Jan's Musings: Saturday October 17 (Cincinnati

I was up nice and early, let the dogs out, fed and watered the dogs and cats then popped the last few items into my bag. Niko decided he wanted to come too but unfortunately he couldn't!!

I was ready with my baggage outside when Karleen arrived. We went into Archbold to pick up Harry's mum, Mila then off we set. We made good time and after two stops, one for coffee and one for a restroom, we arrived at the Renaissance at 10.15 am. it was a very cool day but the sun shone out through the cloud so we could not complain.

After saying hi to everyone Karleen and I changed onto our better gear and then set off to drop our bags at our respective hotels. I was able to check in which was great and when we arrived at Karleen's hotel, she was able to as well. I set her phone up on Uber and we used the promo code for the wedding to return to the Renaissance.

We went down to Deena's room and it was organised chaos, lol!! the make up lady was finishing with the bridesmaids and then moved on to the bride.

Time was marching on and eventually we were told we should ride in the bridal bus along with the bridal party.

It was close to 1.30 pm when we left so the bride would follow tradition and be a wee bit late, lol!! The bus had the seats along the sides so it was like a stretch limo. The driver was such a cool guy with a great sense of humour.

On arrival at the church, Karleen and I were walked by groomsmen down the aisle and sat in with the family of the bride. Finally, it was the bride walked down the aisle by her father. Such a beautiful bride, the dress and "birdcage" only enhanced her beauty!

It was a lovely service although two things surprised me, the applause when they were finally husband and wife and the hugs that everyone gave to each other. They make such a beautiful couple!

There was a photo shoot in the church so Karleen and I went out to study the view over Cincinnati and the river. We took some photos and I managed to get one of the Boathouse and the Marquee where the reception would be.

Seven of use then caught a Uber to take us to the Boathouse Restaurant and we headed for the bar to wait until cocktails were served.

The decorations that Lisa had spent weeks on preparing looked gorgeous and gave the marquee a rustic, fall feel. I thoroughly enjoyed the ribs I had for my dinner as well as the wine I had been drinking. It is a sweet, sparkling wine I often drink in New Zealand, so was very welcome.

Once dinner was just about finished the three formal dances took place, bride and groom, father and daughter then mother and son.

These were followed by the speeches which were were mainly short and very sweet. Harry got some of his relatives to help him sing the song Serbians sing to celebrate a wedding!! I got mentioned twice in dispatches as having come all the way from New Zealand, very thoughtful!

The cutting of the cake took place then took place, it was a delicious cake, very rich!!

There were some hilarious moments as Deena threw her bouquet and then Mike dived under her dress to get the garter to throw to the guys. Everyone was enjoying the fun.

The dancing got "wilder" as the night progressed and it was fun to see everyone having a great time. I also spent some time with Brady, playing a simple game and he seemed to enjoy it!

I took one final photo of the church where the wedding had taken place, it was beautiful all lit up.

By the time I headed back to my hotel
about 10.30 ish via a Uber driver it was very cold, by my standards, lol!! I managed to download all the photos onto Lisa's USB memory stick as well as my laptop. I hoped I could give it to Lisa sometime tomorrow.