Matthew & Corey at St. Gall Catholic Church and the Orchard House with Tamarack Junction Catering

I had the pleasure of being a part of Matthew & Corey's wedding at St. Gall Catholic Church in Gardnerville. I helped provide music over the church PA system for seating, prelude, processionals, Unity candle lighting, communion, and of course the recessional. They picked some fabulous music including Pacabel, Bach, Schubert and exited as husband and wife to Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. I was honored to be asked to play at the ceremony. I do many ceremonies during the year, but they are typically at the reception site and this time I was able to witness their offsite wedding instead of hearing about it when people arrived at the reception site..

Wedding inside beautiful St. Gall's

Newlyweds catch their breath!

Father Paul is the Pastor at St. Gall's and a friend of the couple's so it was great to have him say the Mass and marry them. I was able to meet with him and the newlyweds-to-be prior to the big day and I sensed the familiarity between the three of them immediately. I love it when the officiant actually knows the couple. It conferred a feeling of closeness and grace to an already beautiful ceremony.

I liked the signage :)

Before the guests arrived.

Their reception was held in Genoa, Nevada at the beautiful Orchard House. I always like playing there- the owners are nice and welcoming and the gardens are spectacular. When you reserve the Orchard House, you are in fact reserving a large garden lawn with several spaces, a separate house for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready in, and a large parking lot with plenty of room.  It is a tranquil setting- the crossroads of Genoa a few hundred feet away, the Sierras precipitously rising above you, and semi-tame deer roaming the neighborhood. It is my favorite spot in the historic part of Genoa and it is a blank slate for decoration and for bringing in your choice of vendors. 

My view of the toasts.

The bridal party arrived and were introduced while Michael Franti's "Say Hey" welcomed them in.  Then it was Corey & Matthew's turn. They care in accompanied by "Paradise" by Coldplay and took some time to enjoy their beautiful surroundings and their friends and family. Dinner was served soon thereafter with Tamarack Junction providing the catering. It was delicious and the Tamarack Junction team was on the ball all afternoon and evening. Toasts followed and soon they were dancing to a specially edited version that Matthew made of "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" by Bryan Adams. 

Lee then danced with his daughter Corey and Matthew with his mom Cindy to a medley of "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder and "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and then general dancing ensued as night enveloped the party.

First Dance!

After a while I slowed the music down and invited all the married couples up for the Anniversary Dance, another medley they requested: "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis followed by "Unforgettable" by Nat & Natalie. The cake was then cut, with Sinatra and Buble in the background.

Love these two!

Dancing then ruled the rest of the evening with a quick break with Pitfall to toss the bouquet.  I want to thank (belatedly) Corey & Matthew for allowing me to be a part of such a fantastic day and evening as they had. I felt uplifted spiritually and know that all is right with the world when two people such as they are united amongst friends, family and faith. May the Lord bless and keep you always :)