Babies can't get married!

Okay, so maybe 23 doesn't constitute as being babies, but when it comes to my younger cousin (who will always be 12 in my eyes) it's hard to imagine him so grown up. It could also be I just don't want to come to terms with getting older. Either way, I am so happy for my little cousin Derek to have found such a wonderful person to marry. Adrianne will be a great addition to the family. I'm also looking forward to finally having a girl cousin!

Their wedding weekend kicked off Friday Jan 27th. They had planned a day at an indoor climbing wall to share their passion for rock climbing with friends and family in town for the big day. Unfortunately I missed the excursion due to work, but from the pictures I saw and stories I heard from the rest of the family, I'm certain I would have been way out of my element. These two are serious athletes. Here's a photo I stole from my cousin. There's Bryan feeling defeated, and Derek and Adrianne climbing around like spider monkeys.

That night I was invited to the rehearsal dinner at the Portage Bay Cafe in South Lake Union. This is also where the ceremony and reception would be held the next night. They had decided to go with Portage Bay for the catering because they could accommodate a gluten free menu. When Derek and Adrianne went in for their tasting, they decided the restaurant would be a great venue for the whole wedding. The place looked great. The high ceilings decorated with old crew boats, the concrete floors, and huge windows created a space that went perfect with their style.

Dinner was so much fun (and delicious...warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert served in mason jars!), and it was great to have all our family together. Here's a few photos, although the quality isn't the best...iPads don't make great cameras.

the siblings: Dad, Dave, Claire, and Cindy

Cousin, Dad, and me

Both my aunt and uncle gave beautiful and funny (respectively) toasts to the happy couple, and we also got to watch a slideshow of both Derek and Adrianne through the years. They wrapped up the night with a fun game where you had to ride miniature bicycles under a limbo stick. We don't have to go into much detail there as my unathletic abilities led me to ride the bike straight into the limbo stick apparatus knocking the whole thing down.

Saturday was the big night. The venue looked amazing, and they had added details to the decor to represent themselves. They even had rocks for guests to sign with well wishes for the bride and groom. The men wore boutonnieres made out of climbing rope tied in a knot, and the girls with knotted bracelets, a very cute touch.

My uncle Dave and my cousin's godfather officiated the ceremony together, which made it that much more meaningful.

After the ceremony, we had a delicious dinner. Clint and I are still talking about the pork tenderloin! The bride and groom then had their first dance and cut the cake.

Later that night, my cousin Bryan had a surprise for the newlyweds. He gathered the wedding party and some of the wedding guests in private to teach them a short dance routine. I'm still pretty bitter about this, as it's been a life long dream to be in a flash mob...and he didn't include me! He blames it on the short notice, whatever. It was still pretty cool and I happened to catch it on video.

We spent the rest of the night dancing, celebrating, and taking photo booth pictures. It was a great night and I had a blast. Congrats Derek and Adrianne!