Hitched in a Barn

Matt & Megan

They were going for casual.

They wanted it to be a simple party.

But what my brother and newest sister-in-law pulled off was a very elegant wedding, whether they like it or not.

She bought a dress and decided to customize it with alterations. She flew up to her mother with it so they could alter it together. (I have a similar story with my own mother. When Meagan was a couple months old, I had visions of making a christening gown for her. I purchased a pattern and the materials. I even got a start on assembling the thing. About a week before the christening, my mother presented me with a store-bought gown. With relief, I said “Oh, thank God.”)

The main course was brick oven pizza. That everyone raved about. Dessert included cider donuts, pie, and s’mores.

There were various activities for the guests including a photo booth. I was skeptical when I first heard about the photo booth and planned to stay away from it since I was envisioning the standard, tiny photo booths you come across in the mall. But people kept mentioning it, so I took a walk over. This was no standard photo booth.

Of course there was dancing, with my brother-in-law as DJ. Even my grandparents got into the action.

For the venue, they picked a barn. A barn that came with a view and that’s about it.

The barn was on the East Coast. They live on the West Coast. So, as they purchased decorations for the barn, they had them delivered to my house. As I opened each package to check the contents, I kept asking myself, “What are they going to do with all this crap?”

Here is what they did with all that crap:

The ceremony itself was full of laughter and emotion where guests made both funny and meaningful contributions.

And it was all very elegant.

*Some photos courtesy of Jo, Heather, and the “real” photographer. And I bullied Jo into a little photo editing. Which she complained about.