"Sleepless Turns 100"! Or Better Yet, "An Indiana Wedding"

My sister just got married! And it's my 100th post! So, to commemorate 14 months of blogging, this post is dedicated to the new Mrs. in our family.

I've had a lot of people ask me a LOT of questions about the wedding. I've decided to do a little FAQ here so that if you've asked me a question and I haven't gotten back to you, you can find it here. And if you really don't care about the details, just take a look at the pics. Here we go:

How did Alisa and Alec meet?
Alisa and Alec met through Match.com. It was her first date on the service. I think she canceled her membership relatively quickly after meeting Alec. I could tell that she liked Alec quite a bit from the beginning. In fact, just after they started dating, she brought him to Dad's birthday party and I asked her if she was crazy!

Alisa and Alec live in the Bay Area. Why Indiana for the wedding?
Alec is a born-and-raised Indiana boy. His dad passed away earlier this year after a hard battle with cancer. Alisa went back to Indiana a couple of times and instinctively felt that it would be appropriate (and fun) to have a fall wedding there.

Where is Columbus, Indiana?
Columbus is located an hour outside of Indianapolis. It's a gorgeous town, known for its architecture. Check it out:







What was it like staying at the mother-in-law's house?
Divine! I told Alisa, within minutes of meeting Irida (Alec's mother), "You won the mother-in-law lottery!") We arrived at midnight, Indiana time, all of my family: Mom, Dad, stepmom, brother, me, Alisa and Alec...and found Irida waiting with a table spread with a feast. That was the theme of the weekend: great hospitality.

Irida's influence was seen throughout the wedding. She surprised Alisa and Alec with the cake below and also gave Alisa a beautiful hand-knit shawl to wear for the reception.



Was there time for a bachelorette party?
Indeed! Several of Alisa's friends had flown out for the wedding. After dinner on Friday night, clad in feather boas, we hit downtown and were among the dozen or so patrons at the Columbus Bar.



This is Mike, our server, who brought us at least seven or eight rounds of vodka drinks.

Did you drink the vodka?
Oh heck no! That would kill me! I passed my drinks along to whomever would ingest them. But I did indulge in nachos, fried pickles and fried mozzarella balls (this is the Midwest, after all!).



Did everyone behave at the bachelorette party?
Mostly. Some of those girls are a little more wild than I remembered. One woman in the bar (not in our party) decided to do an impromptu and unsolicited striptease for us. That was, um, interesting.



Did you color your hair again?
Why yes, I did. I'm on the DIY program. But back to the party...

Where were the guys?
Alec and his crew were at the other bar in town: The 4th Street Sports Bar. We eventually joined them there until I dragged Alisa back to Irida's for a short night of sleep.



Did Alisa get her hair done for the wedding?
Yes, and it looked fabulous! She even let Teresa (our stepmom) wax her eyebrows for the first time, prior to the trip, with a lot of cringing and support from her girlfriends.



Who is Irida?
She's on the left, next to my Mom. Teresa is on the right. Alisa is sans pants.



What did Mom wear to the wedding?
A beautiful blazer and black pants.





What did you (Janeen) wear to the wedding?
A black wool J Crew dress. Secondhand, of course. With fishets and boots!

How happy are my Dad and Teresa?

Very.



What kind of advice was Dad giving Alisa during the march down the aisle?
Unknown.



Were you (Janeen) the maid of honor?
No, Alisa didn't have attendants. But I did get to do all the maid of honor duties, like forget to jump up and grab her bouquet while she said her vows (I was adjusting the flash on my camera!). And I was one of the witnesses. And I gave a reading at the reception ("Oh The Places You'll Go," by Dr. Seuss.) And I cried. However. I didn't have to wear a God-awful bridesmaid's dress!



Did Alisa trip on her dress?
Not on the way back from the altar but she had a "moment" going down the aisle in which she instructed my dad to "freeze and smile."



Where's the shawl that Irida had made? Here it is, (gorgeous, huh?) along with Alisa's "party shoes."


Is that a naked woman?
I think this scupture had us all captivated at one point or another. It was mesmerizing.



The reception was at a soda fountain?
Yes! It was a beautiful venue, completely decorated for Christmas. Alisa and Alec rented out the whole place.



Did you eat burgers and fries?
Yes, we did have french fries as an appetizer but the actual meal was delicious. Salmon and beef. Guests had ice cream sundaes for dessert. Or cake. I had both. Of each. Two times around (there were a lot of flavors!).



Was it emotional to be in Indiana for your sister's wedding, with your whole family?
I cried a lot during the weekend. I think my parents are very happy for her. What do you think?



Who is the little girl from the photos?
This is Alexandria, daughter of my first cousin, Sherry. I hadn't seen Sherry in over ten years and I'd never met Alex. It was a treat to have their family with us.



Are you different from your sister?
This picture pretty much answers that question. I think my sister is more spontaneous, more lighthearted and much more easygoing.



Who is the good looking guy from all the photos?
This is my brother, Juan! He flew in from Southern California. Juan makes an effort to be at family functions and I truly embrace him as my other sibling even though we don't share biological parents. It meant the world to my parents for him to be at the wedding.



Did the newlyweds go on a honeymoon?
They went to Brown County, Indiana for a two night stay at a B & B. Here they are the day after the wedding.



What's next?
They flew home in time for Thanksgiving with our family and are settling into their new home in Dublin. I think they've finally recovered from the wedding madness, although a second reception is planned for the first part of next year to be held in Dublin.



When is it your turn?
Did you get this far in the post? Wow. My own Match membership expired - and I didn't renew it. I think for now I'll concentrate on being happy for Alisa and Alec! Congratulations again! Love you both.