The ceremony had Quaker and Suffi elements. During the Quaker period of silence, the guests were encouraged to speak. Family and friends spoke eloquently about Kristin and Matthew. My favorite speech was when one of Kristin's family friends, Zander, stood up and talked about how Kristin has been like the mother he never had, Brigid has been the sister he never had, and Thomas, his best friend, is like the brother he never had.
A few days later, Ken, Kyle and I were talking about how much we liked the speeches. Kyle's favorite was when Zander's dad, Randy, welcomed Matthew's dog, Shilo, to the family. Kyle said, "If you would have encouraged me a little, I would have given a speech to say Kristin is the best eye doctor and I will never go to another eye doctor in all of Santa Fe." (Kyle has had a couple emergency visits to see Kristin - she is a godsend!). I told Ken and Kyle that I was getting my nerve up to give a speech about how Kristin has been like the sister I never had, but didn't stand up and speak because I was hoping there would be speeches after the reception dinner - especially since a version of the "like a sister" speech had already been done so well. But I missed my chance when the dancing directly followed the dinner. Sigh.
The reception dinner was delicious. It was followed by a delectable wedding cake made by Matthew and his father and dancing into the wee hours.
A few pictures (some professional) and videos (definitely amateur) from the ceremony:
The flower girls and cousin Pamm coming in.
At the reception -
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| My mom, Ken, Kyle, and me |
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| Uncle John and Kristin - before the reception (Dottie Lopez Photography) |
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| Cake cutting (Dottie Lopez Photography) |
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| Looks Delicious! (Dottie Lopez Photography) |
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| Wild dancing (Dottie Lopez Photography) |
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| Kyle and Lily dancing (Dottie Lopez Photography) |
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| The lost shoe dance (Dottie Lopez Photography) |
One last video - Kids dancing before the official dancing started:
