Chad and Aubrey

We had a marathon of life changing events for my brother Chad, but the highlight was seeing him marry his sweet Aubrey in the Washington D.C. temple. Our whole family met her for the first the week they got married. I had talked with her on the phone quite a bit before and we text from time to time. It was a treat to meet and hug my new sister in person. I have always looked forward to the day that I got to meet Chad's wife, I knew she would be something special.

The night before the wedding all of the families stayed in the same hotel. We had a family dinner at a restaurant within walking distance and then a few of us hit the hot tub later that evening.

Chad has had a few girlfriends, but I had never met any of them. They were all back east. So, this is actually the first girl I've ever seen him with. I thought it might be kind of weird to see him all lovey with a girl, but surprisingly it wasn't at all. They seemed "meant to be." 

The server tried his best, but it was a little blurry. For the record, everyone was there.

The next morning we went to the temple for the sealing.

This sealing was very special because it was my last sibling to be married, so my side of the family is now complete and we were all together in the temple.

I made the kids matching accessories. Then about a couple days before we left, Dave bought the boys new white dress shirts that came with a tie the perfect color for the wedding. The only fabric I could find in the right color was kind of girly. So, I gave the boys a choice between the masculine store bought ties or my ties, that matched their little sister. Well, they choose my ties. They wanted to match Emmi more than they cared about the fabric (that made me happy).

That Emmi girl just has the sweetest face and cheeks. It was cute to watch Chad's school buddies ooh and aah over her. Her new buddy Mike held her quite a few times. 

I almost think this picture could be in black and white. Chad in his uniform and Aubrey's beautiful gown with a lace veil. Just beautiful. I love this moment, when the bride and groom emerge from the temple. Everyone is cheering and celebrating the excitement of this special event.

I like this picture of Aubrey. She is beaming.

These are all Dave's snapshots. He did such a nice job getting pictures. 

These are Aubrey's parents Cindy and Jeff Hughes. I can't say enough nice things about them and their family. They are so kind and welcoming. We felt at home with them from the moment we met them. You wouldn't know it, but Jeff is currently battling stage 3 lung cancer. Before the wedding he finished his last round of radiation and the Monday after the wedding, he had his last chemotherapy treatment. They have faith in the many blessing he has been given that he will be healed. We pray for them often.

(There are pictures of my parents with Chad and Aubrey, but they're not flattering to everyone in the picture. So I promised not to post. I will put one up from the photographer.)

Here are the groomsmen and bridesmaids. 

Chris on Chad's left is Aubrey's brother. He was responsible for setting them up. 

The Washington D.C. temple is the largest in the church. It had 16 sealing rooms and 7 floors. If you want to learn more about what happens in the temple you can click here

The photographer was taking pictures of Aubrey with her sisters when I heard Aubrey shout out, "Okay, now Surganovich sisters!" It was very thoughtful for her to think to include us.

We took a picture with all our spouse/siblings, but then took one of just us. Maybe I'll have to get a picture of us when we were younger to put next to it. 

The guys decided to pick Chad up and without any planning, Aubrey ran in to steal a kiss. Pretty cute. 

They wanted a picture with the kids. Emmi was very content in Chad's hands. The boys are looking forward to some future horseback rides with their new aunt. She is an equestrian.

 

This was their first dance together at the reception. They wanted to make an entrance so they came right as the party started and hit the dance floor. 

The cake didn't turn out according to plan, but ended up looking good enough. I'd say it was the only hitch in the whole week and the Hughes didn't let it get them down! 

After planning and helping at weddings, I've become a "how to cut the cake explainer." Then usually followed by the cake cutter. Dave caught me doing the explaining part.

Out of all the weddings I've done, this is the first where the bride and groom cut the cake with a saber (a sword that is part of Chad's uniform)! Way better than a cake serving set. 

 

I had no doubts that Chad would be kind to his bride. 

(I'm old school, I prefer no cake smashing)

I think this is cute of my mom playing with Emmi. 

I liked this picture of Aubrey and her dad having fun dancing. Jeff had some moves on the dance floor!

There's no picture of the two riding into the sunset because they were doing laundry! Isn't that hilarious. Right before the reception was over Aubrey said, "We'll be right back. We need to do some laundry and pack for the honeymoon." They snuck back out and hugged the last of the guests, then packed. 

I guess instead here's our picture at the temple. It was a beautiful day and just thinking about Aubrey and Chad together puts a smile on my face. I can't wait to spend more time with them.