Weddings and Cupcakes Galore

We had a final wedding event for Lexi, which was her Arizona open house. Several months ago, I somehow found myself volunteering to make over 200 cupcakes for the event. That's a lot of cupcakes. Especially when you consider that I made 70 red velvet cupcakes that I just didn't like how they turned out, so I had to scrap them and make something else instead.

We made an assortment of chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, Oreo cupcakes, and snickerdoodle cupcakes. I really thought all three varieties turned out so yummy and cute.

 Here I am with KeeKee behind the cupcake display table. I was honestly surprised when I ended up liking the snickerdoodle cupcakes the best--I was worried they wouldn't be able to compete with cupcakes gobbed up with Reese's candy and oreo cookies, but I think they held their own.

Here is our family at the venue. The open house was held at Verrado, a planned community in Buckeye. It was a really pretty area.

Lexi and Scott headed over to sample the cupcakes before everybody arrived. They must have known they would get busy, because Lexi said that was the only cupcake she got the whole evening.

John had flown in because of some family medical emergencies, and he took a break from the hospital to come hang out with us. It was really nice to have him there!

The kids had lots of fun running around with their friends.

I have to point out here that I actually did Sareny and Finley's hair, since it seems like usually if it looks fancy or exceptionally cute, somebody else did it. Sammy and Sareny.

Cute little IJ Isaac.

Sammy, Sareny, Scott's cousin Grace, Finley, and Sydney.

 Lexi came over and stood on the wall with the little girls.

The bride and groom by the fountain.

And a more closeup shot of them.

It was a really beautiful reception, and a really beautiful night. Apparently I didn't get any pictures, but Grammy Jo and Bampa were there as well. In fact, Keith and my dad went golfing the morning of the reception and Grammy Jo helped me finish up the cupcakes by attaching the mini oreo, chopped Reese's, or cinnamon sugar as I frosted them.

The most fabulous reception I've ever seen

And it had a pretty fabulous cake, if I do say so myself. :)

Keith and I worked hard on this cake! We had to purchase some tools and learn some new skills to make it.

We make a pretty good team--which is why I like making cakes together. He rolled out the long strips of fondant, and I used a ruffling tool to ruffle the edges and stick each layer on the cake.

These old doors are so cool, and the bride and groom and their parents stood in front of them.

 The theme was milk and cookies, and there were a variety of related items in the room.

 Gorgeous poof balls and twinkling lights were strung above the tables.

I thought the flowers in little milk jugs with twinkle lights inside were also really pretty.

The cookie bar, before it got loaded.

Liz made these cute thank you's--a bag of cookies that said, "We go together like milk and cookies.

I loved these large black and white pictures around the room--my dad made the frames from reclaimed wood--which is a very trendy thing to do these days! The wood came from the fence he built around our backyard when I was a kid, which is falling apart in the very back.

The entire room was just really lovely! It took most of my family all day Friday to get it all set up just right, plus the countless hours previously spent making poofballs, the picture frames, other decorations, hundreds and hundreds of cookies, and running around borrowing a bunch of the decor.

This old looking vanity was used as the sign-in desk.

Some more milk details.

A view of the poofballs and lights.

And the doors again. Lexi made most or all of the paper medallions.

The table loaded up with cookies.

There were so many yummy kinds of cookies!

It was really cute.

Lexi and Scott arrived at the reception.

These cute swaggy bows lined the entryway.

You can see how pretty the twinkle lights looked once they dimmed the interior lights.

Isaac got ahold of the camera again...

And took a silly self-portrait!

Sareny found a lap to sit on!

They said Sareny was over there entertaining them for quite a bit.

And the last picture I took of the evening--Lexi and Scott cutting the cake.

I didn't get a picture of Lexi throwing the boquet, which Sareny and Ashley Hoopes both kind of caught at the same time. Ashley was nice and let Sareny have it though, which was nice. I was kind of glad Sareny got it, because it was her boquet they threw, so she got to keep it after all. Which those kind of things usually matter to a kid.
Lastly, we all lined the walk and lit sparklers for the bride and groom to run through out to their car, before they drove off into the sunset. Actually, they just drove around to the other side of the church and Lexi went in and got changed into something more comfortable for the drive to Las Vegas. But it looked cool to drive off in your dress. :)

A wedding, from Isaac's point of view

And here is Lexi's wedding from another perspective: through the eyes of a six year old boy. Love the upwards angle.

The interesting design in the bricks.

These girls are in my parent's ward and were on hand to babysit all our kids while we were inside.

Another shot of tio Johnny.

There was a whole series of shots of this little girl, who belongs to my cousin Matt.

Finley with her pretty flower boquet.

A random shot of the crowd.

Extreme closeup! I'm reasonably sure this is Rhys.

Love these two of Josh. Just so silly!

Chuckles looks like he is chuckling.

More of Joshie Keel.

Cousin Rhystopher.

Doing the trout pout, perhaps?

And I'm not sure who is showing us the inside of their mouth, but I'm guessing Josh.

And that is what the children did at Lexi's wedding.