The ceremony was lovely--a Catholic ceremony, but without Communion.
The wedding as a whole was very simple. The bride's dress was a straight strapless gown, with a horizontal lace pattern overlay, similar to the one shown at the right. The bridesmaids wore knee-length black dresses and carried bouquets of lilies; the bride's bouquet contained lilies and roses. Aside from the black and white motif, there were little accents of aqua throughout the ceremony and reception--the groom and groomsmen wore aqua ties, for example, and the favors were tied with aqua ribbon. Very simple and classy.The reception was held at a Holiday Inn in Omaha, which was very convenient for the guests--we all just stayed there for the weekend. However, I can't say I recommend the Holiday Inn, for several mishaps occurred that probably should not have. First, one of our friend's reservations for Friday night was canceled! Apparently they had overbooked. Fortunately, they gave her Saturday night for free, and the rest of us shifted around our sleeping arrangements so she had somewhere to stay Friday night. But the worst part was that in the middle of the reception, the dance floor broke apart! They had to call in some "technicians" who stomped the floor back into place, but then it happened again!
Nonetheless, everyone had a great time. We learned how to do the Lebanese Line Dance and sang along to "Jesse's Girl" and "Stacey's Mom" (the bride and groom were named Jesse and Stacey). Jesse did a great job of making time to talk to us during the reception, which we really appreciated. Something interesting that I thought was a good idea--they put white Christmas lights in layers underneath the tablecloth at the head table, so the head table "sparkled" a little bit.
All in all, it was a great wedding, and I was so glad that Derek and I were able to be there for someone who has always been a great friend.
