Flower Girl P.O.V.

FOREWORD

This is an attempt to capture Matt and Andrea's glorious wedding from the point of view of their little flower girls. I did not get all the photos needed to paint a full picture of their day, I missed all the critical moments and was hoping to steal a few off other family members (or the fabulous photog) but they are not forthcoming (ahem). So this is the wedding exclusively through the eyes of Athena and Zoe and their experiences of this fabulous event.

THE REHEARSAL

It all started with a rehearsal. Andrea was radiant and Matt was ecstatic. The girls were given the ribbon bouquets from Andrea's bridal showers to practice with. The lobby of the church was a joyous reunion for many Liebel cousins and aunts and uncles all participating in the ceremony. Zoe was immediately overwhelmed and tried to hide under my skirt as she usually does in such situations. There was a ongoing mass in the catholic church so we had to keep our raucous reunion to a dull roar until it finished, not an easy task with this crew.

As we were waiting for the church to clear out,
Zoe fearfully checks the length of the aisle.

The rehearsal went without a hitch.

After the rehearsal I went over all the "rules" of a flower girl. You know...no picking at your nose/butt, don't touch your sister, don't be wild, smile for the pictures...the things you shouldn't have to say, but with little kids you always do. Then off to the rehearsal dinner - at the beach!

Before dinner we snuck in a few more pictures with the beautiful bride

and did some sand diving with lovely cousin Hayley.

The setting California sun cast such a lovely light, I absolutely insisted on more pictures.

The girls tolerated it for a few minutes.

Then went off to run and play in the sand. Such a lovely evening which was made even more lovely by the awesome In n' Out catering truck, free flowing tiki bar, and s'mores by firepit for dessert. Everyone enjoyed it tremendously and the kids danced and caroused with no sign of exhaustion until nearly 11:00.

THE NEXT DAY

The next day was the wedding! The girls got ready in the church's bride room. I snapped this picture with my phone so that I could send it to Yiayia right away. They were so cute in their lime green accented polka dot dresses with custom lime and tangerine converse embroidered with their names - a special flower girl present from the bride and groom. Zoe said she never wanted to take her shoes off and wore them everyday for a week.

The girls enjoyed the "behind the scenes" of the wedding.
Waiting it out in the bride room, Zoe showed no signs of stage fright.

The gorgeous bridesmaids, cousins Laura and Stephanie, peered through the blinds to see who and how many had arrived. This is a classic shot that exists for each of the many, many Liebel weddings held at St. Cornelius.

Meanwhile the boys got dressed at the hotel.
Just look at my handsome little Dude!

(and his Daddy is pretty cute too!)
Chris was on Dude Duty while I fussed and fretted over the girls.

Finally it was time to walk down the aisle. Bryn, the mini two year old flower girl, raced ahead towards a bag of jelly beans. And Zoe and Athena walked together, Zoe clutching her sister's hand and slowly caving into her the further they walked.
But she made it without fleeing, so that I count as a success!

The next role was posing for the professional pictures.
I snapped a couple of shots of the girls with the lovely bridesmaids before leaving them to it.

Athena started to get a little tired and overwhelmed by the day but got a quick pep talk from Stephanie. I slipped away after this knowing that the girls were in great hands and they went off with the photographer to take pictures throughout the lovely grounds of the Nixon library.

At one point, I went to look for them to see if they needed water or snacks. I found what looked like an very well dressed garden party in the rose garden. The caterers were serving hors d'oeuvres and beverages as the photographers called different sets of the wedding party for pictures. The girls were bouncing happily in the middle of this lovely scene, surrounded by loving family and with no need of me. I felt all at once deeply honored that they got to be a such an integral part of Matt and Andrea's special day. What a wonderful memory for them.

THE RECEPTION

The girls were announced as they entered the reception hall on the backs and shoulders of cousins Mark and Corey. Zoe entered blowing kisses to the cheering audience, it was a priceless moment and one I didn't get a picture of.

The first dance looked like something from a movie, simply breathtaking.

Coloring books and sparkling cider for toasting was waiting for the girls when they made it to their table, so many fun and special little touches.

A highlight was the photo booth...




Throughout the night they took picture after picture with various family members and disguises and pasted them in a scrapbook for Matt and Andrea with elaborate drawings on each page.

They bounced around from photo booth to dance floor and loved every minute of the evening.

Jack hung in until the very last hour and then crashed in his Daddy's arms.

Thank you Matt and Andrea for including the girls in your special day.
It was a lovely, lovely wedding. We love you guys so much!

As I poured a very sleepy Zoe into bed that night, she wearily asked me "Mommy when can I be in a wedding again?" I answered...

"Soon, Baby, soon!"