Thursday night we went to the Rehearsal Dinner at Tanglewoods Restaurant in Waterbury Center, Vermont. It was our first chance to meet Serene. We enjoyed a great dinner and getting to know our future sister-in-law.
Friday morning the girls (Grandma, Marleigh, Aunt Linda, me, and Bailey) all went to get our hair done for the wedding. After looking fabulous, we went back to Grandma's to await the joyous event.
Finally the time came to head to the church. Matthew and Serene were married at Green Mountain Community Alliance Church in Duxbury, Vermont. It was a very quaint ceremony. Mark was Matthew's best man and Serene's brother Luke was one of his groomsmen. Christopher was the ring bearer and Bailey and Marleigh were the flower girls. I was blessed to read a passage over the happy couple. My chosen passage was 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. By 5 pm EST on Friday 8/8/08, Serene had become Mrs. Matthew LeBlanc and our family was blessed with a wonderful addition to the family.
The reception was held at one of the bridesmaid's homes. It was a really fun event. The couple seemed so happy and everyone was in great spirits. The weather was beautiful and the rain held off. We could not have asked for a more perfect setting. Although I loved celebrating the joy of the newly married couple, my favorite part of the evening was the dancing part. Bailey found her groove on and danced for about 90 minutes. At one point, she even found a young (and I mean very young) man to be her dance partner. It was a moment I will never forget. 
After the reception, Matthew & Serene were off for a mini-honeymoon while we had a little R&R at Grandma's. Saturday evening we also had an early birthday celebration for Grandma & Uncle Jack. Sunday evening they joined us at Mom and Mark's for a steak dinner. Baby Sharp was not cooperating very well so I was a little under the weather. It was nice visiting with them once again before we left. 
We spent the rest of our time hanging out at Grandma's and visiting the family. The only downside to the wedding trip was that we ended up getting delayed due to weather and had to stay two more nights with Grandma. Although Bailey was not too disappointed (nor was Grandma), we had hoped to get home so that Phil & Frances could spoil Bailey one more day before they had to leave. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans and we just had to enjoy the time we had.
Congratulations, Matthew & Serene. May God bless you as you embark on this new journey together.
