The wedding took place at dusk on the cliffs behind Danfair.
Hayley wore a simple white dress and carried a bouquet of red peonies. Andrew wore a dark blue tuxedo with a white boutonniere on his lapel, the single flower set into a curlicue of red, white and blue ribbons. Ainsley, in red, was the matron of honor, and Matthew, in traditional black, stood up with his brother as best man.
Afterward the whole family watched the Fourth of July fireworks explode out in the waters beyond Newport Harbor.
Nate and Miranda sat on a blanket behind Will and Cate, who’d both turned their hair a patriotic red, white and blue in honor of the occasion. Not to be outdone, Kali and Kori wore matching sundresses…Kali in red and white, Kori in blue and white…although both had somehow acquired identical grass stains down the front.
Andrew and Hayley, as the day’s guests of honor, sat in lawn chairs decorated by Kali and Kori especially for the bride and groom. But it was doubtful the newlyweds saw any fireworks except the ones in each other’s eyes.
Ivan sat on the grass, but Ainsley was too excited to be still for long, and she continually popped up to clap and exclaim over an especially colorful fireburst. And as they were all, in her opinion, spectacular, she was on her feet quite a bit.
Matt and Peyton had the whole of a large baby blanket to share between them, so she sat in front, leaning back against him, wrapped in his arms.
Charles and Linney watched from inside the house, deeming the noise and the night too much for their new grandchild, who had arrived on the last day of June, just before midnight, at a healthy seven pounds, eleven ounces.
As it turned out, Matt had been right.
They should have painted the nursery pink.