Mom and Dad walked Andrew down the aisle, with Juliana and her parents to follow. She looked amazing in her crisp and simple dress, topped with a vintage birdcage headpiece, completely matching the look and vibe of the whole setup.
Taylor began the ceremony, flawlessly introducing each section, each couple that was asked to read a special excerpt, and the reading of the vows. As the Lord of the Rings, I had a line as well , presenting them the rings that were kept in a little box Dad had made for them.
After all was said and done, the Bride and Groom kissed and were presented to the crowd as Mr. and Mrs. Hunt and Daily!
They retreated to the Green Room for a few private moments while everyone else picked up a chair or two and headed into the hangar for cocktails, the first dance, and a rousing set of live music.
It was quite fun seeing friends and family, meeting new people, and making the rounds in between waiting in line for drinks. Both sides of girl cousins took chick pics, with the Hunts clearly getting the floral memo beforehand.
The space turned out to be the perfect size, with standing room outside under the lights and a whole runway to go for a short walk or take pictures by the fields.
Everyone seemed to be greatly enjoying themselves. I quite enjoyed seeing what everyone decided to wear; it would have been cool to have a Sartorialist-like photo spot for wedding style shots.
Once everyone had eaten their fill and were settled at the tables, it was speech time. One of Juliana's college friends started things off with a pre-written ode to their friendship. I was next, following a few notes I had made earlier in the day. I shared a few old stories; the Star Wars Museum we set up in our living room, driving away while Andrew had one foot in the car and the other on the ground on the way to Florida, and Andrew and I dressing up to meet Sean Bean at Comic Con earlier this year. Then I shared a few Juliana memories; how she joined right in our grand sandcastle tradition at the beach, and the lovely wedding shower a few months earlier. I finished it out with a few final thoughts, and a well-wishing toast to the newlyweds.
Next up on the speech docket was Taylor, who stole the show with spontaneous stories, a comparison to a sea animal that lives forever, and how amazing it is that Andrew and Juliana found each other and decided to make this commitment because unlike that fish, we don't live forever. It was an uplifting, funny, and moving speech, just as a wedding toast should be.
Dad was next, with Mom getting up to join him, and then Juliana's Dad closed out the speeches and rang in the dancing. Even Grandma joined in the opening number!
The party continued with more dancing and carousing. I caught up with the Stauffer cousins who live all around the country now and I don't see that often, I danced with the Hunt cousins (Tom even led a conga line to Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid!), and I talked with a lot of Andrew's old high school friends (who I've known forever by association) and newer Nashville friends (many of whom I knew when I was living there).
All in all it was a grand party and everyone had a fabulous time. After everyone left, a small group stayed to help gather trash and clean up a bit so it wasn't all left to do the next day. Taylor and I stopped by our Air Bnb before heading over to hang out with the old Kirkwood crew. We played a trivia guessing game with topics like Seinfeld, 90's bands, Star Wars, and Game of Thrones - a fun and educational way to end the night.
The next morning we met for brunch before packing up the Air Bnb and making one last trip out to the airpark to clean up. Looked pretty different without all the lights and finery! Once everything was cleaned up and gathered to be transported out, we hit the road back home. What a fun and memorable weekend. Here's to a lifetime of fun, love, and happiness to the newlywed couple!!
(photos by e.hunt, r.hunt, and Andrea Behrends)
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