A Fall Texas Wedding

Mathis and I flew into Houston Thursday afternoon for Ben and Chelsea's wedding weekend.  That night we got to spend time with his cousin, Cliff, and our friend, Jared.  The next day we got to sleep in before starting the wedding festivities!  I headed off to the bridal luncheon where I got to see my two younger sisters-in-law, Hope and Hannah.

They are such beautiful girls -- and it was Hope's birthday on Friday! :)

That afternoon Mathis and I got to spend some great time with our newest "nephew" Jake.  Mathis' cousins Chase and Erin are such proud parents, and we were soooo excited to get to hold baby Jake.

We headed off to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that evening.  They served fajitas at the dinner, and I couldn't have been happier to begin my fill of Tex-Mex food for the weekend.  It was fun watching the wedding party rehearse (Mathis was a groomsman) and then seeing everyone at the dinner.  We watched the Rangers loose that night, which was definitely disappointing!

We got to the church bright and early the next morning.  The wedding started at noon, and we were there in plenty of time so that the guys could all hang out -- I helped pass out the boutonnieres, and I got to spend some time again with Hope and Hannah (who were greeters for the wedding).

The ceremony was short and sweet.  Chelsea's dad gave a beautiful blessing when giving her away to Ben, and I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the entire church.

We headed over to the country club for a dessert reception with dancing.  It was fun watching Chelsea and Ben have their first dance, and cut their cakes!  Although we wished the Rangers had won the World Series, Ben is still a fan regardless...

I know it's not the best photo, but here's one of Ben and Chelsea cutting the groom's cake.  They have been dating for the past five years, and this wedding was highly anticipated from their family and friends!  I absolutely love weddings where the couple has known each other for awhile... there is such a level of comfort and closeness between the families and the couple themselves.  It definitely feels like you're watching two best friends get married.

The rest of the weekend was spent with family.  We managed to sneak in some breakfast tacos a couple of mornings, and on Sunday night we indulged in some Texas BBQ.  I love Texas food!  It was certainly warmer in Houston, but the weather was overall really beautiful.  I'm was surprised by how flat and green everything was -- it's not that I expect Texas to change, I've just become so accustomed to the mountains and colorful leaves here in Virginia.  I'm so grateful for such a great, large family and we certainly wish we could see each other more often.