The Stumbaugh-Anderson Wedding, 6/4/10

Pete and Kelsey’s Wedding day was simple and spectacular!




We arrived at the Beecher Hill House around 11:30 and were happily greeted by Kelsey’s dad, Adrian. I thought it was such a nice gesture that he welcomed everyone and took the time to say hello and shake hands. It was a beautiful touch that added to the charm of the day. Since the ceremony began close to noon, it was nice to say hi’s and hello’s to many other wedding attendees, most of whom travelled from areas of Washington just this morning.



I was particularly excited to see my partner in crime, Dennis, who was more fashionable than anyone else there and oh so pretty in pink! For those who don’t know Dennis, he is Tom’s cousin’s partner. (did you catch all that?) He sported orange hair at our wedding a suit and tie combo so bright that (per him), he could have been a bridesmaid! Shortly after meeting him for the first time at our wedding, our amazing photographer, Amy, stood on a picnic table to get a family photo of everyone from Matt and my families and made the comment that everyone needed to “get straight”, Dennis said “easy for you to say!” and he’s been one of my favorite people ever since. Certainly, his cosmopolitan making skills help too, although we were cosmo-less at the wedding today. Dennis and I giggled like silly girls for most of the day. He and I are likely some of the louder and outspoken people in the Anderson clan, but when we’re faced with new people, we attempt, keyword attempt, to behave ourselves. Happily together, we only did minor damage like giggling during the ceremony….

The ceremony was gorgeous and the weather had actually been quite nice. The rain had been sprinkling for some of the morning and while we were outside, the venue had provided us with parasols that Dennis and I got quite the kick out of, particularly when he tried to close his and broke it instead. We held hands to keep from giggling. I had told him that since Matt, the best best man ever, had the ring for Kelsey to wear, we were hoping he’d play the “oops I forgot the ring” game. When he sweetly handed the ring to Pete with no major drama, Dennis and I said “damn!” and Martha turned around and looked at us like we were grounded for a week with no dessert. Again, we held hands really tightly so we wouldn’t giggle more.

Peter and Kelsey’s pastor, Eric did an amazing job with the ceremony, really catering it to the two of them and using his personal experiences with them both to personalize it for them. He used beautiful bits of scripture, all of which were perfectly timed and appropriately themed for Pete and Kelsey. I really liked the way the bride and groom honored their parents during the ceremony and surprised the moms with lockets with their kid's (and their spouses') pictures inside. They were so touched by the gesture and they turned out beautifully.  Before we knew it, Peter and Kelsey exchanged vows and rings and were man and wife! Kelsey beamed with pride, joy, and elation through the entire ceremony, even doing her signature giggle when asked if she took Peter as her husband.

After the ceremony, the couple informally had a receiving line and got many encouraging words and hugs. We took lots of pictures and spent time mingling with some familiar and some new faces before lunch commenced.

Beecher Hill did a great job arranging dining areas to accommodate everyone. The tables were decorated simplistically but in a lovely manner, reflecting Kelsey’s accented color, red, and various flowers and attractive white china and white linens. Lunch was spectacular and seemed more like dinner portions to me. We started with garlic bread and a mixed green salad with grapes and sesame dressing, followed by a plated meal of citrus salmon, lemon chicken, roasted green beans and carrots, potatoes and artichokes. De-lish! We also enjoyed a fantastic sparkling wine for toast time.

Matt’s certainly one of my favorite speakers ever, and although he doesn’t like “public speaking”, you’d   never know it by hearing him, he’s a natural and speaks with such poise. Today was no different. He added his own Mattyisms, making sure people knew that he’s Pete’s brother, and “this is my toast” (as if it’d be anything else), followed by asking guests that if he bores anyone to sleep, that they kindly catch their seat buddy before their head crashes on the table. He went on to talk about how it was growing up with Pete, mentioning that Pete never did anything halfway and that Matt was sure that Pete would put all of his heart and mind into his marriage to Kelsey as he used to do with learning calculus, learning languages, and converting their backyard into an 18 hole golf course. Matt also spoke of the love he saw in Kelsey’s eyes for Pete and I think everyone in the room knew exactly what he was talking about. She radiates when around Pete. My favorite part of the speech, particularly when I heard Matt’s voice catch and could hear him getting choked up, was when he spoke of the days that Pete and him would be weight lifting buddies and be each other’s spotter. He mentioned how nice it was to have someone to take the load for you when it gets too heavy and he was glad that Pete and found Kelsey to be his spotter for life. Ah, brotherly love.

After toasts we meandered outside to cut and eat cake, which was spectacular! I made sure to tell Pete to not do what Matt did at our wedding and only eat the bite given for the first bite photo. He was sure he got an actual slice of cake.

I enjoyed seeing some very traditional things at the wedding as well as some new traditions. Kelsey’s wedding dress was her mom’s dress but refurbished to be more modern and more Kelsey. It suited her well and was lovely and figure flattering with some red lacy accents in the front of it. Also fun were Kelsey’s red 3 inch heels that she wore around seemingly effortlessly, and Kelsey’s mom blue painted toe nails, way fun! The cake topper was on the cake of Martha and Tom. It was neat to see them use it and I’m sure it made Martha very happy. She tried to get me to use it on our cake but I wouldn’t budge on the bride and groom with guns. (It rocked and I use it as a ring holder when I go to the gym). It was different to be at a wedding with no first dance or dancing at all but it suited them well. The day was perfect for them, sweet and simple and very personalized.

After most of the guests had taken off, we saw Kelsey and Peter off. Tonight they will stay in Wenatchee before heading to their honeymoon in Chicago. I hope they truly enjoy this time together. After such an interesting start to their relationship, meeting online on eharmony.com, emailing, speaking on the phone, and travelling to see each other, it’ll be so fun for them to save time, money, and airline miles since they’ll always be together. I really admire their strength and commitment to each other and their values. I don’t know that I’d be able to withstand such a long distance relationship; they’re pretty amazing to have done it and now get the joy of being married to each other’s best friend. It rocks.

After we said goodbyes to our kind hosts and various family members, Matt and I travelled back to Leavenworth to hit some of our favorite shops, the Cheese monger, Cured, and the Danish Bakery, which was out of kringle and devastated me. We also stopped by Icicle River to see some rapids and take a few pictures before heading home. All in all, our trip was great and it was so much fun to be part of such an intimate wedding day.

To the new and improved Andersons, welcome to married life! It’s the best adventure. Love each other always, communicate, laugh, and never go to bed angry….and remember that dishes go in the dishwasher. Cheers!