Sarah and Jono: The Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner for Jono and Sarah was on November 18, 2021.  It was spectacular!  Camille had planned the details for weeks, including having a trial layout of the table place settings at Marilyn Ebert's house a couple of days before the event!  The party was held at Cafe Molise in downtown Salt Lake.  That afternoon, a whole crew of helpers, including Naomi, Meg, and me, as well as Emilie, Sophie, Ezra, and Mia, arranged the flowers, tucked bowls of candies amidst the arrangements, and lighted candles.  Three huge pictures of Jono and Sarah, in wedding dress, adorned the front of restaurant.  Mike, an excellent photographer, took these photos.
 

Camille, the hostess and creator of the party.

Naomi, whose mom is a florist, helped with the table arrangements.

There was a menu, name card, and fancy cookie at each place setting.  Camille spent hours mulling over who sat where.  The delights of the buffet included pasta with shrimp, roasted pork tenderloin, and chicken and artichokes with pasta.

The room was brightly lit with candles and people lined up for appetizers (bruschetta) and Italian cream sodas.   

Jono and Sarah were the royalty of this elegant evening.

All of Camille's children attended, other than Annie, who was on her mission in Kentucky.  People live-streamed the event for Annie over their cell phones.  Ezra looked handsome in his suit and tie.

Emilie now works in Dallas with the Oliver Wayman consulting firm, but she flew home for the event.  Emilie and Jono are especially close.

Camille despairs when people ask who Mia looks like.  "She looks like me, of course," Camille says.

Sophie is a junior in high school and getting prettier and prettier.

It was a luxury for Dave and me to be just guests, and not in charge of a fancy event like this!

Mike with Heidi in her elegant black fur hat.

Jenny, Heidi, and Lisa sat together.

Jonny and Jenny took turns holding their new baby, Jonathan.

Several of Lisa's children enjoyed the event.  Spencer and Naomi Flindt are living in SLC until Naomi finishes her Ph.D in chemistry.  Spencer works with the McKinsey consulting firm.

Grant and Meg Flindt were married a year ago, but their wedding reception got canceled because of covid.  Grant will start medical school next fall, and Meg is finishing her degree at BYU in family science.

Steve's parents, Al and Marilyn Ebert, were also at the dinner with their children and grandchildren.

Sarah's mom, Jackie Ferrell, and sisters looked beautiful.

Sarah's dad, Jim Ferrell, and new wife are also very attractive people.

A special treat, for us, was seeing Shannon Kimball (not her married name) at the dinner. Shannon is Sarah's mother's best friend.  The Kimballs were our next door neighbors for more than 30 years.

Steve was the moderator for the after-dinner program.

The program began with the brothers and sisters of Jono and Sarah each giving gifts to the other member of the couple to help them live happily with their sibling.  For instance, Emilie said that Jono loves to cuddle, and so she gave Sarah a little blanket to help with the cuddling. 

Sarah's and Jono's best friends then each gave a tribute.

Guests were asked to write about experiences with Jono and/or Sarah.  One of Camille’s friends sorted through the cards, picking ten of them for Jonny to read. Dave and I were flattered that our cards were chosen.  On one card, I told about the first time I heard about Sarah.  Annie told us that Jono had a new girlfriend.  When I asked how long they had been dating, Annie said, “Oh, they haven’t met each other yet.”  She just thought Sarah was so outstanding that, of course, Jono would love her!  Jonny was as witty as usual, including reading the cards from Sarah’s girlfriends with each triple exclamation point and emoji!

The next part of the program was the parents speaking. The business of Sarah’s father, James Ferrell.  is making public presentations, and he was very fluent.  He obviously loved Sarah dearly

Sarah's mother, Jackie Ferrell, brought Sarah’s journals, from when Sarah was 8, and also from when she was a teenager.  Jackie quoted Sarah’s own words about her dreams and goals.  Then Jackie told, herself, how talented Sarah is. 

Camille and Steve then told wonderful stories about Jono, and also said how much they love Sarah.

We all laughed at the funny, charming stories, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Camille was delighted with the result of her weeks of work.

At the end of the party, Jono posed for a photo with his friends, and Sarah posed with her friends.  Camille says that Jono and Sarah are very social and fun-loving.

Sarah and Jono: the Shower

I hosted a family dinner/shower for Jono and Sarah this afternoon.  Our food was Japanese, in honor of Jono’s mission to Japan.  The highlight of the meal was Steve’s fabulous chicken tonkatsu.  He flattened boneless chicken breasts, dipped them in flour, egg, and panko crumbs, and then deep fried them.  I watched intently, since deep fried chicken fillets are tough to make.   The menu also included pork ramen, Japanese curry with potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes, a green salad with sesame seed dressing, and an Oriental fruit salad with dragon fruit, lychee nuts, pineapple, and grapes.  

“Whenever I come to your house, I always taste food I’ve never tasted before,” Sarah said, as she cut up a dragon fruit, with its pink exterior and black and white polka dot interior. 

We went around the table after dinner and each attendee gave advice on staying happily married.  Spencer said to learn the things your spouse doesn’t like doing and do them.  Grant and Meg said to go on regular date nights, and I seconded that advice.  I also said to forgive quickly, rather than putting old grievances into a “Museum of Past Hurts,” as Dave describes it to his clients.

Camille, Steve, and Spencer left early.  The three of them were taking the same plane back to Boston, where Spencer is working on a project on “sustainability” with a McKinsey team.  Steve, Camille, and their family are living in Boston for a year.

Jono loves all things Japanese, after two years as a missionary in Okinawa, an island so far south in the Japanese chain that it is closer to China and Taiwan than it is to Tokyo!