At long last, the Big Day dawned bright and sunny… (no small accomplishment in Seattle, where it rains about 364 days a year.)

In the Crawford party house, tuxedos and dress shoes and summer dresses and hairbrushes were flying in every direction as 12 people (half of them children) tried to sufficiently babe up in time for the ceremony. The conversations proceeded something like this:

“Mom I think my tie would look cooler as a belt!”
“Can I do mohawk hair today?”
“How come Channing gets to wear a tux and carry a pillow ?!?!”
” Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” (sound of babies crying..)
“Honey we have no more baby wipes!”
“Where’s my purse?”
“Where are the keys?”
“Where is the wedding?”
“Where’s SOPHIE!?!”
“Mom I’m hungry!”
“Chase hit me!”
“Get in the car NOW or everyone gets a spanking!” (as adults scramble fearfully to obey Gina and the kids totally ignore her…)

Somehow we all made it out the door and found the wedding location with time to spare. The outdoor ceremony was set in a truly beautiful clearing circled by tall trees, which allowed rays of sunlight to filter through. We took our seats and held our breath to see which child would cry or misbehave first during this very sacred moment in Kim & Steve’s life. (note parents scoping out escape paths…).

None of us expected the groomsmen to shirk the traditional somber entrance in favor of a full-running inbound, set to the tune of the Rocky theme song. After the delighted shrieks of the audience calmed down, the female aspect of the wedding party demurely entered in stunning red gowns and…..flip flops! Kim looked radiant, Steve positively beamed, and the rest of the ceremony continued in a beautiful and memorable fashion.

After the much-awaited pronouncement of “man and wife”… the party began! Great food, great fun, brilliantly-planned babysitting area for the kids (sadly, Sophie fully rejected any care other than my own), and - no kidding - bottles of “Kim Crawford” label wine flowed freely (there really IS a winery called Kim Crawford…).

Many many hours later, the tired but still-beaming bride and groom made their escape via a classic Ford Mustang, fully bedecked in streamers and flowers. The rest of us trickled home… happily exhausted and grateful to be part of this momentous family event!

Photos follow (my own collection is a bit sketchy, as I was more on Sophie duty than photo duty, but you get the idea!):

No question, we’re at the right place!

The groom is lookin’ HOT!

As is his California cousin and baby (yes, that’s Sophie and me!)

The Crawford goomsmen and my dad hang loose:

A beautiful ceremony:

The ladies in their finery:

No one can say the Crawford men are boring:

Sophie and I enjoy the reception:

As the night winds on, the photo ops get more creative (that’s cousin Ryan, girlfriend Leslie, and Uncle Tim):

And last but not least, my bunny-eared sis-in-law and my husband: