#czechoutwhosasticha

The day my sister got married will go down as one of the best days of my life for many reasons, but here are three: 1) The weather was absolutely PERFECT, which makes me feel like the grandparents were giving us that gift from heaven. 2) Every member of the family contributed their time and talents in amazing ways to make the day so wonderful. I'm so thankful for the way we all come together to make something truly special happen. 3) My baby sister has found the most perfect match in Donovan. They make each other so happy, and he's a great fit for our family. I couldn't be happier for them and us!

Wedding day highlights:
Getting ready with the girls... Although I may have been playing the part of wedding planner for most of the morning. (Crossing off the list I made at 4:30 in the morning of last minute details that needed ironing out...) It was so pampering to have make-up done (first time with false eye lashes) and hair done by our friend Shelby. It was equally fun watching the buzz and excitement of all the girls. Sav did Olivia's make-up, which is so precious. Ellie and Ollie graced us with their utter cuteness. I provided a breakfast which everyone seemed to enjoy along with many mimosas and coffee with homemade Baileys. Shelby put together a scrapbook of pictures with each of the ladies in the wedding party. We each wrote notes to Katelyn in it. It was a special time having her read through it all. Prior to wedding day, Shelby asked Katelyn if she wanted us to wear anything special for getting ready in the morning. She said that ideally if we could each wear a shirt with her face on it that would be great. Of course she was kidding, but one of the gals made it happen.

After we were ready the photographer took pictures of the ladies. Katelyn and Donovan didn't want to see each other prior to the ceremony, so a second photographer went to shoot pictures of the guys. Andrew (Shelby's husband and family friend) took the ladies on a tractor and wagon ride to the ceremony. Shelby's parents attached church pews down the middle of the wagon and added greenery to dress it up. It was pretty fun riding on it down highway 13! It made quite an entrance!

The ceremony was simple, with a friend of theirs officiating the wedding. Katelyn and Donovan exchanged sweet vows. The wedding party fell in line and did their jobs well too. It was pretty cute watching Henry extend out his arms to Olivia and Savannah. Post ceremony, Ellie became fascinated with a cold can of Coors Light. While the receiving line was happening, we took some family photos in the beautiful gardens at the garden center. It's pretty neat that the wedding took place in LilyJoe Gardens, having been the farm of Grandma and Grandpa Sticha, and now cared for by the next generation.

Again, we hopped on the wagon for a ride back to the reception location of Brooke and Ryan's home. So much work went into making the shed wedding-ready. From laying cement and pressure washing the inside, to stringing up Edison bulb lights and placing perfectly groomed flowers EVERYWHERE... It was quite the transformation. I wish I would have gotten pictures of the whole scene put together. We had the grand march, speeches, and then the food trucks were open for business. Guests could choose between Mexican or Czech food from the two trucks. Everyone raved about how good the food was. Desserts of cupcakes, brownies, and donuts from our local Czech bakery were also a hit. Some family friends did the bartending for us. We had a cooler trailer with kegs tapped and guests could help themselves. The bar was stocked with fixings for mixed drinks. They did an amazing job!

The dance was a blast! Donovan used his equipment and had a friend take the reigns. After the traditional first dance of the bride and groom, followed by the father-daughter and mother-son dances, we surprised Katelyn and Donovan with a goofy work-out dance. My parents made fake weights and I made the kids Cannon Strength t-shirts. We ran out to Eye of the Tiger. Mostly it was just the kids looking cute lifting the weights. Dad had a bit where he acted like the weight was really heavy as he lifted it over his head. When he set it down, Henry picked it up and walked off with it. It got some laughs.

Henry wasn't on the dance floor much, as he found some boys to play with that he preferred instead. Ellie was out like a light before the first song even ended. Olivia was hesitant to get on the dance floor, claiming she didn't know how to dance or didn't know the songs. With some prompting from myself, Katelyn, and Katelyn's friends, I think she ended up enjoying herself. As the clock approached midnight, we debated about asking the DJ to wrap it up. Turns out, from 12-2 is when the dance was the most fun!

At one point we had a family dance... All in a circle with our arms around each other (a few other guests joined us too). I loved looking around at all of them with smiles on their faces, knowing that would be a memory I would hold onto forever. Katelyn and Ryan embraced for a few slow songs, sharing some emotional moments... Exhaustion was getting to us, but nobody wanted the day/night to end.

We all had the post-wedding-blues pretty bad the next day. Wish we could have that entire day on repeat. Congratulations, Katelyn and Donovan! We are so excited to see your wishes come true!