This past weekend we traveled to Minnesota for a beautiful and fun wedding! As we made our descent into Minneapolis on Thursday, I enjoyed the birds-eye glimpse of greens and blues.
Being back in Minnesota with Bobby’s family is always a blast, but this trip made for an even bigger trip down memory lane because my family was there, too (more on that in a bit). We couldn’t resist driving through Eden Prairie, my official hometown for 12 years. (Side note: I have always called this “the majority” of my life. Just realized that at 26, that is no longer the case.)
We stopped by the EP mall – home of many a high school date with Bobby – for lunch at Potbelly.
And we were also the creepers who slooowly drove by our old house. We didn’t ring the doorbell, though it was certainly tempting to see what they’ve done with my old room. Our biggest takeaway was that the trees that started out as tiny seedlings when we moved into the house in 1993 are now ginormous. Mama Bender would have had a tough time wrangling these with her Christmas lights.
Once we had finished being tourists in our old neighborhood, we made it to the hotel where the Benders were staying so that I could change and head to the wedding rehearsal.
Bobby and I were honored when the bride and groom – Annie and Jono – asked us to do the Prayers of the Faithful during their wedding ceremony. Following the rehearsal we all headed to a wonderful groom’s dinner at Jono’s aunt and uncle’s house. Check out these fun DIY chocolate holders.
It was a wedding we were excited to celebrate for a number of reasons – chief among them being how amazing Annie and Jono are together. But it’s also cool to note the various connections. Annie and Jono were in the same high school class as Bobby and me. Bobby and Annie are cousins. Annie and I were on the same high school golf team (which is also how our moms met and became best friends). Bobby and Jono were close friends and hockey teammates. Jono and I have known each other since middle school at St. Hubert’s. And speaking of St. Hubert’s…
It also happens to be the church where they got married.
It was fun to be back in a place with old memories to create a new and beautiful one. Before we left for the ceremony on Friday, we snapped a group picture of the Krenn family. You’ll notice a certain niece was also in town! (Thanks for the letting me “borrow” your picture, Cara.)
The ceremony was sweet, but the first kiss as husband and wife was even sweeter.
Afterward we made our way to the Lafayette Club on Lake Minnetonka for the reception. The setting was idyllic (golf!) and the weather was perfect for all the right moments.
We took the opportunity to have a family photo shoot. It got a little windy at times!
The Krenn girls (including a new niece on the way!)…
The Krenn guys…
And the Benders (this might be one of my favorite family pics of all time)…
I also cornered the bride and asked her to take a picture with us. Doesn’t Annie look stunning?
Last but not least, I love this candid that Bobby took of Eric. Note he was holding my wine glass.
We finished our marathon photo session and headed inside for dinner amidst beautiful centerpieces.
The food was delicious. I am bummed that I forgot to take a picture of the wedding cake, but I did manage to snap one of the entrée – a duo of grilled tenderloin and chicken with potatoes.
The weddings toasts were both funny and touching. The first dance was lovely.
And the father-daughter dance is always one of my favorite moments.
From there, we danced the rest of the night away. Congratulations, Annie and Jono!!!!
The rest of our Minnesota weekend included spending time with the one and only Claire Bear.
On Saturday we visited Tom and Mickie’s cabin on Lake Minnetonka. You may remember a similar picture taken last September. There was a lot less water then – no beach this year!
Claire Bear has grown a lot since that post, but so has cousin Kellen! Quite a difference from the little baby in my arms. As you can tell from those dimpled cheeks, he couldn’t be cuter.
Both Kellen and Claire enjoyed splashing around in the pool.
Claire was quite the slider, too. She could climb to the top from both directions.
My family stopped by for part of the day, too. Eric (aka Uncle Eric) is so great with little ones.
The boys had picked up a Costco cake in the morning to surprise Barb for her upcoming birthday. We all managed to sneak inside without her noticing, then brought her in to sing.
She had a little help blowing out the candles.
The Costco cake was, of course, delicious.
We also celebrated Claire’s upcoming birthday later that night. This little lady will be turning two in just a few days! I can’t believe how grown up the nieces pieces are getting.
It was a jam-packed weekend of celebration and good times. Now onto a shortened holiday week!
Abrazos,