Mary & Sam's Wedding & Weekend Celebrations Recap

And just like that we have another beautiful family wedding in the books! 

Memorial Day weekend was a lovely one, and for our extended family on the Maxwell side, the highlight was definitely Sam and Mary's wedding. It was such a chill and happy day, and since those two words perfectly describe both Sam and Mary, it was extra fitting that their day should be relaxing, joyful, and sweet in every way. 

  (Note: the several professional pictures in this post were taken by Sarah who, along with Christopher, photographed the wedding)

Celebrations kicked off the week before with a couple of showers. We hosted a family one here in our backyard. Our new deck got finished the day before and was the perfect addition to a party. 

Burgers and hotdogs, with many fixings and sides!

The weather was perfect and it was such a fun evening celebrating Sam and Mary!

I've hosted a couple of pantry showers now and they are officially my favorite theme for a bridal shower. We did themed baskets (like Mexican, breakfast, baking, condiments, etc etc etc) for the gifts so there was a lot of variety and all the staples were covered. 

These little ones stayed super happy playing in the sand all evening.

Wedding week we enjoyed pop in visits from family and friends! The kids are always a fan of their aunties and any friends they might bring along!

Above, we were enjoying a rousing game of Alphabet GoFish, which is the boys' current favorite.

On Friday, I had offered to Sam and Mary that I would feed any of their friends who were in town early and wanted a place to hang out. I told John afterwards that it was truly the easiest kind of hosting ever-everyone knew each other and were having fun together and all they needed was a hot meal and a spot to eat it. Providing food and atmosphere is kinda my thing anyways so we were set. =) We had about twenty people present and it was a great time. 

Note: people often ask me how I can host like this with having three very active little ones. An in depth answer would require more time, but for now I'll tell you that often, and especially for big groups, the key is to plan ahead and make ahead. I made the spaghetti casseroles ahead of time. I made the bread ahead of time, and sliced and buttered it and wrapped it in foil so I could just pop it in the oven to warm while I was baking the other food. The veggies were a frozen veggie blend that I put in a pan and covered with Italian dressing before baking. I did make the dessert the morning of (pumpkin cheesecake bars, recipe from this cookbook, which I might add is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time) but I had the dry ingredients already mixed the night before and the other staples like chocolate chips, canned pumpkin, etc. set out on the counter. I prepped the coffee ahead of time. And I used paper supplies so that after everyone left I could put my kids down for naps and have minimal cleanup instead of loads of dishes. 

The rehearsal dinner Friday night was a laid back taco theme. 

There was lots of chatting and relaxing as we looked forward to Saturday!

Bedtime stories with Tia Anna the night before the wedding. (John got the kids this book at Sams Club recently and it is a current favorite!

I had the honor of doing Mary's hair. My sister in law Anna (Jesse's wife) did all the florals for the wedding including the hairpiece we used in Mary's hairstyle. 

How I love each and every one in this tribe! 

I honestly have so much fun dressing these little kiddos! It makes it even more fun that all three of them just adore new clothes, whether we get them from goodwill or amazon or elsewhere. =)

Boy's shorts: Children's Place, these // Boy's polos: Kohl's off-season clearance last winter // Boy's Sperry's: thrifted

Madeline's dress: Carter's brand, purchased at Sam's club last winter on off-season clearance // Madeline's sandals: Carters brand, these // Madeline's hair bow: from this pack // Nail polish: Piggy Paint brand

Family picture time!

(I got my dress from Fehrnvi last year, but I don't think it's sold there anymore)

A few random shots ahead of wedding time!

A selfie with a few of the sisters!

The flower girls were adorable.

The music was beautiful.

Maddy enjoyed cheering energetically whenever the need arose during the ceremony. (she also had a couple bonus clapping sessions as well =))

Hanging out at the reception afterwards!

The other newlyweds =)

Cake cutting!

Some of the nieces were in charge of a Photo Booth so of course we had to participate!

After the short reception, we hosted a big get together in our backyard for anyone who wanted to come. We had done something similar for Sarah's wedding and Sam and Mary asked if we'd be willing to do it again. Again, it was perfect weather and a great way to end out a perfect day!

After most people went home, we started a bonfire and brought out coffee, tea, and smores supplies for all the young people who were left.

30 pizzas is a lot of pizza and there were a lot of boxes to load for the trash the next day! Elliot was impressed with the stack.

Memorial Day morning found us putting out flags at the front of our yard. I love starting little traditions like this with our kids and teaching them at a young age the importance of honor, respect, and gratitude for our country! 

Boy's shorts and shirts: thrifted // Shoes: Keens, garage sale and poshmark finds

Madeline's dress: gift from Nana, from Carters // Sandals: these, Carters brand // Hairbow: from this pack

Maddy really loves being the baby of the cousin tribe. 

She adores her cousin gang and the feeling seems to be very mutual. 

We are so thankful for the sacrifice given and legacy left by John's grandpa!

And how we love and treasure our beloved Gigi! 

Such a blessing to be able to celebrate, remember, and honor together.

And that is a little rundown of our weekend! 

-Chels