my dear sister rachel got married to a wonderful man (named erin:)) on october 31st, 2009 at the picturesque don cesar of lovely st pete beach. little did we know when she came home last spring to begin planning that it had actually been a childhood dream of hers to have her wedding on the beautiful beaches of the ‘pink palace’ of st pete. it started as a seemingly far-fetched idea, but because of the vast availability due to the planned wedding date, they were able to get some amazing deals and her dream wedding (to her dream partner) took shape and grew into a breathtakingly beautiful wedding. from the romantic ceremony set to the backdrop of a famous florida sunset to the magical ballroom where the reception took place. they actually had a platform built for them to sit together during the ceremony, while many loved ones were able to pay tribute in their own unique way to the couple and the journey they were beginning. my mom actually sewed pillows for them to sit on along with the flowing curtains that hung from the platform. instead of bouquets, we carried lanterns down the aisle and placed them on hooks to adorn and encircle the platform. i was so pulled into the ceremony that i didn’t even take pictures of the finished product! every detail came together so wonderfully, and it was beautiful………but as breathtaking as the ceremony and location was, the bride out shined it all, hands down.
one of my favorite parts of the reception was their first dance as husband and wife. they practiced for months to do a saucy tango dance, and i loved every minute of it! they were nearly flawless as they moved together, and with the live latin band, it set the mood perfectly. i could go on and on because there are so many details to share, but i will let you just look through the pictures and see for yourself. i was really disappointed with the amount of pictures i was able to get. with the combo of some chaos prior to the wedding (running a little late), and then taking care of oliver, pictures were somewhat of an afterthought. so, i wanted to try to describe the best i could because my pictures don’t do rachel or the wedding justice! if i can track down some more, then i will add them later. i do regret not being able to toast rachel and erin at the wedding or rehearsal, because honestly i was afraid i wouldn’t make it through more than two words without crying, but let me take this opportunity to say how incredibly happy i am for my sister to have found the love of a great man…….not just that she got married, but married to the right person. someone who loves her and truly appreciates all the quirks that make her uniquely who she is. it is wonderful to see her with someone who truly gets how remarkable she is. so, once again…..congrats to rachel and erin!!
annie
Oliver's Story 