Ben and Ally

Ben and Ally Hoyt got married on February 17th in the Meridian Idaho temple. Ben and Ally met in the Kuna Singles Ward. After they met, they started spending a lot of time together. They especially loved to go fishing on dates. Ally got along great with Matt and Katie and Dan and Claire, so they got to know her really well. Ben and Ally got engaged at the end of November. He took her fishing and attached a fake Walmart ring to the end of her line when she was gone for a minute. When she got back, he kept encouraging her to reel in her line, but she was being very patient. Haha! It is fun to hear Ben tell the story. She finally reeled in her line and found the ring. Super cute!

Ben and Ally chose to get married over a 3 day weekend, so we were able to spend a little time in Idaho. We took the kids out of school on Friday and headed up. I was in charge of making their wedding cake, so I wanted to be there in plenty of time in case anything went wrong. I have made cakes (and cupcakes) for Matt, Hannah, and Ben now, but it is still nerve-wracking. Luckily, they were all really relaxed about the cake, so my non-professional cakes were okay. In fact, Ben and Ally didn't even really want a cake, but her mom wanted them to have all the traditional wedding things. 

Since the cake wasn't a huge deal to them, their only instruction to me was that it taste good. They decided that they wanted Funfetti cake, white buttercream, and a berry filling. Since they had spent so much time fishing while they were dating, the reception and cake were going to have fishing elements included, while still being elegant. Elegant and fishing might sound bizarre together, but they totally pulled it off. I sent them a few ideas from things I found on the Internet, and they chose a style that they liked. I did one practice cake beforehand, and it tasted amazing! Even though I knew the flavors were good, it is still tricky to bake the cake perfectly, get the icing smooth, and make sure that the layers are all even.

I spent several hours on Friday afternoon making and decorating the cake, and luckily, everything went according to plan. All of the decorations that I had made and bought were perfect on top of the cake and fit the theme perfectly. On top of the cake there were two miniature Adirondack chairs, a fishing pole with a fish, and hearts that said Mr. and Mrs. I was so happy to have it done and out of the way so that I could enjoy the rest of the trip. Oh, and the cake tasted incredible... maybe the best I have ever made! So, even though there were some flaws, Ben and Ally were happy, which is what matters.

As a side story on the cake, we had a really hard time finding a cake stand that was big enough for the cake and was rustic looking to fit the theme. We sent my dad and Jonathon to the store to find something. After looking at several stores, they finally found the one we used. They sent me a picture via text, and it looked perfect. What they didn't tell me was that it was the top of a fancy garbage can. Haha! I didn't even care because we were desperate, it was brand new (clean), and it looked great!

Their wedding day was really lovely. It was cold and windy, but we didn't get the rain that they had forecasted all week. I had never been in the Meridian temple before, so it was fun to get to go. The ceremony was short and simple, but powerful as always. It was particularly poignant because my whole family was together in the temple. It must have been quite the feeling for my parents to see all of their children and their spouses in the sealing room. After the ordinance, we took pictures outside of the temple, and then headed to the reception center for a Mexican feast with street tacos from their favorite restaurant, rice, beans, and chips and salsa. I loved that Ben and Ally didn't care about being fancy and formal, and instead did things that they loved and were important to them. The whole meal was delish, and we successfully fed 100 friends and family members! 

Later that night was the reception. We took pictures before the reception started, and it was so great to get some shots of our entire family. We also got some cute pictures of all the grandkids. They sure looked cute in their matching clothes. 

The Boys

The Girls

 Little Family

Big Family

The reception center in Kuna was decorated simply, but very beautifully. Throughout the room were cute little touches of the fishing theme that were just perfect for Ben and Ally. They had sandwiches, lots of yummy desserts (cookies, donuts, candy, etc), and frappe. We stayed for a while and then took the kids home to bed since they were all pretty exhausted from the long day. That night, the adults all played games and polished off the last of the wedding cake. It was a perfect day!

Sunday was a quiet, relaxing day after all the stress from the wedding. We went to church, had some good conversations, played more games, and enjoyed being together. The only thing that would have made the weekend better was if I would have had a voice. The last several years I have lost my voice once or twice a year. It seems like any little cold or congestion goes straight to my voice box now. So, even though I felt decent the whole time, I sounded like a bullfrog. Everyone had a good laugh about it, and I am sure I won't live that down any time soon. We had to leave Monday afternoon to get back to work and school, but it was a wonderful trip, celebrating a wonderful couple.