Belle of the Ball

It's the morning after Ashley's wedding, and I couldn't be prouder of Frankie. She totally ROCKED IT as the flower girl. She walked down that aisle with a big smile on her face, bursting with personality. She looked beautiful, too.

I have to say, too, that the wedding was absolutely beautiful. In the middle of a wave of 95 degree days, the universe decided to grant Bas and Ashley the most perfect day for a summer wedding that I've ever seen. Blue skies, around 80 degrees, a slight breeze... Perfection!

The ceremony itself was really nice, too. Ashley's fabulous brother Mitch got ordained over the internet and performed the ceremony. The father of the bride and the father of the groom both got up and gave speeches with their wishes for the couple. It was warm, lighthearted, quirky, and personal. I loved it.

The highlight of the ceremony for me was when Bas suddenly produced a ukulele in the middle of the ceremony, and surprised Ashley with an absolutely gorgeous song that he'd written in her honor. It was adorable with a capital A. Bas has a great singing voice (fun fact: He once auditioned for the Dutch version of American Idol), and the song was so sweet and touching that I confess to shedding a few tears. I think everyone at the wedding fell in love with Bas on the spot.

And the reception? Amazing! It was held at a local B&B in Old Town called The Edwards House. I must have driven past The Edwards House hundreds of times in the past fifteen years, but I never realized how amazing it truly is. The grounds are beautiful. Long stretches of green grass, private flower-filled nooks... Private, secluded, and really lovely. We walked around the grounds and socialized all night. We knew a lot of people at the wedding, but made some new friends, too. (Which is rare for me.) Ashley and Bas even put out a dress-up photo station that Frankie had a blast with throughout the night.

And the food? Amazing! It might actually be the best wedding food I've ever tasted. Gorgeous, earthy, salty, and garlicky. I would eat that meal every day if I could.

We stayed until after ten, and Frankie was bubbly, happy, and well-behaved the whole night. She played with the other kids at the wedding pretty much the whole time. We actually barely saw her. People kept coming up to us, though, telling us how cute Frankie was. Two different people advised us to put her in drama classes, and one New Yorker asked if we'd be interested in coming to the city to audition her for commercial work. (Which would be great, if it wasn't for Frankie's inability to take direction. Maybe they'd let her *direct* the commercials?)

Flower Girl verdict: It was a great night, and Miss Frankie was a hit. I was really proud of her.