The day finally arrived. Justin and Sam officially tied the knot!
The weather earlier in the week was rain, rain and more rain, but the day of the wedding was a perfect, 75 degree low-humidity day.
After a fun Thursday evening at the Plymouth Millennium Gardens for the rehearsal, we all met back at the Lucky 13 restaurant for the groom’s dinner.
Sam and Justin chose a casual patio garden barbeque menu. The evening was full of fun and laughter as everyone chatted and celebrated the couple.
Friday morning, the day of the wedding, started with early morning hair and makeup for the wedding party and decorating the venue.
My Mom had designed all of the arrangements the night before using blue, green and white hydrangeas. From there we corralled everyone to help with putting arrangements on the tables, setting up the photo booth, and placing more flowers on the cake, gift and guest book tables.
It took a small village of family and friends to pull it off and I want to thank everyone who helped.
(I’ll show you more pictures of the details as Spencer finishes them)
Speaking of Spencer, he gifted Sam and Justin their wedding photos. What a great gift!
He worked off of a list that the couple had created.
The first item on the list was the “First Look” picture.
Here is what that looked like, from the balcony of the reception area using my iPhone.
Only the two of them and Spencer were allowed to be part of that moment. Not even me, the mother of the bride that gave birth and raised this child for 23 years, 11 months and 11 days!
But I’m not bitter, it’s fine, whatever. 🙂
After the “First Look”, pictures of the two of them at different parts of the gardens were snapped. (Photo by Spencer)
The back of her dress is so beautiful, I wanted you to see it. Again using my IPhone, I captured this picture of my sister Carrie, who was Sam’s personal attendant, helping Sam with her train as they walked towards the next photo spot.
From here they started on wedding party photos. (Photo by Spencer)
I love this picture. Spencer captured these two “Kissing”. These two goofs are not the kissy, huggy type in front of other people. The expression on their faces is usually how they posed.
So why not keep that tradition going…even on your wedding day.
Next came family photos.
And then it was time to tie the knot.
I thought I had all of my tears out of the way at the rehearsal. Let me tell you, I was an ugly cry mess. I knew I would be, but dang, I was a torrential downpour of tears. It was even suggested that I attach sponges under my eyes for the wedding day.
When Wade, Sam and I started to walk down the aisle, I was doing pretty good.
And then I saw Carrie crying.
Ugh.
I held it back until we were standing in front of the minister and she told us that is was “Time to let go and give Sam’s hand to Justin.”
WHAT?????
Are you kidding me?
Let go?
Commence the waterworks, ugly cry and the greatest hug I have ever received from my daughter.
The rest of the ceremony was beautiful and the reception was a fun celebration with family and friends.
As I get more pictures, I will share them with you.
In fact, Wade and I gave Sam and Justin a gift that they will never forget. You won’t want to miss that video.
We had another Best Day Ever on Spring Break last week.
Sam spent her break with us and we checked a few more items off of the wedding To-Do list.
The reality that our little girl is all grown up and getting married is really starting to sink in.
I know, I know, she and Justin, her fiancé, have dated for over six years and have been engaged for almost a year already so I knew this was coming.
But when you are editing pictures and you notice in a close up shot, that she still holds her pencil the same way that she did when she was little, it becomes real.
Just a second, I have to go and blow my nose.
I am going to be such a mess on her wedding day. 🙂
Okay, let’s move on.
Besides visiting her wedding venue and playing with some different table arrangements, we worked on the photo booth background.
Sam found an app, DIY Booth Lite, that we put on an iPad. The iPad will be strategically placed and centered using this as our background.
From there anyone can make a fun photo strip of pictures using the app and send it to their phone. Even better, Sam and Justin will have a set for themselves on the iPad.
We used the black frame that I use to hold the backgrounds for photos. However a customized background was well over $50.
Not in Sam’s budget, so what does a crafty Mother and Daughter team do?
You guessed it. We made it ourselves.
We bought a 6’x9’ drop cloth from Walmart for $6.99 and I already had the paint, the fabric medium, the large letter stencils and a cheap craft paint brush.
If you did need to purchase all of those things, it would be about $10-$15.
The saying, Best Day Ever was laid out on the drop cloth and traced.
Then each letter was painted.
We wanted the effect to look like a huge old fashioned typewriter had imprinted the fabric.
Sam added her wedding date by freehand. (The girl has skills.)
Since Sam was little, when she is really happy about something, she does a little wiggle dance.
When we finished the backdrop, she wiggle danced.
Here’s wishing all of you a wiggly Best Day Ever Spring Break!
When I sew, I like to have the TV on. More specifically I like to watch the MeTV channel when they run the old western/cowboy shows. You know, shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke and The Rifleman. I find it interesting that not one of the Bonanza boys got married, well not for any length of time anyway and how is that Miss Kitty and Marshall Matt Dillon never declared their love for one another? I know there was more than a friendship there. I haven’t seen the episode where Lucas McCain marries Millie, but I googled it and rest assured, it does happen. Whew. 🙂
Something else that does happen in every episode, in every cowboy show, is that someone is always “fixin” to do something. Fixin’ to go to town, fixin’ to go tradin ‘, fixin’ to meet the Marshall. Fixin’ is not a phrase used in the Midwest very often/ever.
However, my cowboy shows are wearing off on me. Samantha asked me what my plans were for the day and I told her I was fixin’ to list the new Christmas Stockings that Spencer and I had taken pictures of recently. We both stopped, looked at each other and busted out laughing. I am at such an impressionable age, maybe a little more Dancing with the Stars would be a good idea. 🙂
As much as I would like to share with you the pictures of us taking off in our red convertible Mercedes and placing a call to our pilot to clear the skies so we could go on a spur of the moment whirlwind anniversary trip to Bora Bora, I can’t. 🙁
A couple of small, minor details got in the way.
Sadly, my husband is out of town. Well that and have I ever mentioned that we don’t own a Mercedes or a have a pilot to call or even anything similar to a private jet?
What I do have is a wonderful, kind, intelligent, tall, dark and handsome husband named Wade. And I am thankful everyday he came into my life and choose me. And I him.
The pictures I would like to share with you are from that wedding day, 25 years ago. We were married in Ames, Iowa at St. Johns Lutheran Church.
I wasn’t someone who dreamed about her wedding day. I didn’t cut out pictures of what my dress would look like or pick a color scheme or visit reception venues, or….yea, didn’t do any of that stuff. I only dreamed of one wedding day ritual. Smashing the wedding cake into my someday husbands face. Seriously Wendy? That’s what you consider a wedding ritual?
Sadly, yes. 🙂
I shared with Wade this one thing that I wanted on our wedding day. He listened, but listening and doing are two different things. So on the big day, this is what happened.
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