Preparations and rehearsal

Things really got moving on the seventeenth, the day before the wedding!  We'd picked up the wedding cake (cakes) and headed back toTony's grandparents house where all hands had been called on deck to help out.  Women were down in the basement figuring out what to do with the flowers that had been delivered the day before, men were outside setting up tables and chairs and lights around the wedding tent.

So...  All these nice flowers.  Now who is going to arrange them into table decorations?  Not I!  Tony's mother led the honors.  Notice my brother smiling there.  He rarely smiles but I got quite a few pictures of him grinning this trip.  See!  He DID have a good time!

And these were the party favors that Tetsu and I had brought from Japan.  The wooden sake masu were set out and some small cherry blossom candies were added with origami cranes settled on top.

 My brother and Justin and Colin helped put up fairy lights around the tent.

For all his grumpiness my brother is so extremely helpful.  He was everywhere this day climbing ladders, carrying heavy tables.  I think Tony's family loved him because he never sat still and could always be found doing something handy.

Good gosh!  He even got to washing windows!  Way to go Keion!

Leiya called a meeting to give everyone instructions on what all had to be done this day and the next.  A real organizer she's become!

I wonder what I found so funny.

The tent was ready with a small dance floor inside and a siding of windows in case we had wind or rain.

 Takumi and Julieta arrived from California just in time for the rehearsal walk.

 They were pretty tired but they took a stroll around the grounds.

I guess Kiana and Marcy came on our stroll too.

Now that all of us from California and Japan had arrived, Tony's mother gave us all bags of Michigan goodies to enjoy.  I didn't know Kellogs was from Michigan!

And then rehearsal began. The bridal party paired off and walked from the house to the tent.  (Still planning for rain.)

 And here come Tetsu and Leiya.  It was actually at this point that I teared up when I realized the "wedding march" music that Leiya had chosen was an instrumental version of "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman.  I just love that song and had played it constantly as I watched over my mother last summer during the last week of her life.

Yes, that is Pawpaw officiating.  Tony and Leiya so respect him and he daily acts as the family's spiritual mentor.  Though he is not a pastor, they asked him to lead their wedding vows.  This rehearsal was really necessary so that Pawpaw could get the phrases short enough so that Leiya could follow him when she repeated her vows.

"Wait!  Say that again!"

Okay. All seems to be ready.  The dandelions are coming in strong and beautiful.

 The flowers are ready to be put on tables or pinned to lapels.

 The paper plate settings are ready to be laid out on the tables tomorrow.

 The lanterns with fairy lights are ready to be placed near the "aisle".

 Ooh yes!  Those fairy lights are very nice when lit.

And so are the tent lights.  As it turned out though, the wedding was mostly finished the next day before it got dark enough to see much of the lights.  Good try!

The wedding dress had been safely hung and hidden from prying eyes.  Cynthia made sure that there were no trespassers to the guest bedroom, dubbed the Bridal Suite for the weekend.

 Time finally to relax!

 Colin kept Jameer, Tony's nephew entertained.

 We are counting down the hours now!