The past few days have been kind of a whirlwind. After packing up and driving back down to SoCal, I immediately jumped on a plane to Vegas for Joel’s wedding. I haven’t seen Gina since July when Fay got married. And it had been even LONGER since I had seen her family. Needless to say, we had a pretty exciting reunion at the airport. Galloping was involved.

Once we reached the hotel, we only had a half hour to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.    Rick and Bonnie, Joel’s parents, bought a HUGE bottle of champagne for this special dinner and it made it’s way around the room until it was empty.

After dinner, everyone had plans to go to the bar, but I decked out right after dessert to get some much needed rest. I was IN bed by 7:30 and slept for over 12 hours. Let’s just say it had been a LONG week and I wanted to be awake and lively for the actual wedding!

Saturday:

Since the wedding wasn’t until 5:30, I had some time to catch up on work that needed to be finished before I disappeared into the black hole of Spring Break! I stayed in the hotel room for the ENTIRE day. Not your typical Vegas trip, but it was both productive and relaxing so I’m happy to have had that time.

When it was time to start getting ready, I grabbed another coffee. Because this is how you pre-game when you’re in your late 20s.

At around 5:30, I walked to the lobby and met up with Tyler and his parents. The sun was starting to go down and it felt so perfect outside!

The ceremony was short, simple, and beautiful. I loved watching Joel’s face the entire time. From the moment Kristen first walked down the aisle with her dad to the end of the ceremony when Joel was walking back down the aisle with her, the smile never disappeared.

Cocktail hour was really fun for me because I was seeing some of Joel and Gina’s extended family after so long. I also got to meet some of her family that I had only heard stories about, so it was fun putting the stories and faces together.

After a while, we were all welcomed into the reception hall. They had done a beautiful job setting up the entryway and I loved the display of our nametags.

The speeches were also short and sweet. I couldn’t help but tear up when Rick was speaking to Joel and Kristen. He offered them his “tips to a healthy marriage.” Which, I thought was very appropriate. Because Rick and Bonnie have been married for over 30 years and are still so very much in love.

Bonnie and Rick were such an important part of my college experience. I don’t know if they know how special they are to me, but I am so grateful to have been able to celebrate the night with them!

  It was a short trip, but such a memorable one. Congratulations older brother – I couldn’t be happier for you. LOVE YOU! 🙂