Burt and Linda's wedding weekend!

This weekend was Burt and Linda's wedding weekend, so we trekked up to Minnesota to participate in the festivities!

On the way yesterday, we stopped at the Mouse House, a shop with cheese, beer, and other delicious sundries. We picked up some cheese curds for the ride and would pick up some more at the Black River Falls oasis for our wonderful hosts, Dave's cousin TJ and his wife Brenda.

We made it into St. Paul in time for the tux fitting and rehearsal. We were stunned by the church, which was beautiful and full of stone, stained glass, and candles. Oh, and pipe organ pipes everywhere!

At the rehearsal dinner, we shared good times with the happy couple, who were coordinating in their wedding colors: orange and blue.

I finally got to meet Eric and Amanda's baby, who gave me many kisses on the cheek. He's definitely going to be a heart-breaker someday!

I should add at this point that our car was overheating and somewhat smoking, so we were pretty worried. It made it to TJ and Brenda's, where we had some drinks and caught up with news.

After a fairly restless night fighting cat allergies, we had a lovely breakfast and got ready for the day. I wore a mint green and black dress with a purple peacock fascinator that Linda gave me as an usher present.


It's really too bad that you can't see the feathers in the photo, because my hair was adorable!

The ceremony was lovely - you can see the lovely bridesmaid dresses, the happy couple, and the groomsman (Dave is bottom right), as well as some pipe organs:


Julie and I got to light all the candles in the church, which was fun and gave the church a really nice ambiance.

The reception was at Summit Manor, a really cool little Victorian mansion that reminded me of my wedding. I got to catch up with college people, eat great food, try new beers, and even watch Kelly catch the bouquet!


Good times were had by all. Although Burt and Linda didn't want a public shaming of Burt in front of family, my college friends were able to complete their tradition in the discreet scenery of the basement:



We had planned to stay for dinner and sleep over again at TJ and Brenda's, but given my cat allergies and the fact that I had slept so little the night before, I was exhausted after the reception and Dave and I drove home, Kelly in tow. It was a great weekend with great hosts all around, both Dave's cousins and the newlyweds. Can't wait to get to Minnesota again soon!