the ceremony, so we were the only couple without kids. You would have never noticed though because there were still 18 to try to pose for pictures! I was a little sad that the boys weren’t in these pictures, but also relieved that I wasn’t having to chase them all over the place and try to get them to sit still and smile! The photographer did a great job getting the kids to pay attention and her pictures turned out fabulous! You can see her photos at this link http://www.photographybybrittany.com/taylor/

It was funny to see the difference between Ashley’s family and the Taylor family. Ashley has two little nephews, so their pictures seemed pretty serene. Then our family got up there and we took up the whole staircase with kids overflowing! Its funny how quickly a family can change. When I got married there were only 7 grandchildren on Shafer’s side and now that number will have tripled as soon as our little baby comes the end of the month! A lot can happen in 6 years!

Here are the six Taylor siblings and then my in-laws with the happy couple.

The luncheon was held at a church house on the U of U campus. It’s a really cool, old building; it was very unique. It’s where Shafer’s aunt and uncle attend church. The food was excellent, there was BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and salads. For dessert Shafer’s aunt Joanna made an array of cakes that were to die for! Again, I was grateful that my Mom was watching the boys because I wasn’t up for chasing the boys around the building!

After the luncheon we had to rush back to Farmington to pick up the boys in order to make it to the reception in time for family pictures. With 5 o’clock traffic we barely made it there in time and ended up being some of the first to arrive. For the reception all of the nieces had matching dresses and the nephews had little vests. Shafer’s sisters had spent weeks getting these all sewed and they turned out fabulous. Thanks again Lindsey for sewing my boy’s vests! Unfortunately Cheeks’ a little chub and his vest wouldn’t button. Big Boy was being a little pill and didn’t want to wear his vest, so we put his on Cheeks so at least one of them would look respectable!

The reception was held at Le Jardin in Sandy. It’s a greenhouse and it was gorgeous! There were plants everywhere with walking paths and fountains, a perfect location. The kids were having a fun time too. It was hard to keep track of the boys as they’d run around one corner and you couldn’t see them. There was a lot of chasing going on that night! You'll notice in the picture of Cheeks the rock in his hand and the one in his mouth. He had a good time!

My parents came out for a while, so that was fun for the boys to see them there. We stayed clear ‘til the end with the dancing and everything. We had a great time and everything was perfect.

Cade and Ashley are a great couple and I know they’ll be happy together! Thanks for including us in your big day!

I'll leave you with some video of the boys and their cousins bustin' a move!