Fowle Family Adventures: Arwyn and Dave's Wedding Ceremony

Last weekend Dad and I flew down to Tallahassee, Florida to celebrate my cousin Arwyn's wedding. Arwyn is the oldest daughter of my dad's oldest brother, Les. When we lived in New Orleans (from birth through fifth grade) we spent a lot of time visiting my Uncle Les and Aunt Jolie in Tallahassee. They live on some acreage just outside of town, and I have so many memories of tromping through the woods playing with Arwyn, while Steve and her two younger sisters, Jaryn and Rynelle tried to tag along (the other babies were too little or not yet born--Les and Jolie have nine children. Both Arwyn and I were the quintessential bossy older sisters, and when we joined forces our younger siblings didn't stand a chance! Well, we're all grown up now, and I was thrilled to spend some time with all of my cousins, Les and Jolie, and especially my Grandpa, who now lives with my aunt and uncle. I was lucky enough to have really long one-on-one conversations with Grandpa, Rynelle and Jaryn, as well as some great group time.

Arwyn's new husband Dave and his family are all really nice people, and it is clear that D & A are head over heels in love with each other! The wedding ceremony and reception both took place at the Emhof home, and it was a beautiful setting. However, it takes a lot of work and organization to put on a wedding for 130 people at your house! Jaryn and Rynelle are both amazingly organized women, and they were well prepared for the day with all the materials at the ready, a typed up and detailed to-do list and a crowd of volunteers that they delegated to like pros. It felt like a real community affair, and it was actually tons of fun, even though it was a ton of work while it was approximately one million degrees and 100% humidity the entire time.

After two straight days of sunshine, the day of the wedding saw scattered showers, and the outdoor ceremony was actually delayed by 30 minutes due to weather. Luckily it did clear up, and both the ceremony and reception were successfully held outside!

A dear friend of the family, Carita, hosted the rehearsal dinner at her house. I helped set up the tables and food, and couldn't resist snapping a photo of the decor and the amazing live oak tree in her yard. Oh, and the food! Absolutely delicious traditional Puerto Rican fare. I could eat the maduros (deep fried plaintains) every single day!