Sunday, August 31, 2014

Brent & Jen Kattau---A Perfect Day!

     Brent and Jen have known each other most of their lives.
The Snell family and the Kattau family were members of Central Christian Church dating back to the 1970's. Jen and her family, her grandparents, Dick and Jeanette Hart  and even her great-grandparents, Glen and Daisy Hart,  attended. Brent and Jen attended church and Sunday School and even sang their way through several youth group musicals.  Brent was a junior in high school and Jen was a freshman when they attended the school Christmas dance together. Who could have predicted that one day, they would be married and be expecting twins???
 
                                        The Engagement
 

Brent and Jen used the 50th Wedding anniversary diamond from  Grandma Daisy's ring as the center of Jen's engagement/wedding ring. Brent created a design that incorporated the look of a wave on the sides of the ring because of their love of the water. Of course, the pictures don't begin to show the beauty of the ring.
The evening that they became engaged, our families celebrated together with dinner at Corey Lake at the Snell lake cottage.
 
 
"We're engaged!"
 
Pre-Wedding Day
August 28th was a busy day at Barb and Jim Snell's home.
 
Barb has a green thumb and it showed in her gardens!

Carolyn and Don Holmes are Barb and Jim's dearest friends.



 
 
Wedding Day
 
August 29, 2014
Wedding Day arrived.
The weather was unpredictable: cloudy, rainy, sunny, repeat!
 
Tom and I picked up the girls after school, took them to their house to shower and we all returned to our house to get ready.
 
Layla and Marley were excited and ready for the wedding!
Barb had created this flower arrangement for the front door.


The flowers were just gorgeous!!!
 
Brent and Jen had found special
necklaces and earrings for the girls.

Carolyn managed to pin flowers on Brent.
 
The weather was rainy and we were sure that this was going to be an 'inside' wedding but.........
at 6:30.....
the rain stopped....
the clouds floated away...
the sun came out...
and the backyard became the setting for the wedding!
 
The guests arrived:
Paula and Ron Bowman
(My sister and BIL from Indianapolis)

Paula and Ron posed with Layla and Marley

Paula and Jen were happy to see each other!

Kendra, Jason, Nicholas, Blake and Alexis  arrived from Noblesville. Of course, they were thrilled to see Aunt Paula and Uncle Ron!!!

Alexis was so happy to see "Uncle Bwent"!

 

Chris and Jack from Valpo
 
Since the wedding was at 7:00 and dinner wasn't until 8:00, we decided that we would have fruit, veggies and cheese and crackers  ready for anyone who needed a snack prior to the wedding.
 

 
Guests could sign the book and
write a wish for the bride and groom.
 
 
While pictures were being taken in the front yard (Tom took these while staying out of the way of the photographer)...
 








 
.........the backyard was being transformed into a place
for a garden wedding:
 




(LOVE the look on Brent's face as Jen talks to her dad!)
 
Pre-wedding backyard photos:
I hit my zoom lens as I stood on the deck, held the camera out without aiming and got lucky!
 You can see Barb, Jen, Brent, and Jim!

Marley and her daddy

Layla and her daddy

Blake, Marley, Layla, Alexis, Nicholas

5 Silly Grandkidlets
 
It was finally time for the wedding:
 
 


Jim's mother, Joyce, is the lady in the background in pink.
She stayed on the deck on her walker where she felt safe.
I'm so sorry that I didn't get a close up of her!

Marley

Two sweet girls!

"I do!"

Marley and Layla signed as 'witnesses'.

"We love our daddy and Jen!"

 
 
Antonio's Italian Restaurant

The wedding being over, we all drove 5 minutes away to Antonio's restaurant where we had dinner. The food was waiting for us which was wonderful...both the food and that it was ready for us!
 
Here they come!



Mrs. Kattau and Carolyn

Everybody LOVES Brent!!!

Jen and Chris

"We can eat as soon as everyone arrives."

Alexis loved that she could 'ding' her glass and there was kissing!
 
"Everyone is here so....let's eat!"




"Do we HAVE to???"

"Yup!"
 
Time to cut the cake
 
 


Jim gave a beautiful speech!
 He said, "I didn't lose a daughter. I gained a truck!"
(I guess he likes Brent's big black truck!)
He is a very funny man but he made two parents very proud as he spoke about how Brent is now part of their family and how our two families are now merged.
It had never occurred to me that Jim would do this. I wish that we had been as thoughtful!


Jason and Kendra will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on
September 11th. Congratulations to them!

Layla and Kendra 'dance'.

I wonder if Kendra is now standing on Layla's feet!

Jason was playing music for the children to dance...thus
the blur!

86 year old Grandma Joyce
(My mother wasn't up to being at the wedding. She will certainly enjoy these pictures.)

Brent was so pleased that Paula and Ron came to the wedding.
 
It was a wonderful day! Tom and I are so happy for Brent and Jen. Layla and Marley love Jen and she loves them.
We are thrilled that Jen is now a 'Kattau'
and is an official part of our family.
 
It was a wonderful day.
 
May Brent and Jen be blessed with many years
full of joy, love and harmony!