wedding prep

What does it take to turn this into a wedding reception hall in 6 short days?

 

Well, it takes a lot of this:

 

 

and lots and lots of love and dedication.

 

Muscles don't hurt either.

And neither does a successful salamander hunt in your Aunt and Uncle's new woods.

Here is the basic rundown of this past week: finish the house enough so that it is safe and functional for a party (Brock, Patti and Dwight), decorate (everyone), arrange flowers (Kristi), make several videos to show at the reception (Sandi), make a wedding cake (me), buy and prepare food for 200 people (Patti with a little help from Sandi and I) and run around screaming your head off and sometimes sweeping the floor (all four kids).  This list makes it sound as though, Tricia, the bride isn't involved and that, of course, is not at all the case.  She is everywhere, doing everything.  It is truly a marvel all that has happened in six short days. 

 

Oh, and also on the list:  pick out 250 pounds of lobster for the reception.

Dwight is a lobster fisherman so serving lobster meat at the reception is a wonderful extravegance that is not so hard to swing.  That is as long as you have a willing crew to extract the meat. Patti brought all 250 pounds of lobster to our house yesterday to cook and pick out to be ready to go for Saturday.

Good thing we had a lot of pickers. We picked in the sunshine:

And into the chilly afternoon.

Check out this system!  (All Patti's unending brilliance.)

 

Complete with a cooling tray.  There are so many things to love about this picture.

 

Tricia, the beautiful bride in all her downeast splendor. 

 

We are currently in year 346 of construction on our road and the nearby Main Rd.  Sandi commandeered the sign to reflect our efforts.

 

All total we ended up with exactly what we needed, 100 cups of lobster meat for approximately three hours of steady picking.

The very small (35 people) wedding is tonight at 7 followed by a massive reception tomorrow night.  Right now, while everyone is at the salon beautifying, I  have entered cake decorating mode in earnest (minus a quick break in between frosting layers to put up this post).

 

It has been a very fun family week and the cousins have been so excited to be together every day.  The outpouring of family and friends to put this event together is enough to feed on for a week. I keep focusing on my joy for Trish and Brock and the celebration of their relationship so that I don't get too sad thinking about the rights we are fighting for right now.  They are blessed, as we are, to have each other.