Hometown Reception - The Final Chapter of our Wedding Saga

Our hometown reception was the last piece of our wedding puzzle.  Because the week at sea just wasn't feasible for many of our friends and family - whether it be money, timing, time off, health, etc, it just wasn't possible for everyone to make it.  It was important to us to include everyone that wanted to be included in the celebration.  So, to remedy the bittersweet situation,  we had a second reception, this time a more traditional party, at a local venue. 

We decided to have the reception on January, 1.  I've always wanted to get married on New Years Eve or New Years Day.  I don't know why - I just always loved the holiday and loved that it was so easily a romantic celebration.  I'd expected that with the date (1-1-11) being so unusual, it might end up being difficult to find a venue, DJ, etc.  To our surprise, everything was open. 

When we looked for the venue - the Pantall Hotel Rooftop was an easy choice.  We'd heard that they recently remodeled and even more exciting, Kory's cousin's family had just purchased the building!  For the other details, Kory's mama seemed to have the solution for every need or knew where to direct us.

 It was kinda cool getting to feel like a traditional bride - by getting to select the design of a wedding cake, decorate a venue, pick foods, etc.  On the other hand, the point of a destination wedding is to eliminate the stress around all of these details.  Either way, I'm glad we were able to have our dream wedding and get to celebrate with everyone - not just those that could make it on the cruise.

The Decorations/Venue 
and the decorators...

The Cake
by Judy Huey at Sweet Creations in Reynoldsville, PA

The Food
by our fabulous families...

 Kory's mom did a magnificent job... not only was her food beautiful it tasted incredible!   Unfortunately we didn't get many pictures! : /

Guests
photos by Jazzie... those willing had their photo snapped as soon as they stepped off the elevator.
(Click on the photo to see an expanded version.)

Entertainment
For our entertainment we chose to have a DJ who played a huge variety of music.
My talented little brother put together a brief snapshot of our wedding and trip to Mexico.  Our goal was to make our guests feel at least a little bit like they were a part of the actual day...

click here for Mikey's VIDEO

I have to admit, my favorite part of the night was my little sister / maid of honor's "rap."  She put together the cutest poem about Kory and I that she rapped at the reception... I'm trying to get my hands on it.  As soon as I do, I will share.  It was so sweet... and amazingly creative!

Favors
Postcards to our guests and bags to fill full of goodies from the candy buffet...

 

Kory's mom helped us get our hands on some great candy.  The rest was made with love by Jazzie, Mikey, and Kory... I tried to help, but we soon learned that I was more of a hindrance than help so I played the role of photojournalist and director instead. :)  

Jazzie making her mouth watering "Carrot Cake Pops"  ... after she made hundreds of her delectable "Peanut Butter Bang Bangs"... yes, she named them too! :)  

Mikey and Kory did an amazing job bringing my idea of "Sea Glass Hard Tack" to life... 

Not only was it beautiful, it tasted divine! 

We cannot thank our families enough for the time, money, energy, and love that they put into making our reception a great experience! We are blessed beyond words to be surrounded by such a supportive loving group of people!