Rishling Siblings

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One after another, they said their "I do's." For siblings who have always been close, sharing a wedding day seemed like the natural thing to do.

So they did - in August at Indian Creek Golf Course in Omaha. The Rishling siblings - Lisa, Linda, Josh and Laura - shared the ceremony, the reception, the cake-cutting, the bouquet toss and the memories.

The idea began as a joke a year ago at Thanksgiving dinner. The more the family and their future spouses talked, the sweeter the idea became.

For Lisa Rishling, 33, and Carlos Esparza, 33, the wedding highlighted a 15-year relationship that produced three sons whom they cherish.

Laura Rishling, 25, and Phil Malone, 26, had been together nine years and had a daughter, Mailey.

Linda Rishling, 30, and Jeromy Nielsen, 33, were high school sweethearts who married in September 1997, had a son and separated. Five years later, they rekindled their romance and decided to remarry.

Josh Rishling, 28, and Theresa Griffin, 26, began dating in April 1997. They are expecting their first child in June.

Cliff Rishling walked each of his daughters down the aisle.

"My father was pretty emotional and out of breath by the last one,'' Laura said.

Theresa Griffin was escorted by her father, Alan Smith.

The wedding colors were red, black, silver and white but each groom and each bride personalized their attire.

The couples' children participated as flower girls and ring bearers.

The wedding's unique circumstances attracted national media attention, including a 4 a.m. appearance on "Good Morning America" the day of the wedding. "I was really nervous," Theresa recalled. "We only had two hours of sleep and we were exhausted."

The interview and the ceremony went smoothly. "We were just so happy,'' Laura said. "I cried through the vows and the first dances."

To commemorate a favorite pasttime, the grooms' cake was decorated with logos of favorite NFL teams. The men playfully crouched in a three-point football stance and raced to be the first to toss his garter.

The reception was so large, "we ran out of food,'' Laura said. "It was a huge event." The turnout was twice the number expected. By the end of the reception, the food crisis was forgotten.

Linda said her favorite part of the wedding was celebrating it with her siblings and loved ones.

For Linda, "It kind of felt like it was out of a movie or something. It was just so beautiful, it didn't feel real.''