Nichole & Aaron Get Hitched!

This weekend I headed down to Portland for my sister Nichole’s wedding, and returned with a brand new brother-in-law. Aaron is a great guy, and he and Nichole compliment each other perfectly; I’m so happy for them! The wedding is exactly how I would have guessed Nichole’s wedding would be – absolutely perfect.

My sister Erin and I left Seattle Wednesday night and stopped at our parent’s house in Olympia so we wouldn’t have to drive the entire 3.5 hours to Portland in one trip. Saturday morning, we arrived in Portland right on time about noon. However, we were supposed to meet Nichole and the rest of the girls in a Portland suburb, Banks OR, at the spa where Nichole works. However, I was completely unaware that the spa would basically be in the middle of nowhere, OR. Nichole lives in Hillsboro, OR which is a small suburb outside of Portland. I mistakenly assumed her work would be in a similar location. This was wrong.

Erin and I seemed to be aimlessly driving through the cow fields of Oregon on a two lane highway. We passed a giant ear of corn and many, many fruit stands. After turning around about four times and six cell phone calls, we finally turned onto a road that did not, as it had originally seemed, lead to someone’s farm house. We arrived in Banks, which is basically one main street that contains the elementary, middle and high schools, the fire station, bank, grocery store and every other business the town has to offer… Including the spa.
“All About You” was an adorable little place; I can see why Nichole likes working there. And get this: Since the town is in the middle of nowhere, everything is really cheap. I thought I was going to die when I saw the salon prices. You could basically wax your entire body for less than $150! However, I settled on a manicure and pedicure and we spent the afternoon hanging out, gossiping, and talking about the wedding.

After dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, Erin and I checked into our hotel, and at the front desk received an adorable welcome basket from Aaron and Nicole – I swear they thought of everything. Inside were granola bars, popcorn, fruit leather, water bottles, pamphlets about the surrounding area and pages of tourist attractions, complete with descriptions and directions to and from the hotel. The next morning Erin and I had a few hours to kill, so we drove out and toured The Pittock Mansion – super nerdy but so fun! The mansion was home to Portland pioneers Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919 and the house really is the equivalent of American royalty. We had a great time on the tour and then wandering around the gorgeous grounds afterward.
My mom and brother arrived that afternoon, and we got ready for the rehearsal dinner, held at a park near Nichole’s apartment. Apparently it is the groom’s job to plan the rehearsal dinner, and it was obvious that Aaron had done his part. The catered pulled pork, baked beans and potato salad were absolutely fantastic, and in the center of each table was a tackle box – Aaron LOVES fishing – filled with “dirt” (pudding and crushed Oreos), gummy worms, chocolate lures, and other assorted candy bugs. Super cute.
The next morning we awoke at 10 a.m. to begin our elaborate hairdos. The ladies spent the entire morning hanging out in the hotel conference room taking turns while three of Nichole’s hairdresser friends pined, curled, sprayed and flat ironed us into superstars. A few hours later, as we gathered in the lobby, problem #1 arose – the limo was broken down. Nichole actually didn’t seem to be too upset. Instead, we piled into various cars and headed to The Benson Hotel in downtown Portland, the ceremony location.
For the next couple hours, we helped Nichole get into her dress and took photos with the happy couple, who did not seem in the least bit bothered about seeing each other before the ceremony. Finally, the wedding began, with my sister Erin and I beginning the ceremony as candle lighters. Now let me be clear: We had one job. One. To light about 60 candles on the alter at the beginning of the wedding. However, enter problem #2. Halfway down the isle, the wick of my candle lighter had run out. Erin’s, however, was shooting sparks at the audience. Awesome. When we finally reached the front, we ditched the fancy candle lighters in favor of BBQ lighters… which took us about five minutes to get lit after figuring out the childproof switch. Ah, well.
The ceremony was beautiful and flawless, other than the minor candle-lighting malfunction. Afterward, we headed upstairs for the reception. Now, since Nichole and Aaron do not drink, there was unfortunately no alcohol at the reception. Expecting this, Erin and I had visited the liquor store beforehand and filled our purses with airplane shooters of vodka. We quickly discovered that vodka goes exceptionally well with wedding punch. My mom and brother agreed. After one of the most fantastic dinners I have ever had, a champagne toast marked the speech, cutting of the cake, and first dance.
Then it was time for my favorite part: gettin’ jiggy with it. Why is dancing at weddings so fun? We danced the Electric Slide, the Chicken Dance, busted out to a Grease medely and I even slow danced with my baby brother. So much fun – and I guarantee we had a little more fun than all those sober people!
The next day we headed home, and I couldn’t help but breath a sigh of relief that my wedding participation is over for a while. However, I couldn’t be more happy for Nichole and Aaron, who are so lucky to have found each other.

Congratulations, Nichole & Aaron!