Em's Random Sim Pics and Projects

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Aw. I worry about Zara, Lilura's cat, now that she's an elder. No one in the household is platinum aspiration, or even gold, so I can't safely use the pet bowl reward thingy.

Oh, I didn't even think of that.  I didn't pay much attention to the cat, so it's age completely sneaked up on me and caught me by surprise.  I forget it's name now and I think they ended up adopting another cat, but I don't remember for sure now.

I started sending some of my middle-younger kids to university together next.  I must have played through it really fast, because I didn't take many pictures, except to keep track of who was pairing up with whom.  There didn't seem to be a lot of drama with this group in college.  They all knew who they liked and I'm not 100% sure, because I haven't played much recently, but I think most, if not all of them ended up staying with their college sweethearts.

Alice was not interested at all in any of my other sims from this challenge, but she ended up meeting up with Sabien who she flirted with as a teen.  Now that she's older, starting a relationship with him isn't quite so inappropriate.



Things seem to be going well in the romance department, but when they try to talk . . . things don't go so well.



Maybe they don't have as much in common as they thought.  



Alice's little sister meets Andre (son of Enrique and Anais) and become a super cute couple.



I can't remember if I shared pics of Elyse's teenage romances or not.  I think I did.  Andre's brother, Javier, was one of the boys she liked in high school and she was one of the girls that he liked, but in college it's starting to look like they've only got eyes for each other.  That is if Javier doesn't follow in his father, Enrique's footsteps.



Oh, and I almost forgot.  Patrick and Ava's middle child, Erik, and Raymie and Franco's youngest, Marina, seem to have really hit it off.

I love Alice's hair. I hope she and Sabien find a few things they can talk about together!

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Alice's little sister meets Andre (son of Enrique and Anais) and become a super cute couple.

They sure are. So are Erik and Marina.

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That is if Javier doesn't follow in his father, Enrique's footsteps.

Can the neighborhood handle an Enrique2.0???

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I love Alice's hair.

Me too!  That's her natural hair too.  It was especially nice to have an unexpected break from all of the black hair (which apparently this hair was binned as.)

Today I have some random pictures from Stefan and Jade's household.  Their daughters Stephanie and Alexandra are such pretty girls.



I'm not sure what this interaction is that Stephanie is trying out on Clark (I think?)  It's kind of funny though.



Stefan is not in the mood for Stephanie showing off her dance moves after a long day at work.  





Alexandra talked her parents into getting a puppy.  They are just so adorable together.



I cleaned out Stefan's inventory and found all of these date mementos.  It ended up looking like a shrine to his past lovers.  I can't imagine Jade would approve of it though.  



They finally ended up making it official.



With a really simple, private ceremony in their upstairs hallway.  But they don't need much to bring the romance.





I've been trying to get Stefan to invite Rain around more often so they don't lose their relationship and so that she can get to know her half-sisters and step-mother.  It's been hard to find a time that works for both of them, but she's managed to make it over for dinner a few times at least.

Stephanie's quite a little character!

The picture of Alexandra with her little puppy is sweet, and I got a laugh out of Stefan's shrine to past girlfriends.

After graduation (or maybe this was still during college. I'm honestly not sure.) Marina wrote and published a novel about her family's experiences with alien abduction. It sold well.



In good spirits she had a warm welcome for Erik.



Well, hello to you too!



They decided to make it official and got engaged.



And invited their parents over to their new apartment the next day so the families could get to know each other.



As a first impression, Franco doesn't think much of his youngest child's intended. "This is the guy Marina keeps going on about? Meh."



But Erik knows how to win him over. "Did you know I graduated with honors?"



"And I maximized the creativity skill as a teen."



"And as for the future, I hope to be a successful business man like you and earn lots of simoleons." I think Franco left the conversation thoroughly impressed.



But when he saw Marina chatting with Javier, one of her high school beaus, Erik's current roommate, and son of the infamous Enrique. He was starting to wonder if this relationship was really going to work out. Erik checked out okay, but was Marina really committed?



Raymie casually brings up the latest pairings with Marina when they catch a moment alone. "Me and Javier? That train left the station a long time ago. He's totally into Elyse now."



Erik's mom Ava also comes over. (I think Patrick had to work.)



Uh, Marina . . . I don't know that telling your future mother-in-law all about the crazy woohoo you've been having is the best choice of a conversation starter.



Ava is very understanding about it though. She remembers being young and in love.



She's pretty quick to change the subject though. She asks if they think they'll move to the city after graduation and what they plan to do about jobs.



Marina doesn't seem too keen on those topics though. Things are getting a little awkward and she seems eager to move on from this conversation. "Let's see if Erik has those sandwiches ready yet."



Talking about school seems to be a more comfortable topic.



Outside the parents talk about how nice it is that their kids are getting married.



But I'm starting to wonder if it will really happen. I'm not so sure she's completely over Javier . . .

It's not the packaging, it's the contents! Marina makes those plain white jammies look good!

I love the conversations. It's so much fun to come up with a conversation that makes sense out of those bubbles.

Marina's an accomplished woman already, with a best seller already making money for her. I hope she doesn't fall for Javier's charms, especially if he turns out to be just like his father. Erik seems a devoted and hard working partner; I'd hate to see his heart broken because she accepted his proposal before she was certain about marrying him.

I didn't particularly notice her white pajamas, but I thought her outdoor outfit was really cute.

I need to pay attention to the speech bubbles more often.  I've always liked trying to make conversations out of them, even back when I played TS1.

I might have to go back and check memories to make sure, but think Marina and Javier both stayed faithful to their partners so far.  I think you might have a point about her accepting his proposal too soon though, because I noticed later in my pics I had another engagement photo for them.  I have an "auto break-up" option in ACR turned on, usually I just see it happen for couples that are going steady and not engaged or married, but they did end up breaking their engagement automatically, so I let them hold off on marriage or engagement for awhile.

Um, who next?  How about Alice?

After graduation Alice and Sabien moved into an apartment together.  They still don't get along well most of the time.  "Wow, it was sunny today?"  "You call that sunny?  It was partly sunny at best."



They get along much better when they're not talking.  (Watch out for the stove!)



They have a roommate.  (I think her name is Mackenzie, but several of my apartment townies look like of alike, so I could be mistaken.)  I think she might be a problem.  She seems a bit too interested in Sabien.



Make that way too interested, but Sabien seems committed to being faithful to Alice.



While Sabien is fighting off their roommate's advances Alice is having lunch with her father.  "I'm glad you're finally getting to meet Sabien. I know you'll like him once you get to know him."



"Maybe I will, but don't you think you two are moving awfully fast?  Are you sure you're ready for the responsibility of a baby?  You're both just starting out with your adult lives"



"It's not all fun and games, you know."



Their neighbor Elyse interrupts.  She can't resist asking Captain Hero about his superhero abilities.  "Can I see you fly?"



"No, I'm not going to fly for you!  My abilities are serious, only to be used to serve justice.  They aren't meant to be used to show off."  

"Okay, fine.  Whatever . . ."

Love your conversational interpretations of the thought balloons!

How about an update on Franco and Raymie's three eldest children?

After living together for awhile Ramon and McKenna decided it was time to take the next step. McKenna proposed.



None too soon, it appears.



So they had an evening ceremony for their close friends and family. They look so happy, don't they?



(And a photo for the crowd of guests.)



Portia and Kieran are living busy lives as she's moving up the law track and he's trying to establish himself as an actor, while raising a family. I think the last time I played, they'd had baby number 4. I wish I could find the pic of Portia holding a baby while practicing a speech in front of the mirror, but maybe I already shared it.

Luckily the kids get along well.





And they have a great nanny.



I love how they both pitch in





and they manage to find time for each other as well. (They're just a really cute family.)



Elle has become a good family friend. (She seems to come home with a lot of my sims for some reason.)



(Not all of my sims are thrilled that she comes home with their SO's so often though. )



Francesca and Gabriel have also started a cute family together (which I've shared in the other thread.)





Sadly, things have not been smooth sailing in their relationship though.

Francesca hasn't forgotten about the fling she had with her sister's now husband, Keiran.





And Gabriel hasn't been as faithful as he could be either . . .



Things were going okay for awhile and their flirtations were flying under the radar until Francesca and Keiran started getting too friendly at a family function. (This was after Portia left early . . . something I don't think was a coincidence.)



They seemed to forget that Gabriel was still around though.



Busted!



They got caught and Gabriel was not happy about it. How is this going to play out?

I enjoyed Alice's lunch with her father, and their discussion. Elyse might be a bit shallow, huh? I'm glad Sabien is committed to being faithful. I hope it lasts, but it seems like they might not have much in common except certain, uh, physical activities.

Ramon and McKenna do look very happy together; I hope they'll stay that way.

Portia and Kieran's kids are cute, and I like how they're looking expectantly at the nanny in that first picture. I imagine they're wondering why she's just letting the bottles lay around on the floor.

Francesca and Gabriel have such a nice family; I'm sorry they're having problems staying faithful to each other. I'm looking forward to seeing that rest of that family gathering, though.

Okay, Em, I'm going to attempt to catch up in your game thread, too.
I think I left off after the grouchy Sims built their grumpy, creepy snowman.

Em wrote:

(After I gave her the boot. Ramon was too nice to do it himself.)

Em wrote:

(Re: Patrick) His work outfit is scandalous though.

Cher wrote:

Can the neighborhood handle an Enrique2.0???

Em wrote:

I cleaned out Stefan's inventory and found all of these date mementos.  It ended up looking like a shrine to his past lovers.  I can't imagine Jade would approve of it though.

Em wrote:

Franco doesn't think much of his youngest child's intended. "This is the guy Marina keeps going on about? Meh."

Em wrote:

Uh, Marina . . . I don't know that telling your future mother-in-law all about the crazy woohoo you've been having is the best choice of a conversation starter.

Em wrote:

They get along much better when they're not talking. (Watch out for the stove!)

Em wrote:

"No, I'm not going to fly for you! My abilities are serious, only to be used to serve justice. They aren't meant to be used to show off."

 

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It was a sad day when Ava's cat, who she adopted as a kitten when (I think) Connor was little, died from old age. Even the butler was torn up about it.

Awww! RIP beloved feline!

Way to go Erik (musical genius and a piano prodigy at a young age) AND Marina for writing/selling a well-received novel!

Cher wrote:

The first kisses are always sweet.

Em wrote:

Alexandra talked her parents into getting a puppy.  They are just so adorable together.

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Patrick and Ava's middle child, Erik, and Raymie and Franco's youngest, Marina, seem to have really hit it off.

Young love!
And can I just add what an absolute DOLL Erik is???

Cher wrote:

I love the conversations. It's so much fun to come up with a conversation that makes sense out of those bubbles.

Em wrote:

I've always liked trying to make conversations out of them, even back when I played TS1.

Mac wrote:

Love your conversational interpretations of the thought balloons!

I've always thought Em has a particular gift for doing so, Cher & Mac. Their conversations are always so humorous and/or clever.
Great job, as always, Em.

I enjoyed getting caught up with your game antics, Emily.
So many lovely families (some doing well, some struggling ... Just like in REAL life!) .

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I'm glad Sabien is committed to being faithful. I hope it lasts, but it seems like they might not have much in common except certain, uh, physical activities.

Yeah . . . they don't strike me as the perfect match and I can't say they've had the greatest relationship, but they're hanging in there so far.  

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Ramon and McKenna do look very happy together; I hope they'll stay that way.

Me too.  He had a rough go for awhile and deserves some happiness.

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I imagine they're wondering why she's just letting the bottles lay around on the floor.

  They are, aren't they?  I'm sure Mommy picks their bottles up right away and doesn't leave them on the floor.

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Francesca and Gabriel have such a nice family; I'm sorry they're having problems staying faithful to each other. I'm looking forward to seeing that rest of that family gathering, though.

I don't know if there's any rest to it.  I can check my pictures, but it seems like it broke up after that.  I honestly don't know what to do with those two.  They've been a mess . . .

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Way to go Erik (musical genius and a piano prodigy at a young age) AND Marina for writing/selling a well-received novel!

I guess they're a very creative couple.  

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And can I just add what an absolute DOLL Erik is???

You can.  And I agree, he is!

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I've always thought Em has a particular gift for doing so, Cher & Mac. Their conversations are always so humorous and/or clever.
Great job, as always, Em.

Aw, thanks.  I need to pay attention to the dialogue bubbles more.  It makes it more fun for me too.  

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So many lovely families (some doing well, some struggling ... Just like in REAL life!) .

It keeps things interesting, that's for sure.

I have lots and lots more backlogged about these families, but I'm going to switch gears and share that I've been doing lately, this past week.


It's been a long time since I tried to set up posed, storytelling pictures.  It's a lot of work.  I usually try to keep it simple, but I ended up going all out with poseboxes, fancy OMSPs, and special effects.  I'm trying to sort them now.     That's just one pic I especially liked.  Some of the others turned out pretty cool too.

I can see why you liked that picture so much. I look forward to seeing more.

I'd never used poseboxes before I got this computer, so Isle of Demeter and Sugah's Pleasantview are the only times I've experimented with them. It can be fun, but it can also be frustrating. It's much more time-consuming than i thought it would be, but that's probably operator error.

I was working on a story update when I took that pic.  It's basically done, but I'm still proofreading.  I might post just some of the pictures here too, if you're interested.  I was thinking of doing that on tumblr too.

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It can be fun, but it can also be frustrating. It's much more time-consuming than i thought it would be,

That's definitely poseboxes for you!  I have a bunch downloaded, but I usually end up using the same few.  It's easier to deal with ones that I've gotten used to instead of trying to guess through all of those "Pose 1" "Pose 2" poses.     I usually don't bother with them if I can help it, but for my story I needed two sims to have a conversation while one was seated and the other was lying in a bed and it just wasn't working for me without the extra help.  I thought they'd chat for me, but no.  

I did have one more picture from that family party that erupted in so much drama.  I can't believe I missed this one.  


Raymie:   Now, Kieran, all of us know how hot you are, but it would be better for everyone if you limited your flirting to just my daughter that you're married to.

That was actually the last family party they had in the apartment.  Raymie and Franco had been wanting to retire and they had amassed a fairly substantial savings, so I decided it was time for them to move out of their apartment.  I built them a nice beach house with lots of room for their children and grandchildren to come visit.


The house has extra bedrooms for overnight visitors, but they might not always want the extra company.

I wasn't going to age any of my sims up to elder, but a few of them really wanted to retire and I couldn't find any way to do that before they aged up.  Plus, their grandkids are getting older, so it made sense.  (Here they're still young though.)

I threw retirement parties for both of them (which I'll share at a later date, so this post doesn't run too long) and gathered everyone around for family photos.  I also took pics of each individual family, but I enjoyed getting everyone into a big group shot.  

Beautiful group shot

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It's easier to deal with ones that I've gotten used to instead of trying to guess through all of those "Pose 1" "Pose 2" poses.

If you were OCD like me, you'd have a printout of each posebox's set of poses so you could spend a stupid amount of time looking through your pages of information to find just the right pose.

I hope Kieran paid attention to what Raymie was telling him.

I like the house you built for Franco and Raymie; they deserve a nice place in which to enjoy their retirement.

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The house has extra bedrooms for overnight visitors, but they might not always want the extra company.

Raymie didn't seem to mind, but those guests just made themselves right at home, didn't they?

I love the group shot of the entire family, and Raymie and Franco look so happy.

I'm way too lazy to be OCD. I actually tried once to take pictures of the poses for some of the poseboxes I have, so I could have a reference guide like that. But I didn't get very far with that idea at all.

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Raymie didn't seem to mind, but those guests just made themselves right at home, didn't they? laughin

It was their youngest daughter, Marina, and her boyfriend/husband/partner, (I don't remember if they're actually married or not.) Erik. They may be more casual about things since they're family.

I also took pictures of each of the kids and their families, except for Marina and Erik's famil. For some reason I can't find a picture of them. Either I took their picture at a different time or place or I just forgot them completely. Let's see if I can remember everyone's names. (These pictures are also probably ahead of some of my storytelling in this thread.)

First, we have Ramon and McKenna and their children, Ramona and Michael.



Then, Portia and Kieran and their children, twin teens Joel and Adrianna, child Kaden, and baby Mallory.



Francesca and Gabriel and their children Maximilian and Gabriella.



Going back to my oldest pictures that I haven't shared yet. I decided to add some new blood to the hood. I wanted to get some sims from creators I hadn't downloaded much from so far and I wanted some more genetic variety. Since I downloaded a lot of black haired, light skinned sims so far, I was looking for lighter hair colors and/or darker skin tones. I ended up downloading three of Elle's "Back to School" teens, Octavia, Oswald, and Silas and downloaded her cute Beck to be their designated parent. (He looks like he could be their professor to me.) I moved them in to the empty apartment in the complex where Johanna and Johannes, Stefan and Jade, and Elena and Addison live. (I'm really struggling to remember names right now, so I don't expect any one else to remember any of these sims. ) They all have teenagers at home that could use some new friends to socialize and it also had the added benefit of displacing that creepy townie Alec that kept harassing Elena and hitting on all of the underage girls.



Most of them had no trouble finding love. Stephanie and Oswald hit it off and shared a cute first kiss.



Octavia went after Aristokles, who is definitely too old for her, but the crystal ball matched them up.



Even Beck found someone. He met Bethany from my Baby Boom Challenge (older sister to Emma, who's always getting entangled with my Offspring sims).



Their relationship progressed pretty quickly. She's not eligible for the Offspring Project, but I think they'll make a good match.




I don't have many pictures from this family. My teens were growing up, so they didn't live in the apartment complex for long before I sent the teens off to college.

I have Beck in my 'hood, too. I gave him an education career. In RL, a handsome doggie-woggie like him would have had all the high school girls swooning! In my game world, he's married to Toni's Daria (also in education) and they have a little boy, Dante.

I love the family photos, and I really like the new blood you added to your hood. Beck has his hands full with three teens, so it's nice that he found time to get involved with Bethany. Getting rid of Alec is definitely a nice bonus!

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In RL, a handsome doggie-woggie like him would have had all the high school girls swooning!

In RL, he'd probably have me swooning too. He's a cutie.

I can't remember if I have him in the education career or not. I probably do. That seems right for him. I'm not sure if I'm imagining him as a high school teacher or a college professor. As I was looking through my photos I noticed at least one of my college girls was going after him too. Unfortunately, Bethany has some competition.

Luckily for Beck, the teens didn't stay teens for long. My other teens in the hood were ready to go to college so I fast tracked the newbies to join them.

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In RL, a handsome doggie-woggie like him would have had all the high school girls swooning!

Most definitely!

I'm not at my home computer at the moment, so nothing new to add right now . . .

My younger sims from this generation started heading to college and finding romance.

Jolene (daughter of Johanna and Johannes) had a high school romance with Clark (son of Elyse and Addison) (they were the teens who built the evil snowman together.)   But she left for college before he did and wasn't about to wait for him to catch up.  In the meantime, she started to take notice of Clark's older brother, Jack.  (I didn't change his hair as a teen because I wanted to see if it would change as he aged.  This is what he aged into.   College is really short, so unless they grow into something really weird I don't bother to change their clothes either.)





Alexandra (daughter of Stefan and Jade) and Liam (son of Patrick and Ava) share a sweet first kiss in the cafeteria.



I think it's cute how she stares after him as he walks away afterwards.  I think she's a bit smitten.



Javier (son of Enrique and Anais) woos Elyse (daughter of Elena and Addison, older sister of Jack and Clark) with a private moonlight concert on the roof of the dorm.



He's his father's son alright.



After a semester or two I move in the youngest of this generation.  Jana (Jolene's sister), Venus (a random sim that was already in this hood and had befriended some of my offspring teens), Clark (Jack and Elyse's brother), and Stephanie (Alexandra's sister).



I thought maybe Clark and Jolene might get back together (unless she's moved on with his brother.)  but he immediately notices Jolene's sister Jana has grown up well.  Maybe he'll switch siblings too.  





Jolene's not giving up on him though.  Not that she's giving up Jack either.  I'll have to check, but I think I've got a lot of romance sims in this group.



Elle's three teens move in next (as some of the older students are graduating and making room in the dorm) along with Debbie who was Jack's "foreign exchange student" friend.  Silas and Debbie kiss before they even step foot in the dorm.



And Octavia's right there to congratulate them.  "Hey, you kissed my brother, good for you.  I'm so glad he finally found someone to kiss."



Debbie's not the only girl interested in Silas.  Jolene is over the new guy and manages to corner him in the bathroom.  (I checked and as I thought, she is romance.  Clark is too.)



They're interrupted by the cow mascot.  Silas isn't so thrilled by the cow's interest though.



Oswald and Stephanie pick up their high school romance and share a kiss that looks like it knocks the socks off of both of them.



Octavia doesn't find anyone in the dorm that strikes her fancy.  There's really no one that compares to Aristokles for her, so she calls him up and invites him to hang out at the dorm with her.



At least she's old enough now to make their relationship more acceptable.

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I think it's cute how she stares after him as he walks away afterwards.

I think it is, too. That's a great picture.

Nice hair and cropped shirt, Jack.

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He's his father's son alright.

Oh my! But I have to admit, a moonlight rooftop serenade might be hard to resist.

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And Octavia's right there to congratulate them. "Hey, you kissed my brother, good for you. I'm so glad he finally found someone to kiss."

Uni could be a lot of fun with all those romance Sims! It looks like Octavia could be a more serious type. Maybe that's why she is attracted to an older man.

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Nice hair and cropped shirt, Jack.

I didn't even notice the shirt.   I think he needs a longer one . . . or actually, the truth is, his pants are too low.  

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It looks like Octavia could be a more serious type. Maybe that's why she is attracted to an older man.

I don't remember what her personality is, but I think when I checked her aspiration, it was family.  I think she wants to cut to the chase and find an older guy who will be ready to settle down ASAP.

I'm not sure what pictures to share next.  Looking through my folder, they seem a bit random, but that's okay.

Speaking of Jack, he got a makeover after graduation.



My older kids are busy starting families and working on their careers, but I've been trying to make time to have family members visit and maintain their relationships.



It's important that the grandparents get to know their grandkids. (I just noticed it looks like Drake's kissing the baby's eye and she does not like it. )





Ming think her husband is still hot, especially when she sees him with a baby.



Ming and Drake have the kids over for family reunions and I called them over for some family photo shoots.  Peter is delighted to see their beloved family pet is still alive.  Pandy must be the longest living womrat on record.  



I made over Ming and Drake's house.  I get caught up in playing and forget to decorate.  I get focused on function rather than style.  It was so plain and drab and they had so much money in the bank from reaching the top of their careers that a redesign was overdue.







Ming and Drake's youngest daughter, Lynn, decided to tie the knot with her boyfriend, Andre (son of Enrique and Anais.)  (This is actually their engagement, but they planned for the wedding immediately after, so she was already in her wedding veil.   ) He looks so serious . . .



There's a happy couple!



Big sister, Frances photobombed their engagement photos.  But I took the picture anyway, because she's just so pretty.



And here's one of their middle sister, Alice, with her man, Sabien, sharing a romantic moment as they get ready to attend the wedding. Ming and Drake have the prettiest daughters.



They have the ceremony in their little apartment.



It's pretty cramped with all of the guests.  They both come from pretty large families, especially if you count Andre's half-siblings.



The Mr. and Mrs.!

Lovely sims! Bride and groom and big sister Frances. I am in awe of your having a wedding with all those guests - it gets to be like herding cats keeping up with all of them. I have long since given up on wedding parties and just have the bride and groom exchange rings all by themselves. I do, though, make sure the bride has a nice formal dress. They usually then have a wedding dinner twosome, though sometimes it's just spaghetti and meatballs!