As hard as it was to believe, my “baby” cousin, Andrew, was actually getting married. His fiance, Emily, has been more-or-less a part of our family for quite some time, so this wedding felt very special – we were all so excited to officially welcome her into the fold and to celebrate the last of the Baker cousins to tie the knot. I sure do love a good wedding, especially for how such occasions gather extended relatives from near and far. It is a little bittersweet that there are no more cousins to marry off so their nuptials can serve as a big family reunion. I’m sure we’ll find other ways to make get-togethers happen, but maybe with less cake and formal wear (eh, I still want cake).
With a destination wedding to Emily’s hometown of Fernandina Beach, Florida, it sure was a kick-butt way to close out the era of my first cousins’ weddings! I haven’t had much exposure to Florida and wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but our four days at the beautiful Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort certainly provided a very positive introduction to Florida’s east coast – I would not hesitate to return one day. Added bonus: we very narrowly missed a direct hit from Hurricane Irene, so that was an extra blessing upon the weekend. It didn’t stop Irene from really doing a number on our departure flight(s) home though – it took us three days of planes, trains and automobiles to make it back to Boston, but we rolled with the punches and the weekend with family was worth every minute of travel hassle.
I love my extended family so much – we’re scattered all over the country and don’t all get together like this nearly enough, but when we do we surely make up for lost time. I had a blast with my camera over the weekend, capturing the family fun in the sun and can’t resist sharing an assortment of just-for-fun photos from the trip.
Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Baker and welcome to the family, Emily – you’ve been an honorary member for some time, but now you’re stuck with us forever :)
Also, don’t miss their wedding photographer’s {Andrea Taylor Studio} two-part blog recapping the whole wedding weekend – Part I and Part II here!
