You Cannot Be Serious!

2010-10-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX -- Local author Elizabeth Lyons gives Kaley O'Kelley and Gina Maravilla the lowdown on her new book, "You Cannot Be Serious! And 32 Other Rules that Sustain a (Mostly) Balanced Mom."

Lyons says first and foremost, people need to learn to forgive themselves for their flaws. She also says cleanliness is overrated and chaos builds character.

Photos: Kaley O'Kelley's honeymoon pictures

2010-10-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX -- Kaley O'Kelley is back from her honeymoon, and she took a ton of pictures! She and Paul backpacked through France and Italy -- 18 stops in 18 days.
The newlyweds flew into Paris, picked up a car and set off on their European adventure. They knew they were going to leave Rome at the end of the trip. While they had places they knew they wanted to see -- like Sorrento, where they had originally planned to get married -- everything they did between Paris and Rome was pretty mush impromptu.
"It was an exciting trip. Not glamorous, but that's OK," O'Kelley said. "We backpacked all the way through so it was fun. It was really an affordable trip."
One of their favorite things was their drive up the Amalfi Coast.
"What an amazing experience," O'Kelley said. "The views were mind blowing!"
Kaley and Paul got married in Seattle on Sept. 10.
See the honeymoon gallery >

Kaley O'Kelley shares her wedding story and photos

2010-10-22T17:52:00.001-07:00

PHOENIX -- What a weekend in the Pacific Northwest!

Getting married at the Sorrento Hotel was a wonderful stroke of luck.

Ironically, we were planning to get married in Sorrento, Italy (just the two of us, to kick off our honeymoon) but logistics continued to delay planning. Week after week, we were met by a series of “issues." With a deadline quickly approaching, we were both getting nervous and opted for a to-be-determined "plan B."

On the phone with my sister,who lives in the Seattle area, and surfing the Web at the same time, I accidentally typed the words "Sorrento Seattle" into Google.

When I looked closer at the results page, I could not believe my eyes. There it was! The Sorrento Hotel Seattle! Historic, full of Old World charm and, if available, the place we'd say "I do."

I called the hotel, and shockingly, with just a few weeks left to plan, it was available for our small party of 18.

When we arrived Friday morning, the owner’s wife greeted my sister and me with a huge hug, saying our story was the talk of the hotel. She handed me a book, called "The Sorrento Story," which outlines the hotel’s history. We learned the man who built it 100 years ago was inspired by a hotel stay in Sorrento, Italy, not far from the place where we originally hoped to have our ceremony.

Paul wanted an outdoor wedding. So, with a 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast, we took a huge risk and moved the ceremony to the quaint rooftop patio just outside the Penthouse suite.

Oh sure, we had a few setbacks -- plastic flowers instead of the fresh bouquets ordered online; flower-girl dresses which finally arrived (WAY too big) the morning of the wedding. Our start time was pushed back by nearly one hour, so while we were out shooting photos around the city of Seattlewith Trevor Dayley (our photographer from Phoenix) our guests enjoyed the cocktail hour -- before the wedding. Talk about impromptu!

Then my father walked me down the aisle.

Paul and I giggled our way through the “hand washing ceremony” and the ringing of our Truce Bell. (It’s an Irish tradition. The bell will be kept on display in our home and rung to end disagreements, kind of like a white flag to be waved that says, “Can’t we all just get along!”)

Each of our guests was given a truce bell, along with a small silver-framed photo featuring a shared moment with one or both of us.

After the ceremony, we all moved inside the Penthouse to a dimly lit room where we gathered around a candlelit table for a quaint family dinner. Each person was kind enough to share a memory and a special toast which made the night even more personal.

The cake, ordered just two days before our wedding from Safeway, was incredible! And so was the Almond Champagne, which is Paul’s favorite and something the hotel worked hard to find!

We ended the night saying goodbye to our family and shooting a few more pictures taken in a cozy place called the Fireside Room in the lobby of the hotel.