The Wedding

Have you ever known a couple that go together in a way that you never dreamed possible…like you look at them and think to yourself, “How in the world did they find the one person in this world that was so perfect for them?” Laura and Kerry have been dating since about the time of mine and Dustin’s wedding. There’s pretty much no question that they were made for each other. They are weird and quirky in their own perfectly compatible and totally loveable way. They are quite a pair…in such a good way. They got married the last weekend in October and it was quite a lovely evening, if I do say so myself.

Warning: Complete picture overload. And in the course of uploading all of these pictures I noticed that there are quite a few of me. I wouldn’t post them all in fear of appearing vain, but I’m throwing caution to the wind and plastering myself all over this blog. Because it’s mine. And that’s my prerogative. And I’m about to be a lot heavier and I may never look the same again…you never can tell about things like this. As it turns out…if you want pictures of yourself, just don’t bring a camera anywhere and then jump in front of every single camera you see…and then request copies to be emailed to you. Thank you Elizabeth and Grandpa Lindy for sharing your pictures with me! Okay, moving on…

I got into McKinney late Tuesday night and started on wedding stuff Wednesday morning. My dear friends Eva and Elizabeth both came in to help put this wedding on. Eva got in Wednesday night and Elizabeth flew in Thursday morning. They were a tremendous help, but more than that, we had the most fun any three people could possibly have together. These girls are such a blessing to me and it was an absolute treat to get to spend four whole days together!

Dustin and the boys came in Thursday evening and we all spent the evening with Dad. We went to a great Mexican food place (does anyone notice how my stories always revolve around eating?) and then went back to the hotel that dad had gotten for us to relax for the rest of the night. The five of us (Kristin, me, Laura, Andrew, and Katelyn) are very rarely all together, so it was really great to get to spend so much time with all of my siblings that week.

Friday night we had the rehearsal and a dinner following, hosted by Kerry’s family at Maggiano’s. It was SUCH a nice evening. The meal was so delicious and it was served family style. Dustin actually thought that the appetizer course was the entire meal. When he figured out that it was, in fact, just the first course, I believe his exact words were, “I am SO happy right now.” Dustin and I sat at a table with my dad, his parents, Kristin and Brian, Eva, Elizabeth, and Andrew. I accidentally said something inappropriate that haunted me for the rest of the night and all through the weekend. Sometimes it’s an embarrassing thing to be a naïve, stay at home mom. The whole table laughed for quite some time and there might have been some tears and trouble breathing on my part. It’s been a really long time since I’ve laughed that hard.

Saturday was a whirlwind of last minute preparations and tasks as well as getting to the venue, setting up, more prep work, and getting ready at the last possible minute. Eva and Elizabeth quite literally walked into the ladies’ dressing room five minutes before the ceremony started and changed clothes. They were real troopers and I’m pretty sure the reception wouldn’t have happened without them!

The ceremony was really nice. Laura and Kerry wrote their own vows and they were quite touching. It’s a powerful thing to watch two people make those kind of promises to each other before all of their friends, family, and most importantly, God. Laura looked beautiful and the whole thing was just lovely.

I certainly can't talk about this wedding and not mention how my mom's talent never ceases to amaze me. In the midst of her busiest time at work, she managed to not only pull this wedding together in a few months, but make it absolutely beautiful at the same time. There wasn't a small detail that was overlooked by her. She did the food, the cake, the decorating, the coordinating, and the overall making everything perfect. I wish I had pictures of the reception to share, but I don't...  She did all this on very little sleep for an extended period of time. She was still fun to be around and most impressive to me...she still looked stunning! She really does amaze me!

The whole week was a really great time that made me appreciate my family a whole lot. There wasn’t a single instance of drama or stressfulness relating to people…everyone just worked together towards a common goal…to make this as special of a time as possible for Laura and Kerry…and it was certainly that.