Brides and Grooms and Family and Cake.

This weekend I flew to Florida to host my sister's engagement party! A quick trip there and back, that lasted only about 30 hours from take off in Birmingham to landing in Birmingham.

We enjoyed a nice BBQ dinner with our family and my sister's fiance's family. His name is Luis (Lu, for short). Since I was planning the party from a few hundred miles away, I had to keep the decorations simple and effective, with just a few centerpieces, balloons, and a cake.

I didn't eat the cake, but I was told it was amazing

I tried to get everyone's pictures as they came in: 

My mom!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Holguin

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Brown

But that only lasted for three pictures before all of Lu's family arrived at once. And I do mean all of his family. It was too difficult to get them all to pose for a photo, so I gave up and allowed them to sit.

(Starting on the outer row of chairs) Here we have Lu's best friend Mike,

Melissa (a bridesmaid) and Steve Brown, Melissa and Lu, Mirta and Luis

(Lu's parents), and Michelle and Katelyn (Lu's sisters). In the inside rows,

we have Aldo and Ivan (Lu's identical twin brothers), and Abuela Elena.

I wasn't kidding when I alluded to the fact that they were many. 

Then I decided to make Melissa and Lu pose for a few more pictures before the rest of our side of the family arrived: 

Then our family arrived, we all ate, and I took a few group photos:

From front to back: My aunt Kim, my cousin Jason, Mommal,

Uncle Timmy and guest Tina, Anthony and Mirta (Lu's married

sister and her husband), Katelyn, Michelle, and Luis and Mirta.

And on this side, my cousin Jeff and his girlfriend of 9 years, Amanda,

Mom, the twins Ivan and Aldo, Mike, Abuela Elena, and the Browns.

Token cake-cutting photo. They better get used to this, because I'm

doing it every time they're around a cake.

My cousin Jeff and his girlfriend Amanda

Steve and Melissa Brown

Melissa and Lu open a Pyrex set!

Melissa and Lu with the proud parents. 

Melissa and Lu with their grandmothers.

I snuck in for a picture too!

Melissa and Lu with their siblings!

The wedding party: Michelle, junior bridesmaid; Melissa, bridesmaid;

me, matron of honor; Katelyn, flower girl; Melissa and Lu,

bride and groom, obviously; Aldo and Ivan,

best men. (And no, I can't tell the twins apart yet.)

Our cousins, in age order. (28, 28, 25, 20)

Melissa and Lu with their best friends.

My mom and her siblings, Kim and Timmy

Melisa and her flower girl, Katelyn

After the pictures and the party were pretty much done, I told Katelyn she could have all the flowers. She was in heaven! And then my mom gave her all the balloons and I wasn't sure she could hold in all her excitement.