The Wedding Day

The wedding was an absolutely beautiful affair. But, leading up to it was a day of craziness and busyness. We didn't go to sleep on Fri night until around 2am and I was up at 7 am that morning to start our day off with a bang! And, we didn't slow down until about 2am on Sunday morning! Hence, the exhaustion. ;-) But, it was fun and wonderful. Jeff got to the church around 3pm, but Em was already in the basement getting pictures taken of her "getting ready". Cara and I were in and out a bit there, because we were already dressed and were trying to get the kids all dressed and ready as well, but Lisa and Jenny her other bridemaids were down there getting ready with her. She had gotten her hair done earlier that day and was just working on make-up and eventually around 3:30 got her dress on and headed upstairs for pictures. Jeff had to stay in seclusion in a different part of the church while this happened. And, when she was done, Jeff came out and did his thing, while she went back into seclusion in the basement of the church. The wedding was to begin at 5:30 and amazingly it did! The people started filing in around 5. Jeff and Em teach a sunday school class of 2-3 yr olds and some of the girls that they had were asked to pass out programs. Em bought 4 spools of ribbons - all the colors of her wedding - and we let each of the girls pick out a different color to go around their dress. They were adorable! Then they had their friend Britney and her son, who is only 6m old, do the guest book signing. He wore a tuxedo shirt and was seriously the cutest guest book person ever! Em, the girls, and all of the kids lined up in the back and waited for the music to start. Mom was able to walk down the aisle to her seat which was something she really wanted to be able to do and she did it! So, that was really great for all of us. Once the parents were all seated, dad came back and they opened the doors for us. Madie and Olivia were the flower girls and did a great job walking down and throwing their petals. Noah and Isaiah were the ring bearers and they too did a great job walking down the aisle. Then it was Em's big moment. As you can tell from the pictures, she looked absolutely beautiful! The dress was gorgeous and she was so happy that she just glowed. I watched Jeff's expression when he saw her and you could just see what a tremendous love they share. When the moment came for dad to give her away, he gave a brief speech and passed her off. It was about this time that Olivia had to go sit with Pete. She had proceeded to throw all her remaining petals at Em while she stood there and was going for Madie's basket, when Pete motioned to her to come sit with him and she did thankfully. :-) Isaiah followed shortly after, since he and Noah were putting those petals inside their ears. Noah took Isaiah's pillow from him and began hitting himself in the head, causing Caleb and mom to start cracking up. It only lasted a short time though and the rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch! Em and Jeff did their vows and exchanged their rings and after they did the unity candle, Micah sang a couple songs, so they could have their first communion together and washed each other's feet, which I thought was a really beautiful part of the ceremony. Their friend/youth pastor, John Howensteine, was the officiant and was great. He's just a nice guy and a really good friend to them both, so it was fitting that he do the service. Heck, Jeff proposed to Em in John and Kim's backyard. It all came full circle. After they were pronounced man and wife and we all went to the hall to greet people, we were able to see the many people who came to the wedding. Dad's sis Judi came with nearly her whole family, so that was fanstastic. I'll blog about them later and share some pictures I took. We got to see Beverly and Dudley, and Rick and Janet from Royal Center. It was soooo good to see them. They haven't changed a bit. It was just a time for celebrating. Jeff and Em dated for like 4 yrs. It was time and they were ready!

The reception was great too! It was a buffet-style set up, so we could just get up and mingle and grab some food. The kids loved the dancing most of all though. Noah danced with Em and Madie danced with Jeff. Then while I was talking to Janet and Beverly, I noticed that Noah and Olivia were dancing together. Cutest thing ever!!!! I was so proud of my kids that day. My nephews too. Their whole weekend had been a busy one. From the rehearsal the night before, to the wedding itself that day. They had to get ready and stay clean and neat from about 2:30 that afternoon until after 9pm that night. They had to sit through pictures and behave during the ceremony. Take more pictures and go to the reception. They did it all and did it basically with no melt-downs or tantrums or anything. They had a great time and made all of us moms and dads very proud of them. Heck, by the time it was all over, I think we adults were more exhausted and grumpy than they were! Actually, I don't think, I know! It was a really long day, but a day full of joy and excitement. Our family is now complete. Micah has Cara. I have Pete. And, now Em has Jeff. We can't wait to see what their life together will bring....... I hope it brings a few nieces and nephews, but I'll give them a little time together before I push that issue. ;-) hehe CONGRATS TO YOU GUYS! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

***By the way, I'm including basically all the pictures I took on the 18th - the actual day of the wedding - from getting ready, to pictures, to the ceremony, to the reception. Granted, most of the pictures are of the kids, but that's because I was IN most of the pictures with Em and Jeff taken that day, so I couldn't take any then. Once they get their professional shots back, I'll do another blog and include some of those nice ones.