Our Granddaughter's Wedding

 was really special and all of us enjoyed the festivities!  Starting with the rehearsal dinner at Gravy, a local Italian place. They have a large room on the second floor where you can have parties, and it was perfect for the rehearsal dinner. My BIL came in from Cleveland, and Jim's cousin Robin came from NYC. All my children and grandchildren were there, and I was very pleased to be with them.  

The wedding was nearly perfect. The only problem was excessive heat, something we have been dealing with for months. At least there was not a monsoon - that was the day before.  The ceremony was outside on the terrace at The Grove, in downtown Raleigh. Locals can find it to the right of Big Ed's, a breakfast/lunch restaurant, just behind what used to be the former Greenshield's, at City Market. It is perfect for smaller weddings. Ours had about 75 people, and it was not too crowded.  I have to say the food was outstanding! The Owner/Chef outdid himself, and the service was excellent, too.  The DJ was great, the string quartet was excellent, The cake was one of the best I have ever had!  It came from Publix, and some of you may already know how good their cakes are. It was pretty, too.  Once I can show you photos, you will see how good the flowers are!  My long-time friend, Pam Hartigan, (Flowers by Design) did them, and we got many compliments throughout the night. I did the bouts and corsages, per the bride's request. I only wish I could have been more involved....

The ceremony went well; I was tapped as the "flower grandma", as we have no small girls in the family (at present) who could do it.  The tiny ring bearer (nephew of the groom) was adorable, and did just as he was taught, running down the aisle to give the ring to "Unka Matt". The officiant came from Durham, and I am sorry that I did not catch her name, as the ceremony was lovely!  

After the recessional, the guests went inside, seeking relief from the heat and a cocktail or two.  Families stayed outside to have photos taken. The photographer did a great job, if the "sneak peek" was any indication....and none of us can wait to see the rest of the photos.  

After the excellent dinner, dancing proceeded and a good time was had by all. I stayed in my seat (the best place to be, as my balance is not the best these days.) For me, the best parts of a wedding consist of seeing family and good friends who you may not get to see often. We had a few of those present,  and it was so nice to sit and chat. We also met all of Matt's family and they are very nice people. Of course they are - they raised him - and he is one of the nicest young men who I've had the pleasure to know.  I welcomed him into the family, but truth be told, he has been considered a member of our family since we first met him. Jim thought the world of him, too, and it is such a shame he did not live long enough to see Jessica and Matt joined in matrimony, or her brother James, who married last October to a lovely woman named Caitlin. We all love her too!

It seems that I am being prohibited from uploading photos to my blog. I'm not sure why, but I will investigate. It says I need to sign in to my google account before I can access photos, but when I try to....it sends me to a different page. YIKES!

Anyway, I thought you should know. If I ever get to the bottom of it, I'll post pics.