One of my earliest memories was when I was the flower girl for my sister’s wedding; I was five years old. Besides crying through the whole ceremony (I realized my sister was leaving, and to my five-year-old self it felt like she was going away, never to return) what I remember most was how beautiful the backyard was, the music, the guests mingling, the flowers, the cake. And those little pastel mints, I took handfuls of them every chance I got. Along with my cousin, I ran all over the house and yard that night, enjoying the fact that I got to stay up later than usual. Well, there weren’t little bowls of pastel mints at this intimate backyard wedding last October and I didn’t bawl through the ceremony, but there was great food, dessert, decor, music (thanks to Neil Buettner), and the only tears were happy ones. It was a gorgeous evening, from the lovely details to the amazing silk wedding dress Wan’s mother brought over from China. Wan, I will never forget hugging you goodbye, my eyes well up at the memory. And there were great laughs too, the last photo in this post…I was starting to run for cover. Suffice to say, backyard weddings have a special place in my heart. (ceremony at St. Stanislaus Church)
