Our anniversary was last week and I've been reminiscing about our wedding. We wanted to keep it relaxed and fun and within our budget, but mostly to keep it focused on the important things (family and you know, being each other's one and only). Receptions are so often rather stiff and well, a little boring. We wanted ours to be a celebration and fun for everyone, especially the kids; Clayton has about a million and five cousins. So, we threw all expectations out the window and decided to forgo the traditional reception altogether and throw a wedding carnival instead!
Nearly everything was made by Clay and I or some willing family members. Clayton's little brother Henry manned the slushy machine and his little sister Abby was in charge of the fishing hole.
Another brother kept the strings full of doughnuts for the doughnut-on-a-string booth and everyone participated in the talent show.
One of my absolute favorite things was this great cutout that Clay painted (above). We had it set up by the door where Clay's sister (there are eight kids, in case you were wondering) took pictures of everyone when they arrived.
We presented all the helpers with some sort of hat or accessory; Abby at the fishing hole had a shark hat, Molly the photographer wore a black top hat, Clayton wore a gold Caesar crown and I got to wear a sequin tiara and wings!
I'm so glad we decided to break the mold and do something a little different. It ended up being such a blast and it set a pattern for how we approach things now. I love that I'm married to someone who paints cowboy cutouts, accompanies his 8-yr old sister on the trumpet while she sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow, is a donut-on-a-string-eating champ, and who thinks wings are the perfect accessory for a wedding celebration.
