Saturday, July 11, 2009

2009 Erich & Vivian Wedding (07/11/09)

Thursday, July 9th:
Tamiko left first, flying to Durham, NC. Brynne finished her two-month internship with the Piedmont Wildlife Center at the wildlife rehabilitation clinic, and was waiting at the Raleigh-Durham airport. Tamiko & Brynne started driving towards Rhode Island.
Kent flew directly to Rhode Island. He spent the evening "baching it" (bachelor party for Erich) with Kyle and Erich, and other members of the extended family which included several McCoys, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. The Triple A Buffalo Bisons beat the home team Paw Sox.
Deciding not to stay in a hotel, Tamiko & Brynne continued driving and arrived at the Johnson & Wales Inn at 2:00 AM. They called Kent's cell phone and listened at doors for the ring tone, to find their room!

Continuing on Friday, July 10th:
Kent didn't awaken to the cell phone, but was up to wait for his ride to play golf with the boys (more bachelor partying?). He was still waiting for his ride when Tamiko & Brynne went to breakfast, and still waiting when they went off on errands.
What errands? Okay, they went to see if they could get tires from BJ's.
They had lunch at a "landmark" diner in Rumford, which they had never been to before, as it used to be a Chinese restaurant when they lived in town. The China Star or the "China dinah" was in business from 1964 to 2000. When established in 1951, it was Keenan's Diner. As the Star Diner, it has been open only since February 2009, but it has starred in a couple film projects, including Showtime's "Brotherhood".
Kent had a memorable golf outing at Touisset CC.
All the guests received a lovely hospitality bag with information about local activities, and chocolate chip cookies! Some people were very busy this last week preparing for the wedding!
The Rehearsal Dinner was held at Mary Jane's and Barney's place in Tiverton. What a view from their back yard, especially at sunset!
Sunset
Clam chowder, steamed clams (quahogs?) and mussels, grilled chicken and steaks, several salads and corn on the cob, and brownies. A regional feast for a huge gathering of family and friends, many meeting for the first time.

Saturday, July 11th:
Tamiko took Brynne to The Stone House to have her hair done, but a) they were early and b) they couldn't find The Stone House. Stopped at Tiverton's Five Corners to scout out The Meeting Place, site of the wedding, where they spotted a bullfrog (and heard many more). The frogs were enjoying RI's rainy weather, but today promised to be sunny and clear.
Frog
Also wandered through Gallery 4 that was featuring paintings by Thai elephants; they've been trained to paint certain strokes to approximate certain subjects.
Elephant painting
Didn't drive far enough the first time, but this time found the newly renovated hotel almost at Sakonnet Point in Little Compton.
The Stone House
They met the hairdresser, but no one else was there. Couldn't get into the room without the "Guest", which was Vivian! Once we did get in, ooh la la!
Denise, Vivian, (Nicole), Hairdresser in guest room
Guest room fireplace
Tamiko left Brynne, not to be seen again until the wedding, and saw a guy in a suit chase gulls from a picnic set up on the lawn for human guests.
Gulls chased from lawn picnic
Too late to join Kent, Mike and Ryan for lunch, Tamiko grabbed a sandwich at the Provender at Tiverton Five Corners. Saw Johanna and Howard, Cristian and Nicky (from Iowa and Johanna is Vivian's godmother) at Gray's Ice Cream. We were doing the RI thing! (Howard has pictures from the Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding.
Having been warned not to be late, the S clan gave themselves plenty of time to get to The Meeting House, so of course, there was an accident on Route 195 that slowed traffic to a standstill. We saw flashing red lights ahead, but by the time we passed the area, nothing was left. A nightmare? But most importantly, we arrived before the bride!
Entrance to The Meeting House grounds
The Meeting House before being decorated
The Wedding Program/Fan/Mini-pouch of Lavender Buds to be thrown at the new couple for good luck, fertility, and abundance, and it's eco-friendly besides!
Wedding Program fan
Barney provided the wedding music, and his band played at the reception.
Barney waits for the bride to arrive
Here comes Evie dropping flower petals, Brynne, and Dylan. Evie's parents (Vivian's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Kelly, accompanied the two-year olds. Vivian was given away by her other brother, Colin.
Evie, Brynne, Dylan
Vivian wore a gorgeous gown with a bead-encrusted bodice and a flowing pleated skirt over the satin skirt. Erich wore a linen suit with white shirt and a lime-green patterned tie.
Vivian, Erich, Kyle, Ben
The other fellows in the wedding party went tie-less. Kyle was best man and Ben was the usher. Denise, maid of honor, and Brynne, bridesmaid, wore a classic navy shift with straps.
Brynne, (Denise), Colin, Vivian, Erich, Ben, Peter (Photo by Ada)
Vivian, Erich, Dylan, Peter (Photo by Ada)
Brynne's 'do
Brynne, Vivian, Denise
Dylan, Evie
Ben, Erich, Kyle
Dylan, Evie
The Wedding Party
Most of the S Clan: Mike, Tamiko, Kent, Kyle, Erich, Ada, Bert, Ryan
The S Boys
Vivian and Erich with Grandma & Grandpa
Dylan with his Uncle Kyle (Photo by Ada)
Mike and fresh flower centerpieces,
from Mary Jane's garden
The reception dinner was fantastic. There were three stations although most people lined up at the salad station first. Next was a pasta station with three choices, and finally the entrees with grilled vegetables, meat and fish. Something for everyone.
Kyle presents his toast
Denise makes a speech
Another Mr & Mrs Stumpe
First dance
Family dance: Mary Jane with Dylan,
Vivian, Erich, (Denise) (Photo by Ada)
The Wedding Cake(s)
The cake topper with sugar flowers
Cupcake flower
Another cupcake flower
Ryan enjoys his flowered cupcake (they came in flavors of chocolate, strawberry and almond!).
Ryan
The youngest and the oldest had early bedtimes, so the S clan left as the sun went down.
We were very impressed with the whole wedding event, and thank all those who worked so hard to make it special. We have already welcomed Vivian into our family, but of course, we are happy that it is now official!

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