Jim and Lisa's Wedding Celebration 2012

So our friends Jim and Lisa got married in San Diego, California on a Thursday so due to our little buddy James we found it hard to make it out there and get him some daycare. (On the plus side for their wedding date, it's Flag Day in the US, so the calendar will always alert them of their special day.) Luckily for us, they were having a family party in Quincy, Massachusetts, and we were thrilled to join them. Here's a little touch of the ceremony and reception in San Diego though so that you get a sense for the theme they carried over in Quincy.

California bride and groom

California wedding ceremony- what a lovely view!

Pretty California cake with tandem bike

After the ceremony in California, they left for a long weekend in Palm Springs to which all the wedding guests were invited! As if that weren't enough, they hopped on a train together and started making their way across the states together stopping in Oregon, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, just to name a few.  They threw family parties in Chicago (for Lisa's family) and outside of Boston (for Jim's family).

Walking down the pier in San Diego

So Friday we were able to leave James with his Grandma Kathy on the Cape while we ran off to Quincy. It was so lovely to see Jim and Lisa. Since we live across the country from each other it had been 2 years since we last saw them.  It was also nice to meet Jim's family because Kevin and Jim went to high school together in Florida, and Kevin often talks about spending his afternoons at Jim's house with his family.

The four of us in Quincy, June 2012

Jim, Jim's wife Lisa, Jim's mom Jane, Jim's brother Jon

Jim and Lisa didn't slack off just because it was their third wedding celebration.  We enjoyed beverages, food, a little mood music, desserts, cake, and fun party favors. The multiple location wedding seems to be a trend this year, and I'm impressed- I was burned out from planning just 1 wedding.

Tiki glass wedding favor

The party mingling

Quincy cake- yummy carrot cake!

The best part about being at intimate wedding gatherings like this is that you get to spend a lot of time with the bride and groom, and you ultimately feel like a real part of the family.  Jim's family happens to be awesome so sign us up. And possibly most exciting for me, I got to play wedding photographer! Check out my family group shots- ha ha ha.

Jim's paternal side of the family (the little boy is same age as James- has 10x more hair)

Organizing Jim's mom's side- total chaos

They did it!  

The first time I ever met Jim and Lisa was actually at our own wedding in Cape Cod, June 2009.  They proved themselves to VIP party guests, and they attended our Welcome Party, Wedding, and After-Party. This gave me as much time to spend with them as possible given my not-so-intimate wedding-size. They also took tons of photos for me which is awesome.

Jim and Lisa at our wedding on Cape Cod, June 2009

Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long to see them again. They helped us celebrate Kevin's 30th birthday in Brooklyn. Everyone who met them that weekend loved them and couldn't stop raving about both of them. Maybe it's their California-cool, but I think that if you look carefully you might see how fun and really sweet they both are. On Friday, I asked Jim how the responsibility of being married felt, and he said "really right." Yeah, we can totally tell.

Mu-wah! Brooklyn Inn, February 2010