Gramma & Grandpa's Wedding

It finally happened!  My dad and Lori finally made it to their wedding day this past Sunday!!

Honestly I could not be happier for them.  It has been a very hard and emotional last 4 years for everyone involved, but them especially.  I can only imagine the pain of having marriages ended the way theirs were, but the fact that it is possible to still find love and safety in another person after all that is amazing.  They are such wonderful compliments for each other.  I could never say they complete each other because they have proven to be strong complete people on their own, but they are the perfect compliments for each other.  They make each other happy even through the hard times.

The wedding was beautiful.  The girls spent the night at a local hotel and we had a good time getting ready in the morning.  A friend of mine does hair so I had her come do Lori's at the hotel as my wedding gift to her...she was thinking about finding a salon to go to in the morning and I just wasn't about to let that happen.  Ashley did a great job and Lori was absolutely stunning in her dress.  Her girls and I helped her put on her jewelry for a photo op (Jami was the photographer) and we were all in tears.  Once we were all dressed and ready we headed over to the Mundelein Seminary for pictures.

Lori and my dad originally didn't want to see each other before the ceremony, but Jami and myself convinced them to agree to taking pictures before so it wouldn't feel rushed after the ceremony.  So Jami arranged for my dad to get to the site first so Lori could walk up and meet him and they could have a privet moment together.  Us kids, grandkids, maid of honor and best man all stood at the bottom of the stairs watching, most of us were crying.  It was an amazing moment to watch them see each other for the first time.  We took a whole bunch of family photos and I got to take a little walk with my 3 year old niece Lily.  She is just adorable.  :)

Once us kids were done with our part of the pictures we headed back to the church to help finish setting things up.  The happy couple saved a ton of money by doing a lot of the work themselves.  In fact the day before the wedding we all were at my dad's making kabobs for the reception.  It was a hoot to say the least.  So at the church we helped put the finishing touches on the reception decorations and waited for the bride and groom to show up.

Wyatt was fabu that day, he was so good.  By the end of the night he was way over tired and crashed hard in the car, but he got enough sleep before everything started to be in a pretty good mood the whole time.  He got passed around a lot and I really had to deal with the fact that when a baby is around not too many people care what the mom is doing.  But I better get used to it, it's only gonna get worse as he gets bigger and cuter!

The ceremony was wonderful, short and to the point, but still beautiful.  The four Rendall/Daniele children in attendance lit the unity candles and stood to give our blessing before the vows.  Liliana was the flower girl and pranced down the aisle throwing her flowers.  She had a little meltdown because she wanted to go play and couldn't but she just needed a nap and was fine after a family member took her inside.  Wy had no idea what was going on, but looked cute in his tux.

So things are all wrapped up now.  The bride and groom are off on their honeymoon, all the kids are back home and at work, the grandkids doing what they do.  I can't wait for them to get home so Wy and I can go visit.  I really want to make sure I am making an effort to see the grandparents that are close by at least once a month, even when he gets older.  It's good to have family.

And I'm happy that mine has grown.