Wedding Joy

"...spend this short season well. Spend each of your shared moments and hours. Spend them in wondering delight at the blessings of God. Spend them in passioned pursuit of Christ, in fellowship with his people, in constant love and service to one another and to your family, your neighbors, your community." ~Douglas McKelvey, Every Moment Holy

(Most of these photos are from the official wedding photographer, who did a fantastic job.)

The "first look" and the family photographs were all finished.

So the wedding party scooted over to the holding area where we waited for the guests to arrive. 

We brought some cheese and crackers to help our tummies have something solid, since the reception was all desserts.

Thankfully, one of the bridal party had the sense to bring disposable mini toothbrushes with the toothpaste pre-loaded.

I had never heard of these amazing inventions, but they came in handy as we finished eating and prepared for the service to begin.

 

Then we prayed together and began the walk to the lovely chapel for the ceremony.

Wedding Day for Olivia

 And then everyone was getting ready for the wedding. I'm so grateful the place we stayed was big enough for our family and the bridal party to use as a home base.

Olivia chose to do a first look with both her brother and her dad.

I found myself thinking about the marriage blessings in Every Moment Holy.

Watching our kids prepare for and participate in marriage causes me to ruminate on my own marriage in awe and thankfulness.

"May your love for one another overflow in blessing to all who have the joy of knowing you. May the world be better loved because of your passion for each other.

May the flame of your love never wane, but burn ever fiercer across the years, that even in old age you would remain wellsprings of one another's delight." 

~Douglas McKelvey, "Every Moment Holy"

Olivia deliberately chose a wedding dress with pockets :)

Before we knew it, we all loaded up and drove to the lovely wedding venue!

Sweet Sabbath on the Porch August 2024

"Have you ever wondered why God would institute a Sabbath? Doesn't it seem like we could accomplish more for His cause if we worked seven days a week? So why did God stop working on the seventh day? It certainly wasn't because He needed a break. Here's my take. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder that we don't keep the planets in orbit; He does. But you'd never know it by our frenetic effort to get to the bottom of our to do lists. You know what you really need? A stop doing list!" 

~Mark Batterson, "Wild Goose Chase"

 The long, screened in back porch during wedding week was exactly what we needed to help us slow down and listen to the Holy Spirit's whispers. This space provided a calm shelter in the chaos of the week. The porch also gave us a place for some sweet conversations with our kids as we cradled cups of hot coffee in our hands on the cool mornings. What an unexpected gift!

Wedding Week Part 2 August 2024

The beautiful Sugar Bridge trail began right behind our house, so Sarah, Aaron, and I walked it early one morning.

Sarah was tasked with making everyone's hair look good for the wedding, including mine :) She practiced to make sure that each of us had a style that we liked.

The day before the wedding, I met my dear friend, Roxanne, to hike along Pinion Creek to Brittany Dam. Time with her is always encouraging, I still can hardly believe her family drove up from Dallas to help us with all of the behind the scenes work for the wedding. We've been able to support them as their own kids have gotten married, and this sweet sister is a gem.

Sarah put the finishing touches on the cake and set it on my great-grandmother's cake stand. It feels like Sarah has been repeating this pattern all of her life. Make a beautiful cake, place it on a cake stand for all to enjoy :)

What a beautiful community showed up to prepare the space for the wedding reception.

Olivia and Connor chose to keep things simple, a few pictures, a few flowers, lots of delicious desserts, and some original music.

With friends and family working together, it didn't take long to plate the desserts on the many cut-glass serving dishes we brought.

Before we knew, everything was set up,

and we were ready for the wedding rehearsal and the beginning of a new chapter.

 

Wedding Week August 2024

"History is like an intricately interwoven tapestry with infinite patterns that only the Omniscient One can see and foresee - but if threads the needle. Your ifs don't just change the trajectory of your life; they change the course of history." ~Mark Batterson, "If"

Everyone gathered in Bella Vista a few days before the wedding. In an interesting turn of events, the original Air BnB we had booked canceled on us as we were coming home from the family gathering in Dallas. I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to find a house big enough for all of our family and the bridal party, but the Lord provided the perfect place: plenty of room upstairs for the married couples, plenty of room downstairs for the bridal party, a beautiful backyard surrounded by trails, a huge screened in back porch, and a well-stocked kitchen with lots of cabinet space as well as a large pantry.

As soon as everyone arrived and unpacked, we started baking desserts for the reception. And of course, Sarah made the wedding cake: a delicious carrot cake recipe that our family has tweaked to our taste. If it's made with coconut oil from the Solomon Islands, the cake is even better!

Another bonus to the house we chose for the week? My friend, Bree, who is also my strength training coach, lived only a few minutes away! So we snuck in an early morning walk and gym session together before the rest of my house woke up.

After most of the baking was done, we took a quick hike to see the nearby Tanyard Creek Falls.

As friends and family began to trickle in to celebrate, I was reminded of that intricate tapestry of our lives, woven by the Lord, and crossing our paths with so many amazing people who make our journey more beautiful.