When I was growing up, my little sister used to drive me nuts. Anything I liked or wanted to do, she did too. She was a shadow. So naturally, I would complain to our parents, or we would fight, but it would continue. It took going to college and getting some distance for me to turn around and see how flattering her affection was, how cool of a kid she was. How silly, how loving, how absolutely awesome she was. And still is.
As we've gotten older, Katie has become one of my best friends. If I'm having a bad day or need to vent or cry, I call Katie. If I have news I want to share, or brag and laugh about my kids, or I need someone to proofread my blog posts, I call Katie. I couldn't ask for a better sister.
So I've always had high expectations for the man who would win her affection. My family's a tough crowd; we expect a lot from anyone who would want to join us. You've got to be good enough to earn my Katie. And Daniel is. From the first time I met him, I knew this was different. Katie talked a little more loudly, laughed a little longer, smiled incessantly and never left his side. This felt right. So it was no surprise, really, when Daniel called my Mom and asked for my sister's hand in marriage. What WAS a surprise was that they planned to wed only two months later, on a beach in California with very few in witness.
The wedding could not have been more special and perfect. Katie wore our mother's wedding gown and our grandmother's antique sapphire bracelet. She did her own hair and her dear friend made her bouquet, with an extra touch of my father's handkerchief wrapped around it (as a surprise brought by my mother). The day dawned with an unexpected overnight shower, but almost immediately the sun shone and the rest of the day, from the first look in a redwood grove, to everyone walking barefoot to the ceremony on Pfeiffer Beach to Obvs by Jamie xx (excellent choice, find it here), to our lunch at Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn, was... magic.
Please indulge this big sister as I overshare my sister's intimate wedding day.
