A Casual Wedding Celebration

Can you believe that May is upon us?  I, for one, can't wait... as mild as March was, it seems April has been on the chilly side.  I have stayed busy, and I have been having so much fun, the time has just flown by.  For starters, dear friends of ours who now live in England came for a visit.  It was wonderful to see them, and to see their youngest daughter, who was four, I believe, when they moved away.  They were here over spring break visiting colleges!  Secondly, my brother and his girlfriend of hmm, five years? decided to get married.  They both had been previously divorced, and didn't want any memories of their former lives at the service.  So they went to a small, country church with just the two of them and the minister, and tied the knot.  Well, you know I couldn't let that go by without some sort of celebration.  So, sort of at the spur of the moment, we had a party.  The weather cooperated, and we had family and a few of their friends over for a celebration.  At their request, we kept it very casual. 

Since they are planning to live in Virginia Beach, and possibly North Myrtle Beach at some point in time, we decided to go with a beachy theme. 

Tulips greeted guests as they entered the back yard.

We splashed a few shells around ...

and used lots of yellow and white flowers on the tables.

The runners reminded me of beachy awnings or umbrellas.

The party got us motivated to get things ready for the season, so the pool was opened early, and everything is now ready to go!

Our cozy outdoor "living room"--ready for guests!!

The cake table--ready for the cake and champagne (please use your imagination, it's hard to get pictures at the last minute! lol)

Now, this is my kind of cake!!

Wish I could take credit for this beauty.  It was made by the folks at Cakes by Graham in Richmond.  The top and bottom layer were butter pound cake and the middle was chocolate.  It was not only beautiful, but oh so delicious!!  

This tablecloth was purchased recently at an estate sale, it is the perfect size for the little bistro table on our little deck.

We also had an assortment of brownies.  Each little umbrella identified the flavor.

As I said, this was a casual affair, so it was bbq, baked beans, slaw, mac n cheese, an edible fruit arrangement, chips, and vegetable tray.  

This picture was snapped before we "arranged" the food items on the buffet table.  Again, we kept it very casual.  Things got quite hectic in the last 30 minutes or so before the party began. 

We carried the theme inside as well, on the kitchen table, and ...

on the dining room table.

We had a great time, and it was really nice to finally meet some of my sister-in-law's family.  I could not have pulled this off at the last minute if it hadn't been for two people--my husband and my cousin, Pat.  Thanks to both of you for pitching in and helping me!!  

Thanks for visiting with me today, come back soon!!