Sunday 14 November 2010

The Benton-Clarke wedding

Round 29: February 2030 (Summer)
Josie Benton is 28 and Troy Clarke is 27.

Josie's wedding day has finally arrived and her bridesmaids, Patience and Claudia, are at the Benton house bright and early.

They were both concerned that Bridezilla Josie may make another appearance on the big day but so far, Josie is very cheerful.

Now that she knows everything has come together perfectly, there's really not much to worry about.

Apart from perhaps the bride and groom themselves, no one has been anticipating this day more than Kendal.

Secretly, she's hoping that the wedding plants a few ideas in the mind of her other son, Calvin (serving as groomsman alongside Nick).

For today at least, Kendal will have to be content watching Troy and Josie tie the knot.

Both Troy and Josie's families could have afforded a much more lavish wedding at an expensive hotel or park but the couple knew Josie's childhood home would be the venue early on.

The Bentons' garden is a gorgeous backdrop anyway.

And it's just perfect for Troy and Josie.

There are limitations to backyard weddings, of course. The chairs from the ceremony need to be folded and put away before there's enough room for the dining tables. So while that's going on, everyone heads inside for the toasts.

As Troy's best man and twin brother, Calvin does the honours first...

...followed by Josie's maid of honour and best friend since kindergarten, Patience.

Josie's still in a good mood for now.

With the reception in full swing though, she has to begin forced socialisation. Josie is determined to try not to get annoyed with anything.

Even her new stepfather-in-law loudly burping over lunch.

Over at the other table, Henry is regaling his fellow guests with stories of his six grandchildren and how much he wants a seventh. Rose is a captive audience, at least - she's had kids on the brains since Joanna recently agreed to a second.

One advantage of a dad who owns a restaurant is a free wedding cake!

It was a big job for Tate but the cake came out beautifully and even matched the blue motif Josie wanted running through the wedding.

And it doesn't taste so bad either!

It's almost time for everyone to go home, but before Troy and Josie can leave for their honeymoon, there is the little matter of the first dance to attend to.

Zelda would like to join the dancing couples but Tate has decided he doesn't really feel like dancing. Zelda isn't impressed - this is their daughter's wedding, after all!

Nick, on the other hand, has been waiting for some quiet time with his fiancée Sarah all day and a dance is the perfect opportunity.
Rebecca invited her boyfriend Lucian to her cousin's wedding and is quite put out when he doesn't show up until near the end of the reception. He's full of apologies and stories of breakdowns on the side of the road. Rebecca might forgive him.

He did come, in the end. The fact that he scrubs up so nicely in a suit is winning him some points too.

All through the dancing, Troy and Josie talk about their impending honeymoon. Troy wanted to go camping at Three Lakes, Josie wanted to go to Cape Elizabeth and stay at a fancy hotel. So they've compromised and decided to stay at the fanciest hotel Three Lakes has to offer.

As soon as they arrive, Troy gets himself in Josie's bad books by banging out a terrible song on the piano in the lobby, instead of paying attention to her.

Not that it's terribly hard to refocus his attention!

Eventually, they make an attempt at venturing outside and find that it's pouring with rain.

So they head back to bed instead.

The hotel really isn't all it's cracked up to be. The staff are imbeciles.

The other guests are nothing if not a little creepy.

But if they could be described with any other word, that word might be "violent".

And most bothersome to Troy, the chicken pot pie he ordered didn't look like chicken pot pie at all.

Fortunately, all that doesn't put too much of a dampener on Troy and Josie's honeymoon and they still manage to enjoy themselves, in between the many annoyances. The next step will be setting up house together in their brand new home!

Extras:

Many, many posed pics! I loved doing these because a) I could finally boot everyone non-essential off the lot and b) that bridge in the garden makes for really pretty photos.

Just some couple shots.

Troy and Josie with Josie's parents, Tate and Zelda.

...and with Troy's mother Kendal and stepfather Lake.

The entire bridal party. I wish Patience and Claudia's heads were turned a little more but they were being very uncooperative!

Just the girls. And it's now that I remember I didn't do one of just the boys. Annoying. I remember planning to do one but it's not really the planning that's the important part. ;)

Troy and his twin brother Calvin, half brother Chris and stepsisters Patience and Rose.

And Josie with her brothers Charlie and Jack.

Notes:
  • This wedding was such a massive pain to do! There are a few shots that I wanted to do that I didn't (for example, not too much of all of what the guests were up to), because I crashed three times! I had to focus on the essentials. So Troy and Josie ended up getting married 4 times. The last time I loaded, I just said "you know what? You guys aren't getting another damn party!" and ended up teleporting any necessary Sims onto the lot instead. Maybe that was the secret because that was the only time I didn't crash!
  • Apart from that, I'm very happy with how it all turned out. I'm always more pleased with my weddings once I look at the pics.
  • Speaking of pics, you might notice that some Sims are sitting in different seats during the ceremony (as opposed to the ones before). I was experimenting with something and needless to say, it didn't work well. ;)
  • I am so excited to have another Clarke in the hood now! I considered letting Josie keep her own name, or hyphenate, but I want more Clarkes. So she'll have to deal with it. :P
  • I don't know what Zelda's problem really was, by the way. I think she saw some sort of PDA that she didn't approve of and her face got stuck! But Nick really did have his whole wants panel filled with Sarah wants. Adorable!
  • No babies yet, in case you were wondering. I thought Troy might roll a want right away because he's Family but not yet. Perhaps he wants to enjoy married life for a while, seeing he and Josie haven't lived together before this. If neither of them have rolled the want the next time I play them, I'll take them off BC anyway. Josie will be 30 by then and I don't want them to wait too long.
  • As I've moved more towards the storytelling side of things, I struggle more with writing commentary-style stuff, which is how I've usually done weddings in the past. So I think for Claudia's wedding, I might try writing it more like a regular update and see how I go. Or not. I'll see how I feel when the time comes!

21 comments:

  1. This wedding was gorgeous! I loved all the outfits and stuff it was great. Shame about the crashing but it was well worth it.
    I was just wondering where you got all the mens suits from? I never seem to be able to find any.
    Good luck Josie and Troy. I look forward to some baby CLarkes!

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  2. Loved the wedding. I had the same problem with a wedding I just did. My game kept crashing but I never seem to pose them like everyone else does. I still have to write the update but the pics will just have to do. Thanks for the update.

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  3. Beautiful wedding! I never noticed how much Charlie and Josie look alike!

    I'm so glad she was in a good mood! And that it didn't rain on her wedding day. I think it fits that they didn't try asap. They've done everything so well planned and thought out that it fits that they'd wait a little.

    Loved all the family photos. Looking forward to seeing the mansion they buy for a first home ;)

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  4. Even with all the crashing the wedding turned out wonderfully!

    Here's to a long and happy marriage, guys!

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  5. Thanks everybody!

    mail, thanks, I was pretty happy with it.

    If you mean the groomsmen's suits, I think I may have got those from TSR. It's definitely a recolour of a suit from Celebration Stuff though.

    Maybe a baby next round, fingers crossed!

    Bernz, urgh, crashing is a huge pain and it seems like everyone is having crashing issues lately! It's hard when you just need certain pics and your game won't cooperate.

    Maisie, oh, haven't you? Yeah, I have a strong suspicion that Charlie and Josie are just clones of each other! They both look a LOT like Tate!

    Oh, yes, I was so relieved about the lack of rain! It seems to rain a lot in summer in my game and I really didn't have a back up plan (I never do!) It makes sense to me that Troy and Josie aren't trying for a baby just yet too...Josie already got married earlier than she ever thought she would, so I can see her waiting a little on a family.

    LOL, I've got them moved in but I haven't decorated yet. They only had $100,000 to buy and decorate with so it's hardly a mansion though!

    Riverdale, thanks! I was just so glad to get it finished!

    Troy and Josie certainly have a lot in common (seriously, their personalities are identical!), so they're off to a good start.

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  6. Lovely! Sorry it was such a pain to do though. Nothing worse than crashes during a wedding when you're trying to get pictures for an update.

    Also, lol, Jack in a suit! Yum.

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  7. What a lovely wedding! I just love your eye for details, you seem to think about everything.

    Too bad about the crashes though, they're so annoying. But I just had to laugh at Josie and Troy tying the knot four times. They really are married now, lol.

    And here come the WCIF's! Actually only one: where did you get the groom's (and groomsmen's) outfit. I tried looking checking out those creators you have listed in your Clothing post but couldn't find those.

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  8. Wonderful weddings and love how the colors came together, I echo Sari's question about the suits-they are nicely done.

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  9. So it's no secret that I love josie, and seeing her married was such a treat. She's come such a long way! (sort of, lol!)

    And no one does a wedding quite like you, Carla. Beautious as always.

    p.s. I think I have a crush on Patience after this.

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  10. Carla how did you make the bridge it is so beautiful!

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  11. I hardly reconized Josie with her hair like that, but she looks amazing!!! As does Troy by the way, but let's face it, a wedding is all about the bride :p
    I have to say both their parent are looking great as well.
    Troy looks so happy with his bride when they are dancing together.
    I love all the posed pictures!

    I had Nio and Stella on a honeymoon where it was pouring all the time too, there was lots of lightning too, and Nio (or Stella, I can't really remember) was even struck by lightning, I made them go home sooner then planned!

    So sweet about Nick rolling all those wants for Sarah! But that's just Nick I think, always the sweetest!

    Too bad about all those crashes, but funny that they had to get married 4 times.
    Are the crashed because there are too many sims on one lot, or is something else causing them?

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  12. Lunar, thanks! Weddings are normally a bit of a pain so I should be used to it by now. But I usually only crash once, so this was extra annoying.

    See, I wanted to get more pictures of Jack in this update, because he really does look good in a suit. :\ LOL. Next time!

    Sari, thank you, I really enjoy doing weddings. :D

    LOL, yep, Troy and Josie are good and married now and no one can say otherwise!

    I'll have to check on those suits. I haven't been updating those CC posts lately.

    Apple Valley, I don't always try to do a colour theme but I think I will from now on because I liked how this turned out, with all the blue.

    I'll check the suits in game. I thought they were from TSR but I couldn't find them last night.

    bbop, heh, well, Josie and Troy have certainly come a long way, since he developed a crush on her at school when he was 12 and she wouldn't have anything to do with him for 7 years!

    Patience is gorgeous. Lake makes pretty daughters!

    K, I didn't build that bridge. I downloaded the house and the bridge was already there. So I have no idea!

    Tanja, I'm glad you liked Josie's hair because that was something I changed at the last minute. I changed my mind about her dress a couple of days beforehand too. I think Troy was happy with my choices, because he was grinning at Josie like that all day.

    My Sims always seem to end up with a lot of rain on their vacations. I think they're cursed!

    I think the crashes were just because of too many Sims on the same lot, for too long a time after the computer hadn't been rebooted in a while. It was a lot smoother the next day, after I'd restarted.

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  13. Sari, the suits are by Mikexx2 at MTS. I think there were 3 other recolours of those suits in the same post.

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  14. Yay they're finally married (4th time's a charm)! What a gorgeous wedding, even if it was a pain. But did you really expect Josie's wedding to run smoothly? ;) Josie looked so pretty and I loved the pic of Troy eating the cake. Too cute! I can't wait to see their babies, whenever they come :)

    LOL @ they only have $100,000 to decorate. Sims are so lucky! Well, some of them, at least! I can't wait to see their place, though.

    And I ditto Tanja on the sweetness of Nick. That's just Nick and it was great to have a Nick and Sarah cuteness cameo lol.

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  15. Great update, the pictures are beautiful! The honeymoon was so funny, too. The crashing is such a pain but I usually find that when I look back on the pictures some time later, I'm glad I went to the trouble.

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  16. Danielle, thanks! I don't know, I figured Josie's wedding would run smoothly just out of fear of Josie killing somebody if it didn't!

    It ended up being about $40,000 to decorate with, after they bought the house. I think it'll still be plenty, because the house is already semi-decorated with Maxis stuff, so I can sell that for more cash. :D

    I love Nick and Sarah...I'm so excited to get those two married!

    Blackcat, thanks! That's how I'm feeling right now. I've never looked back at my pics after a crashy session and been sorry I wasted the time. I'd say a non-Simmer probably would though! "All that time for that?" LOL. But who cares what they think? ;)

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  17. Oh, how pretty! I love outdoor weddings! Feels like this wedding has been coming forever, lol! Glad to see them finally hitched!

    And yes, Josie did well with her mood throughout the occasion! ;)

    Josie looked beautiful! I love all the formalwear, as usual! Rebecca's dress was a knockout! And the men's suits were great too. Especially the ones Jack and Charlie are wearing. Where did you get those?

    I pretty much want to know where you got everything, lol!

    Yes, I know just what you mean about writing weddings! Lately I'll just write a little story bit, then OMG PICSPAMZZZZZ!!! Then wrap up with a little more story, lol! Because really, in the actual wedding part, there isn't so much to be said, it's just look at all the pretty dresses ;)

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  18. Laura, I love outdoor weddings too, which I guess is why I do so many! I'm due for an indoor one though. Nick and Sarah will get married indoors, I've decided!

    Josie was on her best behaviour, which is probably why she had to start glaring at Troy 5 seconds into their honeymoon. She'd been too tolerant and she just couldn't take it any more.

    Rebecca's dress came from some random Russian site I'd never visited before. Charlie's suit I downloaded very recently...hmmm, I'll check these all in game today, because I'm going in quickly to finish something up anyway.

    Yes, exactly! My weddings will always have a ton of pic spam but I just find it really hard to write commentary style now! Actually, Camilla's twins were born last night and I'm planning to ditch the commentary style for that too.

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  19. Okay, WCIF answers:

    Josie's dress is by rosaline_10:

    http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=415657

    The bridesmaid dresses are by Madizzo (I used the white one for Victoria's wedding dress too):

    http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=258938

    The boys' suits are by Mikexx2 at MTS, as I said to Sari.

    Jack's suit is from All About Style. It might be in the theme section, because it's a copy of one Obama wore (apparently! The tooltip says MAPres)

    Charlie's suit is by Amaryll:

    http://witheredlilies.livejournal.com/14752.html

    And finally, Rebecca's dress is by http://www.justsims2.ru/

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  20. Ack! How did I miss these updates?!

    This wedding was gorgeous! I'm sorry for all your crashing troubles, but the result really is stunning. The bridge really was beautiful in the shots, and everything looked perfect.

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  21. Rachel, thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! From reading all my old entries, you may have gathered that I kind of love weddings. ;) And that I shouldn't really be surprised when I crash!

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