God damn, I love a wedding. I really, really do. If you're getting married you should totally invite me because I
bring it at weddings. I will cry during vows. I will dance to every song. I will toast mightily. You will know that I'm there and having the time of my life, and that I am using every atom in my person to direct good will and love right between your eyes and your beloved's.
And that's what I was doing this weekend when one of my best girls married the love of her life in a beautiful backyard wedding, filled with amazing good friends and much good cheer.
The wedding was hosted by the incredibly talented and generous
Karin Grow and her husband, Art. The entire yard was strung with fairy lights and paper lanterns that Karin painted by hand.
Here's my
ring pillow, fulfilling its life's purpose.
I also made this little cake topper. I know I'm not the first (or even the 1,000th) to make a clothespin cake topper, but I'm particularly proud of these guys. I made little clothes to match the bride & groom's actual wedding attire.
Jen + Tom. For, like, ever.
By the end of the night, in true Engel fashion, all three of us were bleeding. Dash: "I ran into a tree with my face." Later, I tried carrying Dash across the lawn (yep, almost 4 & I'm still carrying him around like a fucking watermelon), fell off my insane gold shoes and scraped my knee up pretty good. And Josh tried to slice off his finger with a butter knife.
(Unrelated, I also forgot how to smile halfway through the day. I started doing this clenched teeth thing that makes me look just plain crazy. This {above} is not a normal smile, but the most normal one I could find.)
(Unrelated part two, I am aware that Dash has the pallor of the Joker in this picture. I don't know why. I don't think he's actually that color, but I'll look into it.)
But the most important thing to remember about the night is this. Look at how he's looking at her.
Love is real, babies.
On a scale of 1-10, how creepy is it that we spent about ten minutes discussing what their kids would look like? 20 billion? Sounds about right.
This kid really does spend a lot of time on ponies going in circles.
Oh, um, Mr. O'Lantern? You've got a little something in your nose.
It was a warm day, so Dash took his shirt off. We really need to figure out a way to get him to eat more.
There is nothing like the sense of accomplishment they feel when they get to the top of a haystack pyramid.
Seriously? People wonder why he's so spoiled. How do you say no to a face like this?
"Hi, Mr. Sheep, a lot of people want to shear you but I just want to talk to you, ok?"
The Pumpkin King
See?
Every year Lombardi Ranch has a scarecrow contest. They're displayed in a corn maze and some of them were kinda hilarious. I'm trying to talk myself out of entering next year, but I have a feeling I'm not powerful enough to stop the urge. G.I. Crow. Serious.
Squeal of Fortune. Seriously.
Pat Sayjack-O-Lantern. I need to find this person so I can punch them in the face.
Or kiss them right on the mouth.
11 years old! Genius!
Everyone was really, really tired by the end of the day. But they earned it.
