This was the setting of the wedding this morning:
Another view of the ceremony location:
If you've never been to The Dominion House, I would encourage you to go by if you're ever in the vicinity of Guthrie, Oklahoma. Its history makes it especially cool. The Dominion House was built in 1923 as a masonic children's home. The home was occupied until 1978 when it was closed due to changes in the Oklahoma foster care law. After that it remained vacant until 2000, when it was purchased and renovated. This beautiul old building has always been rumored to be haunted, and once upon a time was a place where teenagers would sneak onto the property during the many years of vacancy. But, I know NOTHING about that, nor do I know anyone that would've done such a thing... :)
Today, this is a gorgeous building surrounded by well manicured gardens and lovely architectural details. It's definitely a site to see, especially in the spring!
Here are a few pictures of the building, showing some of the surrounding landscape:
The reception was held in the ballroom immediately following the ceremony. I loved, loved, loved the reception. I really love weddings, but I especially enjoy experiencing fun and new ideas for the ceremony and reception. I have been to afternoon weddings before but I can't remember ever going to a morning wedding. And now, I'm totally in love with this idea. Of course, I'm already married, but it's still fun to share this idea, and all the reasons why I loved it.
We've all probably been to wedding receptions with heavy hors d'oeuvres, a buffet style dinner, lots of wine and dancing. These are some of my favorite weddings, and I've had the privilege of celebrating with several friends this way on their special day. Today's ceremony and reception, though, was refreshing and a fun way to change things up a bit, at least from what I've experienced in the past. It was light, fresh, and perfect in many ways.
First, the food was perfectly layed out in the room, and there was something for everyone. There was a breakfast buffet, complete with a large, cascading fruit spread that included watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, pineapple, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, and much more. Other buffet items included breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits and gravy. In the main room, there were several different food and beverage stations. There was a juice and drink station, where fresh grapefruit juice, milk and tea was available. There was a "made to order" waffle area, complete with fresh berries, whipped cream, and syrup, among other toppings. I don't know for sure, but it looked to me as though omelettes were also an option. My personal favorite was the gourmet coffee bar, with every flavor and brew available. Cappucino, expresso, lattes - you name it, it was there! Even 'to go' cups of joe were available! Finally, my boys favorite area was a large tiered tray of donuts! All kinds - sprinkles, glazed, cake, sugared, chocolate, vanilla, etc. The boys were in heaven! They each had two donuts and a glass of milk. Oliver also had bacon :) Breakfast of champions, right!?!
The food was delicious, the setting was perfect, and the room was filled with lots of love for this sweet couple. The celebration was about them, and the beginning of their lives together. I'm all for a fun party when the time is right, but sometimes, that kind of party doesn't fit. Today, this celebration was just right! I especially loved spending time with my two favorite 4-year olds. It was a great, great day!
As we left, we took a walk back through the gardens, where I took advantage of the beautiful setting. Below is my favorite picture from today:
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