Along with a beautiful daughter, I acquired an incredible family! Some of these photographs were contributed by them - Robert Winterhalter and BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi.
The ceremony was scheduled for 5:30PM but Laura invited me to join her, her mother, and the ladies of the bridal party while they got ready. I arrived with a couple of bottles of Moet and Chandon for pre-wedding toasts and to lessen a bit of the anxiety I knew Laura was feeling that everything would not go perfectly ( it did ). It was so wonderful for me, the mother of three boys, to have that experience.
Mom, Christine, is watching the final touches for bridesmaid, Lindsay, and maid of honor,
Mandy
Laura, checking things out
The bridal bouquet - prepared by the flower department at the Safeway in Davis - they did all the flowers. Okay, I was surprised as well. My son, Alex, has worked there since he started college ( not in the floral department ), almost eight years, now, I think, so he decided to give them the business. They did a fabulous job!
Kaleyah
Mandy, maid of honor, and Christine, mother of the bride
Isn't she beautiful?
Mandy helps!
Christine, watching her daughter dress
Pretty Nani, the flower girl
Having some Martinelli
Laura and Kaleyah ( Nani )
The rings
Laura, Mandy, and Lindsay by Robert Winterhalter
With my sons, Alex and Jeremy, and ring bearer, Collin
With Susan Henesy, my sister-in-law
The boys with me and Elmira, who cared for them much of their life
Charles and Susan Henesy, my brother and sister-in-law, from Georgia
Escorted to my seat by Alex, by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi
A kiss from my son
My son, Jeremy, with Mandy and Lindsay
The Vukasinovic Brothers
Waiting for the bride by Robert Winterhalter
Mom walking the bride down the "aisle" by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi
Happy groom as he sees his bride in her gown for the first time! by R. Winterhalter
The bride's family
The girls and Alex
The ceremony
What is she thinking?
The look of love
Proud mama
The kiss by Robert Winterhalter
The kiss by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Vukasinovic
The wedding party by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi
Our families
Happy couple by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi
A toast from brother, Jeremy
Listerning to my poem
Dinner in the vineyards
Carmen and her brother, Charley
The first dance as husband and wife
Mother - son dance
Alex and Jeremy by Robert Winterhalter
As the festivities drew to a close, we all gathered around to wish the couple a lifetime of joy and happiness, filled with blessings - may they always cherish and love each other as they did on their wedding day.
The bride was incredibly beautiful. The wedding was divine. I cherish the photo of you and your son dancing. Blessings to all.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely family, Carmen. Best wishes to the new couple!! xx
ReplyDeleteCarmen, wow! what a glorious wedding. Laura is just gorgeous. The flower girl is adorable and the guys so handsome. I love the photo of the Mother and son dance, that is so touching. The bridal party photos and the family photos are wonderful. What a beautiful and memorable occasion. Thanks for sharing these with us, Carmen.
ReplyDeleteCarmen, Such a beautiful day! Your beautiful family has grown in a wonderous way. Congratulations!!
ReplyDeletebeautiful memories captured wonderfully...
ReplyDeleteOh, Carmen, your boys are so handsome! Laura is drop-dead gorgeous, too! You all looked so very happy, and I am so proud for you all. I loved this!
ReplyDeleteyour friend in FL,
Debbie
Carmen, I had no idea your son was also getting married! Our kids both married within five days of each other. The wedding looked beautiful at the winery. Congradulations to you all!!!
ReplyDeletelol, Laura
Congratulations!! Carmen.
ReplyDeleteAnd to yours all.
One your splendid memory increased.
I pray for the heartwarming family...
From the Far East.
Best regards.
ruma
Absoutely beautiful.......you looked lovely and of course the bride is beautiful. I loved her dress, your sons are very handsome....Hugs
ReplyDeleteMarvelous! I love the energy and emotion of a happy wedding. Big congrats all around!
ReplyDeleteHow perfect. Best wishes to the happy couple! A beautiful bride; loved her earrings! And your sons are so gorgeous; no wonder it was one of the best days of your life!
ReplyDeleteHello Carmen. Congratulations on being a proud mother seeing her kids enrol in a new life bonding. The bride is gorgeous and a very handsome groom. Wish both of them a very happy married life.
ReplyDeleteIt's super-joyous! I'm so happy to see the ceremony, and the happy bride-groom. Recalled memories of my marriage :)
ReplyDeleteOh my! Carmen this is gorgeous. What lovely pics, the bride, the broom, you!... and the place... Such positive energy comes out of the images.
ReplyDeleteMust have been a sweet memorable moment to you
Congrats!
:)
Congratulations to your whole family. It looks like you all had a wonderful time.
ReplyDeletethese are wonderful photos of a beautiful wedding - the bride is luminous! thank you for sharing them with us, Carmen! you look so proud and we can see why :)
ReplyDeleteI simply adore weddings, These photos show everyone being happy and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday, I saw part of a wedding which I will post tomorrow.
Congratulations to both families..Gorgeous pictures, and the day looks lovely for a special occasion too.
ReplyDeleteso lovely!!
ReplyDelete(btw..you have an award at my blog!)
Carmen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. What a great day.
Diana F.
LOVE all the photos!! She's a DOLL! And he's SO Handsome!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful family Girl!!
hughugs
Hello Carman. What a great place to have a wedding the pictures were as beautiful as the the new couple. I wish them many years of happiness as they start there new life together.
ReplyDeleteWhat a handsome couple. Thank you for sharing these lovely photos of the rehearsal dinner and of the wedding. You're a lucky Mama, Miss Carmen:)
ReplyDeletei wish i was there too. its a new beginning for the new husband and wife. thank you carmen for the beautiful wedding compilation. you are a great mother and a friend
ReplyDeleteA beautiful wedding. It was fun seeing the pictures, it looked like everything turned out great. Congratulation to you, the new mother-in-law, and to the bride and groom.
ReplyDeleteSherry
Lovely wedding! I am so happy for you and your family!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Anna
http://annasadornments.blogspot.com/2010/05/q-as-in-quilts-quartz-abc-wednesday.html#links
The bride is very beautiful, isn't she.
ReplyDeleteLoved the photos, especially the ones by the window.
Great to meet all the family,
Congratulations all round.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
That's so beautiful, I like the place, the people, the atmosphere... So charming. Congratulations on that especial day, Carmen!
ReplyDeleteWow, everyone looked so beautiful and happy. Congratulations. May they have many years together in joy and love.
ReplyDeleteThis was for sure moving to see - thank you for allowing us to have spend this day with you.
ReplyDeleteMay the future hold nothing but happiness and light you all.
Very moving photography indeed.
Travelingjoan - it was a very special day. I cherished the song Alex chose for our dance..."To My Mom" by Good Charlotte. The words were very special for a mother who was also a father and raised her sons alone.
ReplyDeletewillow - yes, I have a great family and the new additions only make it better! I like everyone I encountered in Laura's clan.
ReplyDeletePoetic Shutterbug - I think you've met all the boys, Jo...you missed Laura at one of Sony's gigs, though. It was such a lovely wedding - I couldn't have asked for nicer!
ReplyDeleteSandra Goldstein - you still have a couple of weddings to go, having started all over. I wish my oldest would marry but he says he's not planning on ever doing so. This was such a happy, lovely event, I want more!!!
ReplyDeletemagiceye - I loved every minute of the wedding events. It was all such a happy time.
ReplyDeleteDebbie in FL - thanks for stopping by my blog! Isn't Laura beautiful? She looked so incredible on Friday...but she never looks bad! Alex was so happy as well, not at all nervous. They'd been together six years so I guess he was ready!
ReplyDeleteLaura - you needed the happy occasion of Beth's wedding. Her video was so beautiful. We are blessed that our children are happy with such wonderful spouses!
ReplyDeleteruma2008 - thank you so much for your good wishes for my family. It was a day of much joy!
ReplyDeleteBernie - thank you...I do think my boys are pretty handsome. It was just sad that the older brother had to be activated with the Air Force in Germany...he left the week earlier, can you believe it!! Laura, of course, is so lovely. Both kids are lucky to have each other, I think!
ReplyDeleteNurse Heidi - your good wishes are appreciated. I'm still elated from the wedding!
ReplyDeletealaine@éclectique - The testosterone trio, as I call my boys, aren't bad looking and they are very nice young men as well! I liked Laura's earrings, too. I'll have to ask her where she got them!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - you really are unknown to me!! But I appreciate your good wishes for the newlyweds. I wish I knew your name!
ReplyDeleteBhavesh Chhatbar - Did you have one of those glorious Indian weddings like I see in the Bollywood movies? They are always so beautiful. You and your wife look like movie stars so it must have been incredible! I must see pictures when I come to India!
ReplyDeleteDulce - the entire day, from beginning to end, was all a mother could hope it would be. I thought the year would never pass but it was worth the wait!
ReplyDeleteRatty - I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day - or a more perfect California setting! This winery is only about ten miles from Alex and Laura's so I will be going back often for wine tastings! What a happy day it was for me, with my wonderful boys, my new daughter and many good friends. Only important person missing was my son, Shawn, with the Air Force in Germany and a couple of friends who couldn't make it.
ReplyDeleteManuela - I think Friday was the happiest I've been in years. It was a day for joy and celebration.
ReplyDeleteAnn - I always love weddings, too. On my last two trips to Europe, I've happened on two beautiful weddings...even those of strangers make me happy!
ReplyDeleteIcy BC - thanks for your good wishes to all of us. It was a perfect day and the setting was ideal, especially for this mama who loves California vineyards ( well, actually, vineyards all over the world! )
ReplyDeleteBits-n-Pieces - thanks for the award. I'll work on that this weekend. Glad you enjoyed my son's wedding!
ReplyDeleteSherry - you would have loved the winery setting of the wedding. They served an excellent tempranillo and a nice chardonnay. Everything was just perfect and we all had such a wonderful day. Wish you could have been with us.
ReplyDeleteDiana F. - it was a great day. Only sad part was that Shawn, my oldest was activated and left with this AF Reserve unit the week before ( for Germany for two - four months ). I need to get that guy married off...he's already 39 and says he isn't interested!
ReplyDeleteMy brother and his wife were here from GA.
Donna - I am really blessed to have such a lovely family. I'm thinking about what nice grandchildren I might have!!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - here's another mystery person without a name...so I don't know who to thank for the wonderful good wishes. I'll send them on to my son and lovely daughter-in-law.
ReplyDeleteSony Holland - I loved having Laura and Alex - and me and Jeremy dance to you singing "At Last" - the DJs thought your rendition of it was really great and want to add it to their wedding music! Only thing better would have been to have you there in person.
ReplyDeletedanneyleague@yahoo.com - you've seen all my boys, at one time or another, on the Monarch! I wish I could have given Laura and Alex a cruise for a honeymoon. They aren't going anywhere right now...maybe in a few months. They want to get all the wedding expenses out of the way first. They are very practical ( not like me! ).
ReplyDeleteI miss you...it's been so long since I've seen you, Danney!
Anna - one of these days, you'll be celebrating your daughter's wedding. I hope she finds a nice young man like my Alex!
ReplyDeleteMaggie May - Laura is nice as she is beautiful so Alex is a lucky young man. I've never seen her take a bad picture. She is a paramedic
ReplyDelete( Alex dropped out with only two months to go - he found it too boring! ) - lucky patients. He did complete his firefighter training but he's now pursuing a degree in chemistry and is hoping to teach and coach football.
fullet - the setting was perfect for the two of them - they are not especially religious and that winery is only ten miles from the house they bought, right by the Sacramento River. I don't know who did the catering but the food was excellent, too! It couldn't have been a better day, really.
ReplyDeleteViki - thanks so much for your good wishes! I will pass them on to the kids.
ReplyDeleteρομπερτ - Robert, I'm glad you were able to "attend" the wedding via photography. Wish you could have been there in person to sample the good food and wine. It was the happiest I've been in eons. Thank you for the lovely good wishes.
ReplyDeleteI'm honored to be able to share in your family's special day. Congrats, Carmen!
ReplyDeleteOh Carmen, just beautiful. Lovely pictures and I am sitting here with a big ol' smile on my face with tears in my eyes. I so feel the love of the day and I'm so glad you shared it with us. The very best to your son and new daughter-in-love. I wish them a long, happy life together - and you - many grandchildren! :) xoxo
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful day! and beautiful bride too. gorgeous, just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWonderful memory pictures. Thank you for sharing, Carmen. You looked lovely in the blue.
ReplyDeleteSplendid! The bride is so beautiful and the groom so handsome. What a lovely movie like wedding. Wishes to the couples for a happy and everlasting relationship. Congratulations Carmen.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very beautiful set of wedding photos. You looked so proud. May you have many more years as a MIL ( Mother in Law) and thanks for words on my Q post
ReplyDeleteWhat a special day for you! The boys are incredibly handsome, and Mandy looks like a gem. You can be as proud of a mama as you want, for sure.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific venue for a wedding, Carmen! You look ravishing in your beautiful blue dress and I felt so proud for you! I can't imagine what it's like to marry off one's child, but it was obviously wonderful for you, especially loving your new daughter as you do. Laura seems like an incredibly thoughtful person, even as she is lovely. She and Alex make an outstanding couple. I wish for them many years of happiness.
ReplyDeleteTina - thanks for sharing in my wedding pictures. I'll pass on the congratulations to Laura and Alex.
ReplyDeletePink Martini - I'm so glad you took the time to come to my son's wedding. It was truly a California event and I still haven't come down from my high! I'm forwarding them all these nice comments to add to their collection of good wishes. I will be so happy to add a grandchild...I do like my two granddogs but it isn't quite the same!
ReplyDeleteKamana - I do so love weddings and it was thrilling to have one in my own family!
ReplyDeleteGlynis - thanks for the kind comments. I liked that dress myself. It was comfortable and easy to wear...and, the nicest thing, it didn't wrinkle!
ReplyDeleteShiju Sugunan - your wishes for my newlyweds are so appreciated. Now, if they have a wonderful son like Nishu, I'll be thrilled! I want a granddaughter, too!
ReplyDeleteTracy - I was never prouder than I was at that wedding...just wish my oldest son could have been present instead of with his reserve unit in Germany...just poor timing. They were deployed a week before!
ReplyDeleteSharkbytes - that wedding was a much needed morale booster after months of feeling so gloomy after the job loss.
ReplyDeleteEnchanted Oak - it was such a joyful day for me...I would love to have that experience twice more but I don't think my oldest, Shawn, is ever going to indulge me...and Jeremy, who you saw in the wedding photos, says he thinks, maybe, at 30, he'll be ready. He does have a wonderful, lovely girlfriend who graduates from Cal Poly in June.
ReplyDeletethis is long list of pictures....but loved them all.......srry i'm late.........
ReplyDeleteAre Alex and Jeremy Twins :) ?????
they do look so in the second last picture .....haven't been to a catholic wedding......love to attend one......have seen the ceremony and all in movies....it's really looks great from this end......
CONGRATULATIONS Carmen! What a lovely couple! I wish them long lives full of love and happiness.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sending me the link to see these photos -- it has been a hectic week since I went away and I was hopelessly behind. I'm glad to not have missed seeing the wedding.
You looked so beautiful and so happy that day! The vineyard setting was just perfect!
Pretty soon you'll have a little grandchild to keep you busy, God willing.
♥ Pat
nice pictures! I see joy. i am happy for you! thank you for all your comments posted on my blog.
ReplyDeletehitesh rawat - no, Alex and Jeremy aren't twins...Alex is 27 and Jeremy is 25...they are both 6'4", have the same father. Their older brother, Shawn is 39, has a different father and, poor guy, he's only 5'10". Actually, the wedding wasn't Catholic but a non denominational ceremony. Alex doesn't really believe in God..he's just not convinced there is one...that's why they chose the vineyard for the wedding, rather than a church setting.
ReplyDeletePat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti - I knew I hadn't seen a comment from you about the wedding but I didn't know you'd won that trip to L. A. Glad you got to see the wedding pictures. It was such a wonderful and happy occasion for me. It felt good to get out of the doldrums, finally. I wrote a poem for them...it was on my blog on the 8th of May, I believe, not the flash 55 one.
ReplyDeleteOnce again our Congratulations and Best Wishes to the newly weds and to the proud mamas.....Just by looking at these pictures we can say that it was indeed a very special and love filled day....
ReplyDeleteGod bless !!!!
What a beautiful wedding Carmen. You guys couldn't have asked for a more wonderful setting or a happier couple. I hope they will remember this day with happiness all of their lives.
ReplyDelete