This past weekend, the three of us took our first road trip together to witness and partake in the marriage of Polly and Ryuhei. It was a whirlwind of a weekend and a weekend full of events but it was a blast and a beautiful thing to be apart of. I love her family and her friends and that is always something that becomes so apparent to me during weddings.
We somehow got the CR-V and our bags packed Wednesday night so that we could take off right after work on Thursday. Bryan drove straight to the ferry and baby girl and I caught the bus to walk on the ferry. We both got lucky and Bryan was one of the last few cars on. With everything going our way so far, we had the 30 minute drive to Maureen’s yurt, where we quickly unloaded the car and checked out the space, before heading to the bridal party party at Polly’s rental cabin. They treated us to champagne punch and pork belly sliders and we got to know the other bridal party members a little better, as well as get to see the bride and groom for the first time that weekend. Polly even asked everyone to sing happy birthday to our birthday girl. We headed back to the yurt to have one night just the three of us before our friends showed up the next day.
Friday started nice and slow, but rainy?!? We were not expecting rain this weekend. The three of us drove to the grocery store to get the rest of the items we needed for the cabin. Reese loved the car-style shopping carts they had for kids. We headed back to have breakfast and soaked in the hot tub while Reese napped and then I had to get ready to head out for the rehearsal at the church.
The rehearsal lasted about 90 minutes and I was back just after the other four adults and two babies arrived. This was my first time meeting Eliana and she is a doll. We ate some snacks, drank some beverages, and worked on a puzzle until we all headed out for the welcome party at Polly’s sister’s place in Poulsbo. They had over 100 RSVPed and I had no idea how they were going to accommodate that many people until I saw their place. They have a huge backyard, a large wrap around deck and a spacious house. They had enough pulled pork, sides, dessert and drinks to feed an army. They had frisbee golf, a swing set, slide, corn hole, and much, much more. Everyone had a good time and it was a very relaxed night getting to see a lot of people for the first time that weekend.
Saturday was wedding day and the one that Bryan and I knew would be a little chaotic. I was going to be preocupied most of the day with wedding events, so Bryan was flying solo with Reese without any bottles that we brought along. Bryan dropped me off at the girl’s cabin at 10 am to start getting ready and he and Reese went over to the other Seattle “party house” to hang out with their crew for a little while. We did our own hair and makeup for the wedding and actually were able to do a pretty snazzy job. We played some tunes and had some breakfast and shortly it was noon and Ryuhei was ready to see his bridge for their first look. The girls were able to witness this play out and the bride and groom were on their way to take some photos and head to the church where we were to meet them for photos.
Bryan and Reese showed up to the church early, while we were taking photos, but once I caught up with them it was evident that Reese was hungry and needing a nap. Poor Bryan. He tried to get her to sleep in the stroller before the ceremony but Reese was adament about not missing the ceremony. He spent the ceremony in the “cry room” with about another 15 babies…there were 30 kids under 5 at this wedding and probably 20 of those were under 2.
It was show time and the ceremony went beautifully and was thankfully not a long Catholic wedding. We were on our way to the reception venue in Port Gamble, which allowed Reese to fall asleep in the car on the 20 minute drive, but after lugging her booty in her car seat all of the way into the venue, she woke up as soon as she was set down. And she was awake for the rest of the night, with all of 40 minutes of napping in her system from the day. The venue was beautiful and perfect. They had a large tent for dinner and the cocktail hour was held on the lawn overlooking Port Gamble Bay. The indoor pavilion held the dance floor. We enjoyed some snacks and drinks while dinner was getting ready and then were called to dinner. We were at the head table and were able to eat first and the amazing wedding coordinator took Reese for a walk while Bryan and I enjoyed our dinner.
Toasts were had and speeches were made that were endearing and honest. We watched from the lawn with Reese who was not too keen on sitting or standing in any one place all night. Shortly after, the wedding party moved back to the lawn and to the dance floor for the cake cutting, the first dance and to get the party started. The cake was delicious and Reese loved the dancing. We managed to last just short of the end time of the venue, which was a short miracle considering Reese’s day. We headed back to the yurt to immediately put her to sleep.
Sunday started late for everyone in the house. We made a group brunch and were brought donuts from Sluy’s Bakery in Poulsbo by Deana and Ed who joined us. We got in some more hot tub time while Reese took her morning nap and then had to pack up and clean up. We stopped by the Seattle “party house” with Luis and Carina before heading back to Seattle. Bryan played some lawn games and Reese and I explored the house, yard and hammock. We said goodbye to everyone a little after 4 pm, barely missed the first ferry, but still made it back to Seattle to pick up one more Tutta Bella fig pizza for the night and were home before 7 pm.
We had so much fun celebrating Polly and Ryu and had a wonderful time at the yurt. It was so enjoyable to spend time with friends and be at ease around other parents in the house. It was good to see Luis and Carina and makes me so look forward to our group’s future ski trips and adventures.
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 