San Diego Part #3 - The Wedding

Finally the part that everyone has been waiting for... the Wedding!

Please visit Todd and Erin's wedding website for more info about the wedding, the wedding party and much more.

The day of the wedding had finally arrived and we started it off early. My parents had invited several of our family members and friends that had traveled the distance over for a quick get together. It was great seeing everyone, some whom I hadn't seen in many years. My mom was very clear that the get together was to be over by noon, as we all needed lunch and Caty would definitely need a nap before we needed to leave. All the guest left, we had out lunch and Caty got her much needed nap in. We ended up having to wake her up around 2:30 as we need to leave by 2:45. We arrived at the location for the wedding, Paradise Gardens in Oceanside. Caty had to get changed in the back of our car, as there was no way she was going to ride over to the gardens in her flower girl dress; it was way to pouffy!

The guest started to arrive and it was wonderful to see so many loved ones there. Family members flew in from the San Francisco Bay Area, Montana, and Minnesota. The Best Man's sister even flew in from Paris. My Uncle Barry is courageously trying to fight Pancreatic Cancer and he and my Aunt Claudia drove down from the Bay Area. I know that Todd and Erin were so thankful that they made the effort to come. Two of my best friends from college (Erin and Brandi - luv you girls) live in San Diego and were invited to come. It was wonderful seeing them, as we obviously don't get to see much of each other. The little girl in pink that Caty is hugging in the picture is Brandi's daughter, Avery. Avery also has a brother, Cole, who is Caty's age.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and I know that Todd and Erin will look back at so many happy memories from their special day. The day was also very special for Erin and her dad, Don. Don received a heart transplant on December 1, 2006 after many years of dealing with a problem with his heart. Back before the transplant, they were not sure if Don would be there for Erin's wedding day, but with the transplant we was able to be there and more importantly walk her down the aisle and dance with her for the father daughter dance. Erin read a few words before the dance, talking about how when she was 10 and Don was first dealing with his heart problem, the thing that she wanted most in life was to have her dad be there for her wedding day. She of course had everyone in tears with her words. They danced to a song called "You're My Hero" which we found out after the dance that Erin's sister, Amy, recorded the song for their special dance. It was a truly beautiful song.

Caitlyn was an amazing flower girl. She took to her part and was the second center of attention for the day. We told her that she couldn't outshine Auntie Erin. She was supposed to walk up the aisle with the other flower girl, ring bearer and junior bridesmaid, but they took off without her. Caitlyn had no problem with that, it meant that she got to have all the attention to herself. She walked up the aisle with the biggest smile on her face, who would've guessed! She was a natural and we are so proud of her.

Scott, Caty and I ended up leaving around 9:30 as Caty was getting pretty tired. Just a few minutes after we left, Todd and Erin got wisked away themselves and that was pretty much the end of the spectacular night!

I have put together a video of some of my pictures. Enjoy!