Wedding #3- Janice and Gus, June 19, 2010
If you’ve kept up with the out-of-order accounts of our summer of weddings, you are surely eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.
Wedding #3 for us was that of my older (but not bigger!) sister, Janice. She and her (now husband) Gus met in Eugene, Oregon as grad students at the University of Oregon in 2005. Gus has been an unofficial member of the family since about 2007, and we all welcomed the chance to formally induct him to the clan. Whether Gus, an only child used to small, calm family gatherings, was equally eager to join our crazy, busy family. . . well, let’s just say that he loves Janice an awful lot! We have tried to go easy on him, but you know how it can be with the ever-changing, ever-dramatic dynamics of four sisters. Especially in a year in which each of them is experiencing major life transitions. (As my uncle famously says, “Our family puts the FUN in dysfunctional!”)
In seriousness, though, we looked forward to our trip to Eugene for many reasons, not least of which was seeing Janice marry the man she loves. Linda flew to Oregon with S, A, and me, and the kids did really well on the long flight. KK had possibly the craziest schedule, graduating from her nutrition program at Vanderbilt only to fly directly to Oregon. But we enjoyed the final pre-wedding festivities, which included decorating Janice and Gus’s backyard for the “Polterabend” and having an impromptu bachelorette party in Eugene.
The Polterabend was a casual barbecue in their backyard, which was great fun. Between jet lag and tired children, our family couldn’t stay for the bonfire and late-night festivities but still enjoyed the time to catch up with friends and family.
Next, the party moved to the Eagle Rock Lodge, located on the banks of the McKenzie River in the beautiful Cascade Mountain range. Caleb and I thought we had the best room in the bed and breakfast, but so did most everyone else- that’s how beautiful the entire lodge was! In addition to fabulous rooms and gorgeous scenery, the hosts served the most amazing breakfast spread. If you ever find yourself vacationing in Oregon, we highly recommend this place! Our only regret is that we didn’t have enough time to take in the natural beauty and explore the area more.
The wedding ceremony and reception were very “Janice and Gus.”
Flamingos and gnomes have taken on special significance in their relationship and were ubiquitous, lending a very personalized touch to the festivities.
The rest of the decor was simple but beautiful.
Despite the rain, the ceremony went off without a hitch.
After family pictures, we headed to the tents for an evening of celebration.
As the matron of honor, I had to give a toast. Though public speaking is not my favorite activity, it was an honor to be able to say a few words to mark the occasion. Janice is only 14 months older than me, and we shared nearly every moment of an eventful childhood. Even though I’m the “bigger” sister, she’ll always be the older, wiser, wittier one!
More toasts, good food, and dancing rounded out the night.
The flower girl got to dance to “her” song- “Mony Mony.” She hammed it up and loved every second of it!
We’re happy for you two- welcome to the insanity family, Gus!
*Credit for most of these photos goes to my cousin Kai- Danke!
