I attended my first wedding on Sunday when my second cousin (who's six months older than me) was married at the gorgeous Ceresville Mansion just outside of Frederick, Maryland.

The ceremony was held outside on the terrace; thankfully the rainstorms left over from Ernesto had vacated the area by evening and guests didn't have to hide underneath umbrellas.  We (Mom, Dave, Grammy and myself) arrived just before the bridesmaids and groomsmen made their way up to the altar... talk about cutting it close!

Randy (my cousin) and Sheryl were too cute when they said their vows, which included a few verbal jabs... nothing harsh, just poking fun at each other.  Their dogs Baby (shepherd/husky mix) and Amber (chocolate Lab) were also in the ceremony and were surprisingly well-behaved... well, almost.  Baby's collar slipped off at one point and she tried to say "hello" to each guest.

Everyone mingled outside and enjoyed the hors d'ourves and alcohol while the wedding party took photos inside.  The guestbook table included a Polaroid camera so guests could take their picture and sign it with a personal message to the bride and groom for the guestbook.  The small, ghostly orb that appeared in photos at my Grampy-Pa's funeral showed up on Grammy's and my guestbook photo; apparently Grampy-Pa kept his promise to attend the wedding.  :)

After photos were taken, everyone proceeded inside to the ballroom.  The wedding party was introduced to the sounds of "We are the Champions" by Queen, and the bride and groom were introduced by "Another One Bites the Dust," also by Queen... just shows my family's sense of humor.  :)  And because Randy, Sheryl and their friends are all (mostly) Virginia Tech graduates, the Hokey Pokey had to be part of the dancing fun!

When it came time for Sheryl to toss the bouquet, I crowded in with the rest of the single girls on the dance floor.  And of course the bouquet was thrown straight at my head so I had no choice but to grab it, or else get clobbered by pink, white and orange roses.  Randy's high school friend Matt caught the garter and so I had to sit still while he shimmied the garter up my leg.  Before he did so, however, I made sure to get his name... I wasn't going to let a complete stranger touch my bare leg.  ;)

Anyway, everyone danced until midnight, at which point the guests were asked to form a circle around the bride and groom as they danced to "That's What Friends Are For."  It was a nice way to end the night and usher Randy and Sheryl into married life.  :)

So yeah, it was a great time with lots of good 'ol Southern fun and plenty of drinking, dancing and laughs.  We didn't get home until 2:00 a.m. and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was o-u-t.

Can't wait for Randy and Sheryl to get the table disposable cameras developed and post the pictures for all to see... I'd definitely like to keep a few (some for keepsakes and others for blackmail, haha).

I feel:  sleepy