Kaysen & Ellen Get Hitched

(February 25th, 2023)

It's fun to be part of a momentous event in someone's life. So it was really neat to attend the wedding of our nephew Kaysen. Most of us met Ellen at Christmas time, but she fits right into the family already. I think they are a great fit together.

We drove down after school on a Friday and stayed at an Air BnB so we'd be ready the next day. Granny V stayed there with us, and I think Kolby also was going to stay, but he never quite made it. (Don't worry, he was there for the wedding and all the important stuff.) We all settled in and Tyler and I noticed an LED light strip around the master bedroom. We turned it on and it was on sound activated. So we brought the kids in one at a time making them be quiet and then we had them say their name loudly. It was great to see the different reactions. Here is Daisy's.

Saturday morning, we had a light breakfast at the house. The kids played some games while I showered and got ready.

Then Beau wanted to get a canvas. She planned to work on a painting for the newly weds, but she forgot her canvases at home. No worries, there was a Michael's not far away. We took a quick drive over, but it ended up being an adventure. First, the parking lot was right next to Snake River Canyon. It was awesome to see the huge bridge.

Then, a statue down below tempted us to get a closer look.

But while we were looking at that, we noticed another thing. There was a groundhog just chilling on the rocks. He was a cute little guy and we named him Chuck. What is the difference between a groundhog and a woodchuck? (I'm too lazy to go look it up right now.)

Then we took some pictures. Beau previously sent me a reel with a girl making fun of "mom" poses. I'm sure I don't do those normally, but we took some with Chuck in the background.

In the end, our mission was accomplished and we got back home with a canvas, but I was not expecting all the extra excitement.

We all got ready and then headed over to the temple. Kaysen and Ellen were married in the Twin Falls temple. Their colors were indigo and brown with wood accents. Meaning, the guys were wearing wood ties and the girls were wearing wood earrings. You can see Kolby's here. I saw these brothers together in the waiting room, so I had to snap a photo. It's really cool. I'm never going to have these types of moments with my siblings. 

Our girls had to stay downstairs, but they used the time to get a better view of the temple. It was lovely and sunny, but a bit chilly too. 

Eventually, everyone came out of the temple followed by the newly married Kaysen and Ellen! Gosh, they are so happy and cute.

They did get group pictures of all of us, but I probably won't see those for a while. But here is one of our family.

It doesn't seem like a real event unless you get the Cazier men doing the muscle shot. It is fun to have Jack in there. Some day, we'll add LeGrand. 

Ellen's flowers were SO cool. I've never seen anything like them. They were made out of soft, dyed leather. They looked so real, but they will last forever. What a fantastic idea! Also, her dress was made by her mother. Fun story that. Ellen, and her twin brother Eric, were adopted. Ellen's dad went over to China to pick them up. While he was there, he also bought ten yards of white silk for her wedding dress. (Talk about advanced preparation.) He was worried about the silk being stolen, so he kept it on his person, along with two babies. He must have been a sight to see boarding the plane. But it all worked out. Ellen's dress was gorgeous. And I loved the bright blue sashes that they gave to everyone in the wedding party.

After pictures, we went over to the luncheon. It was in a cute boutique building. We grabbed a picture outside.

You know how there are often little party favors or something you can take with you? Well, I love the one Ellen and Kaysen chose. They had these unique pencils with their names and their eternal family start date. What a cute idea.

Ellen's dress also had a beautiful silk Kimono with the cobalt trim. She looked stunning.

It was so fun to be there celebrating with them.

There was a brief break before the reception in the evening. We didn't stay long there. We didn't even get a picture of Kaysen and Ellen...sorry. There were scraps of the blue sashes on the table. Ivory found they frayed easily and she took one apart methodically. Um...nice work?

Everyone else left that evening. Granny V took off, no Kolby, so we had the house to ourselves. That is fine. Pearl was cold, so I took her in to spoon with me to share body heat. She was so funny that it got us giggling. And with the sound activated lights, it was like a strobe effect. I didn't even realize Tyler caught it on video. 

It was such a wonderful weekend and I'm so glad we got to be a part of Kaysen and Ellen's wedding day. I think they will make each other very happy. And I can't wait to see their cute kiddos!