Ann accompanied the
couple to the florist where Elena decided on sunflowers for the decoration
because they were the first flowers she ever received from her fiancé. From the
local caterer they ordered the rehearsal dinner and the wedding dinner, all
other food was provided by the hosts. The guests took turns in putting the food
out and cleaning up afterwards. Ann managed to utilize the estate to its
fullest, including the three decks that opened to the waterfront with its dock.
One Thursday late in June: The guests arrived
throughout the day. They had plenty of time to settle into their rooms and to
acquaint themselves with the surroundings. Family and friends got to know each
other over a barbecue at the beach. The evening ended with singing accompanied
by a guest who played guitar.
Friday: The morning's activity was assembling the
decorations. One group wrote out place cards; another group decorated the dance
floor inside with hundreds of candles and dried flowers, and others labeled the
champagne bottles, a wedding gift from a winery owner friend.
A Local Tahoe chef from Boston suggested a clam bake
for the rehearsal dinner given the setting - it was the perfect prelude to their
East/West coast feel wedding.
Saturday: On the morning of the wedding, MATT and
his friends headed to the golf course while the "girls" got ready for the
evening festivities. The ceremony took place on the lawn facing the lake. With
the help of walkie-talkies, the groom and his best men arrived in a friend's
speedboat, right on time. A bagpiper began to play as both men stepped onto the
dock. Shortly thereafter, flower girls, ringbearers and bridesmaids, followed by
Elena with her father descended the deck stairs and walked to the ceremony site.
One of the decks had already been set up for the
cocktails following the ceremony, while the other two were ready for dinner.
There were toasts and speeches by family and friends, and the bride's
sister-in-law performed a song she wrote herself for this festive occasion.
Later that evening guests enjoyed themselves by dancing, relaxing, or having a
smoke at the cigar bar on the beach.
Sunday: Time to say goodbye to family and friends,
to the blue lake, and to the Fairwind Estate. Yet the memories of sharing the
best times of their lives with the ones they love would stay with them forever.
