Utah 2025: Part 4 The Rest of the Trip

The next morning the whole family...Kirk, Meki, and Kirin included...AND the bride and groom went to brunch at Tru Religion which is a favorite restaurant of ours. Yes, we were SHOCKED that the newlyweds wanted to join us for brunch but they did. They entered the restaurant to the LOUDEST catcalls and whistles in a packed restaurant full of BYU graduates and their families!! LOL. We had such a fun time all together and it is one of my favorite memories of the trip!

I have some absolutely CLASSIC videos of parts of this brunch! Ha ha!!

After brunch we loaded up about 5 different cars full of Ailey and Luke's wedding gifts and drove to their new apartment in Lehi. Their apartment is super cute! I love it! Karson tried out the little playground.

He was a fan!

Then we bid the Jorgensens goodbye and the whole crew drove to Kameron and Erin's new apartment in Eagle Mountain.

Their new apartment is also absolutely darling! I love it!

Then it was back to the Airbnb with the whole group where we played games...whiffle ball and football out in the park...doordashed a Mexican Feast...and then had a game night until late into the night.

It was such a great night until Ailey and Luke called us from the road on their way to Las Vegas to tell us that they had the keys to one of our cars. They had to turn around and bring the keys to us and ended up getting here late and spending the second night of their marriage at our Airbnb with the whole freaking family. Yikes. Then while they were driving back to Orem we had a dog emergency with Beverly. A big bag of leftover M&Ms from the reception was left on the floor in one of the rooms and that sneaky little dog found them and devoured a large portion. This necessitated an emergency call to the animal ER. It was scary and we were all in tears thinking that she was going to die but then the vomiting began and the vet reassured us that she would be okay since she was puking up the candy by herself. Within a few hours she was back to being the grand diva that she always is and the vet said that she would be fine. But it was quite the night!

I am always sad when I have to say goodbye to my brother. I miss him a lot and his family. It always feels so good when our families are together. The kids all commented on how much they love all of us being together. I wish they lived closer but I'm glad that we will be in Utah quite a bit now with four kids living there. 

The next day we headed home to Spokane. Reilly, Hunter, and Karson left super early and Ailey and Luke weren't far behind them. They were eager to get to their honeymoon location. LOL! Me, Tyler, Bryn, Kameron, and Erin left at our check-out time. Like I said before...Tyler noticed some bleeding in one of his eyes while he was loading the car. That was really disappointing. Thankfully it wasn't a crazy amount but still so frustrating!! We went back to Kameron and Erin's apartment to drop off Dwight and then we all went out to lunch at In-N-Out. I REALLY hate saying goodbye to my kids but I know that they are where they are supposed to be and I'm excited for all of the wonderful things that they are doing!

Then it was the LONG drive home. We stopped in Rexburg to pick up the Camry aka the kid car so that Bryn would have it to drive now. We made it home around 10 pm our time. Not too bad. Reilly, Hunter, and Karson made it home several hours before and without any issues. Ailey and Luke FINALLY made it to Las Vegas and had a great time on their honeymoon!!

Next up May!

Utah 2025: Part 3 Ailey and Luke Get Married: The Reception

 

We got to the venue an hour before the reception to set up a few things. Thankfully the venue was already decorated beautifully and the caterer was setting up an absolutely gorgeous display of food. We really only had to set up the specialty drinks station, the candy bar, and put out the pictures. That was so nice! We loved having staff at the venue who did 99.9% of the work at the reception and an incredible caterer and staff who served and did everything pertaining to the food. That eased my stress by about a million percent! The venue looked fantastic and Ailey and Luke were so happy with how it all turned out. Luke's mom and sisters were there early too and helped with a few things.

Bryn and I helped Ailey get dressed in the bride's room. Bryn took pics with her digital camera.

 The photographer took some pictures of Ailey's shoes, jewelry, invitations, and even her perfume. Fun!

Ailey's jewelry was the same that I wore at my wedding. So sweet!

Uncle Kirky and Brynnie helping the bride before the reception. LOL.

Little brothers! LOL.

Kameron was the MC and made sure that he had the program in order. He did a great job!

Cute cousins!

Then it was time for the reception to begin and for Ailey and Luke to greet their guests.

We had so much fun seeing family and friends!

Just like at Kameron and Erin's wedding...for the first hour the kids greeted their guests and visited with everyone. People milled around talking and eating. Ailey and Luke choose a selection of desserts to be served at the reception and they were divine! They also had their specialty drinks bar and a candy bar for the kids with all of their favorite candy.

Then after an hour, Kameron invited everyone to take a seat, and the program began. I really love that it is popular for receptions have programs now. It's so much better than just greeting people in a line and eating. It makes the reception special and more personal.

First up were the toasts from all four parents and from the maid of honor and the best man. They were all touching and funny. I loved them! 

Luke's dad Joe.

Luke's mom Andrea.

Cute Tyler! He always does such a great job!

I spoke too but will not be posting a pic as I look certifiably insane in everyone of them as I cried/laughed my way through it. LOL.

Ailey's maid of honor and best friend...Olivia.

Luke's best man and best friend...Carson.

Then it was time for the bride and groom to cut the cake. They chose cheese cake for their wedding cake.

Ailey and Luke decided not to have the slide show as part of the program. I was bummed about that but it was not my reception. They had the slide show of both of them growing up, dating, and all of that playing in the seating area of the venue. It was really sweet and I loved it!

Then it was time for the special dances...

The Bride and Groom's First Dance was to Mountain Peaks by Stephen Sanchez. They were so cute!

Ailey...former dance team captain...made sure that they had all kinds of moves. She refused to just (in her words) "waddle from side to side." Ha ha!

They were darling!

The Daddy/Daughter Dance was where I started bawling my eyes out. Tyler and Ailey danced to Yours by Post Malone. It was impossible not to cry. I thought of all the Daddy/Daughter Dances that they have gone to together and how they were always the last ones on the dance floor. They were adorable dancing together.

They also had some sweet moves!

Then the other dads and daughters joined in!

Kaiya and Kirk

Then it was the Mother/Son Dance...

And then the other mothers and sons joined in. I had to go grab the MC and steal him away from his official duties for a minute or two. 

Then it was time for the dance party with a disco ball and everything!

This family danced and danced! I was a disheveled sweaty mess by the end of the night to prove it!

Next up was the bouquet toss...

 

It was another night full of magical moments. The reception was perfect for them and it was exactly how they wanted it. They were so happy with how it all turned out! We only had one slight snafu and that was at the start of the reception when we wanted music playing in the background but there was a problem with the sound system and someone had to come fix it. It wasn't a big deal and then music was back on track pretty quickly.

While the Bride and Groom were busy...

This was happening. LOL.

Then it was time for the bride and groom to exit to a cheering crowd with bubbles and ribbon wands.

It was so fun to have good friends there from start to finish and who kept the party going even after the bride and groom left! Sweaty Mother of the Bride in evidence! 

The dancing continued until the last guest left and it was time to pack up! Thankfully there wasn't too much for us to do. The reception center staff were wonderful as was the caterer and her staff. We also had friends and family help us load up and then we were done! The reception a great success! The bride and groom were off to a lovely hotel for the night before leaving for their honeymoon in Vegas but they had one quick stop on the way... In-n-Out.

As one does!!

Congratulations Luke and Ailey!! 

We love you both so much! 

Cheers to a beautiful life ahead!

The rest of us upon returning to our Airbnb sat up late talking and snarfing sandwiches and chips and leftover candy until almost 2am!! Tyler and I even went outside after that to feel that sweet canyon breeze! What an amazing day!! We went to bed floating on happiness and joy for Ailey and Luke and for our whole family!