Another Bride and Groom

Newlyweds Tiffany and Marcus

Last night we got to attend an open house for newly married couple Marcus and Tiffany. They were married in Salt Lake City (where the bride is from) a few weeks ago, but they had another celebration yesterday here in the groom's hometown. 

Those of us living la vida low-carb appreciated all the yummy vegetables!

(But I had to pass on the eclairs and cream puffs...)

Marcus and his brothers are friends of both my sons, and they've been close ever since they were all young children. They spent many hours in our home, and my sons spent many more in theirs. In fact, Jacob still considers their mother to be his "second mom." So we couldn't miss out on this celebration!

And plenty of fresh, cold water, too!

The larger main wedding reception was held in Utah, of course. This smaller open house was set up at a small pavilion on the property of our church building. It was beautifully decorated and well stocked with enough food to last the entire evening. It was fun to meet Tiffany, who seems to be more than a match for our impulsive Marcus! 

This portrait of Tiffany is amazing. It will hang in her parents' home.

Jacob was sad that he was unable to drive up from Mesa to attend, but he already knows Tiffany. Marcus was one of Jacob's roommates while he still lived in Utah, so he got to know Tiffany when she and Marcus started dating.

Sarah arrived after the rest of us. I thought it was sweet that her brother

Dylan walked over to meet her at the car. (She has lost 37 lbs so far!)

An outdoor reception in August would be a miserable affair if this were Mesa, where temperatures have been in the hundred-and-teens. Fortunately, our daytime temperatures have been in the eighties, with even cooler evenings, especially with the current cloud cover of monsoon season. Luckily, there was no rain during the open house, but there were some good gusts of wind, enough to send paper plates and napkins flying, and knocking over picture frames. After the first half-hour, though, the wind died down and the night was calm.

Violets and portraits of the happy couple adorned the tables.

We had a good time, being together as family and getting to visit with many of our friends from church who also attended. It was a beautiful night to celebrate the start of two lives together!

The Carters at the reception: Sarah, Mary, Dylan, and Jake.

Mark was behind the camera.