Someone Else's Family Portrait

Here we all are at Matt's brother Chris's wedding last week. Click to embiggen. That's Robin, the bride, looking gorgeous in the center there. When she walked down the aisle, I thought, "Regal." This is the entire family on Matt's mother's side: Matt's mom, her two brothers and their wives, children, and grandchildren. The only person missing is Matt's granddad, who is 93 and eagerly awaiting a copy of this picture.

I am amazed that the photographer got us all looking more or less in the right direction at the same time. (And that she got us to put down our wine.) Those of us near the ends got a little fish-eyed by the lens, but not too bad. One of our friends saw this on flickr, and said, "If this were Project Runway, Laura's designer would win." I laughed. She does stand out, doesn't she? Hank and Rosalind (the little girl in red, sleeping) both conked out during the ceremony. Hank moved over to my lap during the vows and fell asleep in my arms, totally missing the kiss, and my favorite part, Chris's sweet promises to Robin's little girls. It didn't even wake him up when tears spurted out of my eyes. Remember how Olive Oyl cries in Popeye? I looked like that. Then, it was crazy how neither of those three year-olds could be awakened. They were like floppy newborns. Hank just barely opened his eyes for this shot.

When I saw this picture, I thought about how every time someone shows me a big group portrait, it seems like it comes with a story of what everyone was doing right before the picture was taken and the exact state everyone was in--drunk, teary, ecstatic, dress hem held up with tape, whatever. I like hearing that stuff.

Here's the happy mother-of-the-groom and the boys.

Those ties (and Robin's dress) are J. Crew. Love 'em. Hurray for weddings, group pictures, and men in matching neckties!