Weddingbee Blog

This year, for the first time, I flew to Fort Wayne Indiana to spend a white Christmas with Mr Pretzel’s large family. When I say large I mean YUUUUGE! His immediate family is his parents and three siblings, but his dad is one of eleven and his mom is one of four. On average each of his aunts/uncles has 3-4 children (and a few grandbabies!) and most of this extended family lives in Fort Wayne. This was the second time I was meeting many of his aunts and uncles and I was making mental notes left and right to learn all the names (even though I saw only a portion of his Dad’s family).

Mr Pretzel is the oldest of four. After him is Groomsman Trumpet—aptly named because he plays the trumpet in the Army band. Then there are the twins—Groomsman M and Bridesmaid M. Everyone was home for the holidays and we had a blast. My future in-laws are wonderful people. The 2009-2010 year is one of exponential expansion for their immediate family.

From July 2009 to July 2010 they will have three weddings and a baby. No really, I’m not joking.

Here is the breakdown:

Mr Pretzel’s little sister/Bridesmaid M, was married this past July.

Two preceding images by Kristin Acosta

His little brother/Best Man, M, and Bridesmaid S are getting married May 15, 2010.

Best Man M and Bridesmaid S—Personal Photo

Mr Pretzel and I are getting married July 2010.

Baby sister/Bridesmaid M and her husband are expecting a baby boy in early May 2010.

Photo courtesy of Bridesmaid M

Whew! I am tired just thinking about it! FMIL and FFIL Pretzel are surprisingly calm. The first order of business when we arrived in Fort Wayne? Schedule a bachelor party, four bridal showers and two baby showers.

Did I mention that Mr Pretzel is the best man for his brother’s wedding? In April we are going to fly back to Fort Wayne so Mr Pretzel can host his brother’s bachelor party and I am going to have back to back (2 in one day) bridal showers with both sides of his family. There are so many of them they won’t fit in one house—so each side of his family hosts a shower—that is two showers per event. It wasn’t an easy task scheduling Bridesmaid S’s showers, my showers, and his sister’s baby showers. We wanted to be sure that the events weren’t too close together to overshadow any of the other events.

It’s an exciting year and we are blessed to share all of these milestones with each other. It also helps to give perspective. Sure, we’re excited about our wedding, but we are equally excited for his brother’s wedding and his sister’s baby.

Are there any other big events surrounding your wedding? How do you keep balance?