A new sister-in-law!

My younger brother, Peter, married his gorgeous Jordyn on Saturday. It was a great day and fun party, and I am glad that I got to share the experience with them as they committed to love and take care of each other for the rest of their lives.

My top 5 favorite moments of the day:
1. The whole wedding ceremony. Jordyn had worked hard not to let Peter see the dress before she walked down the aisle, and as soon as Peter saw her in it he started to cry. It just got better and better with the vows, the officiator's words, our nephew's dilligent and successful job as ring bearer, seeing the ring actually on Pete's finger and realizing he really is a married grown-up now, and the bride and groom's joyful kiss when pronounced "man and wife."

2. Peter dancing with Mom to "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Only Peter would think to choose such a meaningful song for the two of them. Mom used to sing it to us as babies, and as soon as the music started playing, all of my brothers, my mom, and I started to cry. It was beautiful.

3. My nephew dancing. PURE. AWESOME! That kid had boundless energy and even has a few good moves! The photographer loved him and took about a hundred pictures of those dance moves. The best was when his dad would dance with him and demonstrate moves that the G-unit would try to copy. "G! Do the bum-wiggle!" Then, of course, all the rest of us on the floor would jump in and do it too. The dancing was a great idea -- Thanks Jordyn for encouraging us all to party with no shame or embarrassment!

4. Jordyn's sister catching the bouquet. I was worried that our "single ladies" group was too far away and the bouquet would hit the ground, but Whitney ran right up and caught it. Then she and Jordyn proceeded to squeal happily and jump up and down in perfect sync. It was too funny! I wished I had a little sister who could catch my bouquet! (Sidenote: I usually hate standing in the group to catch the bouquet, but I didn't mind at all this time. It just felt natural and fun and not at all humiliating for once! Also, at my wedding, no one will be playing Beyonce's song "Single Ladies" when I toss the bouquet. Love the song but...no.)

5. Seeing my family all dressed up. We don't have many occasions where we can get decked out together, and this time we even matched! My parents looked classy and elegant; my brothers were exceedingly handsome in their suits and ties; the G-unit looked too grown-up in the tie, shoes, and belt he proudly informed me were "just like Daddy's, except black instead of brown"; my sisters-in-law were radiant and beautiful; my nieces were completely adorable in their matching dresses; and I felt waaaay too attractive to be the old maid big sister. It was fun to be photographed together and appreciate just how good-looking a family we are!

Let us take a moment to appreciate how awesome my outfit is:

Note the freakishly high heels! They were not as uncomfortable as you might expect, though I changed into lower, comfy cork sandals to dance in. My mother finished this dress the morning of the wedding, if you can believe it. I had a bunch of back-up dresses on hand, but they were the wrong color green. The pattern on the first dress my mom made didn't work so we were scrambling to finish this one in time. It was quite the adventure trying to buy a necklace without knowing exactly how high the neckline was! In the end, I bought three belts, three necklaces, a couple of bracelets... it was pretty hectic. Thankfully, Lindsey was able to help me choose which accessories to actually use and I felt really pretty on the day. I liked the high shoes, because my brothers and Jordyn's family are all so tall, as you can see in the photos (Peter is 6'3" and Jordyn is about 6', in contrast to my 5'5"). Like I always say: "If someone in the family has to be short, I'm glad it's me." I've become quite the fan of heels lately. They make me feel totally sassy and grown-up. (Sorry Aaron for posting such an odd photo of you, but this is my favorite one of me! Why are you frowning, anyway?)

Congratulations, Peter and Jordyn! Thank you so much for inviting me to celebrate your special day with you. I can't wait to celebrate many more special occasions! I'm thrilled to have another terrific sister-in-law in the family and am looking forward to seeing what happens for the two of you. I love you!