Happy Tuesday, friends! It is glorious, warm, sunny weather here in the Bay and I am soaking it up! I love reading outside in the sunshine under the trees. Currently I’m in the middle of the epic historical drama Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. What books are you reading and loving right now?
As promised, here are some pictures from my whirlwind weekend at home for my cousin Julie’s wedding!
On Saturday morning, Allyn and I met up with Erica and her boyfriend Kyle for brunch, where we feasted on amazing food {my raspberry + white chocolate pancakes were to die for} and enjoyed over two hours of laugh-filled conversation. It always fills my heart to see this girl!

Then on Saturday afternoon we headed to the Mandalay Beach Resort for Julie and Chris’s wedding ceremony on the beach! It was a beautiful day, and thankfully the wind died down during the ceremony… the atmosphere was peaceful and calm. Julie looked absolutely breathtaking as she walked down the aisle, and my eyes filled with tears when I saw the way Chris looked at her. It was a lovely ceremony!

As soon as the ceremony ended, the wind kicked up, as you can see below! I love this family photo though because we are all laughing.

I made sure to hold my dress down in all the pictures, feeling a bit like Marilyn Monroe!


After the ceremony, there was an outdoor cocktail hour and I took the opportunity to snap some photos in between noshing on bacon-wrapped scallops, ahi tuna wontons, cheese and crackers, and sipping on a Shirley Temple! {It’s been years since I’ve had a Shirley Temple, and it was calling to me!}
I love this photo of my parents:

This is classic my dad — putting bunny ears on Gramps! Haha.

So happy to get to spend time with my handsome brother:

When cocktail hour wound down, we all headed into the hotel ballroom for the reception. The food was delicious: Mom, Allyn and I opted for the filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and Dad and Greg had salmon with a blackberry glaze and wild rice and green beans. YUM! After heartfelt toasts to the bride and groom, we had a blast dancing the night away. My family is so much fun on the dance floor, making up goofy moves. My mom especially is a dancing fool at weddings … it’s a side of her I don’t otherwise see except at wedding receptions, and I absolutely love it! She is the cutest.
Before the night was over, we made sure to snap some more pictures. I love this one of me and Gramps:

And this one with my sweetheart, who was so wonderful meeting my big crazy family:

Woodburn family photo, take 2:

And of course the night wouldn’t be complete without a silly photo bomb from Pops! Haha, I love this one:

The weekend went by much too quickly, but it was jam-packed with fun! What a blessing to have so many of the people I love together in the same place.
Congrats Julie + Chris! We love you and are so happy and excited for your new life together as husband and wife! ❤
Questions of the day:
- What was the last wedding you went to?
- What is your favorite thing about going to a wedding?