# 360 - A Wedding and a Fan

First of all, my spellchecker is not working with Blogger, so I'm winging it here!!

The day before Heather and Henry's wedding day that took place this past Saturday found a lot of family showing up to help get the ball rolling.

Love my girl! Bride in Boots!

BRIDE IN BOOTS!

That's Leah in the background, she's the owner of the venue and a
very kind-hearted woman. She has a beautiful place for others
to use for their special day. And there I am, beaming. My face
is a bit swollen from hours of crying the night before...it's an
emotional time, a challenge and a joy to the depths of my soul.
My baby is getting married!

The dogs went to the hotel room with us. Since ALL of our family would be attending the wedding, the dogs had no where to stay in the city. So, they went to the country with us. It will be nice to have a big fenced-in yard in the country, a place they could hang out, even if I have to be gone for the day. In the city, they'd bark too much and possibly get into trouble. But, being in a hotel room with dogs is definitely stressful.

Liyla waiting for permission to get on the bed!
Of course you can! It's a hotel! I don't have to worry
about washing these sheets! Ya!

Howdy is by my side as well. My big dogs are very good. They barely make a sound. Stefie and Brice brought along their two little monsters...the new Mini-Aussie "Thor" and Belle the Yorkie, the stinker I thought was going to get all of us kicked out. We got to dog-sit, a lot.

 

Howdy standing guard at the hotel door.
I pity anyone trying to enter without
authorization. We kept the "Privacy" sign
hanging on the outer door knob, just in case.

 

After rehearsing for the ceremony, we all headed out for a fun night and rehearsal dinner at a College Station staple, Daisy Dunks. We had the place to ourselves. At one point, my brother in law turned to me and said, "It's pretty packed in here tonight." I cracked up and said, "This is ONLY family and friends, not the general public, this place is ours for a few hours." He looked around and couldn't believe it.

At that rehearsal dinner, I have to say that it started off with such a beautiful bang for me as I was escorted by the arm of my Great-Uncle Joe who is 83 years old and came all the way from California to attend my daughter's wedding. I felt he was the most handsome man present. We sat together, talked, and had a beautiful time visiting. He is a riot and I've always adored him. God sure did give me a great date for the night!

My youngest daughter, Stefanie, made a wonderful speech --- as Heather's Maid of Honor, she was awesome. She started crying during the speech as she talked about Henry accepting her as the little sister, allowing her and and her sister to be accepted as a "package deal" and Stefie loved the fact that Henry never tried to break them up as sisters. That's the part I love about Henry also. He is truly a family man.

As Stefie starts to cry...her big sister decided to bring back the good old days and give her little sister a mean pinch, to force her to re-focus. Well...What are sisters for? Unfortunately, that pinch left an ugly bruise on Stefie's arm the next day, just in time for the wedding pictures. Sisters. Augh!

On the wedding day, the family was all smiles...so excited that this day had finally arrived!

Henry holding the Bride & Groom's glasses.
Mason Jars with stems!

Getting set up for a wedding!

This venue is gorgeous. The landscape is a country atmosphere and perfect for this wedding!

 

The table below is an example of one of my jobs as wedding crew...I would haul two boxes at a time into the reception zone and unpack a few gold chargers at a time. To each table, in the muggy afternoon heat, I'd carry a few chargers and a few boxes of chocolates to set out on the table. Table by table I went. I'd look around at all the blank spots still left and keep going. I kept going until I was dragged away with only ONE table left to do! But, I was sweaty, sticky and had frizzy hair...needing to be in another place at the same time...dressed for family photos!

My father-in-law takes some nice pictures of
me being a nervous Mother of the Bride.

Mother & Daughter -- just before the wedding.

 

 

Best Man Casey and Maid of Honor Stefie.

Dad walking our first daughter down the aisle.
Making her laugh, telling her that his pants are unzipped.

 

 

My sister and I took a moment to watch Heather come down the aisle. My tunnel vision was in full mode...all I could see was Heather's face, her smile, her beautiful eyes...the expression she wore reminded me of her most happy childhood moments. I could see the little girl in my daughter, now a grown woman, walking toward her future husband. Within minutes she'd be a wife.

 

 

 

Serious storms were headed our way. But, God blessed this ceremony and let the entire wedding take place before a drop of rain fell. The storm moved through during the reception and caused quite an uproar, but we never lost power and everyone danced the night away, right through the storming weather! It kind of made for an awesome environment because the reception was held under the pavilion and the sky would light up magnificently with a bolt of lightening. It was powerful to behold!

 

Besides, rain on a wedding day is a huge blessing. In the Bible, rain is spoken of as the gift of life. There is no fertility, prosperity, or life without rain. In Biblical times, rain was celebrated, not dreaded. Sometimes, we forget the blessing of rain. With last year's drought, we should remember that rain is the substance not guaranteed but that is needed for all of us to continue living.

 

 

After about a 2 1/2 year engagement with wedding day planning that seemed to become the center of life...as it does for every Bride...the wedding is finished and the real life of marriage begins! That couple is one happy pair!

 

 

She's a beauty. He's one lucky man. And this mom is very happy to have a son-in-law who is so kind-hearted, tough, rugged, tender and he loves to travel and read! Lonesome Dove is one of his favorites. He's a sweetheart who now owns a part of my own heart.

 

 

Salmon and other delicious tidbits to hold the wedding guests over until an elaborate dinner is served. The Bride and Groom, nor myself had time to eat. But, I had the kitchen crew and catering company package some food to go. They were awesome.

 

Unfortunately, a humorous part of the night had been when my mother-in-law with her too-bossy attitude actually got KICKED OUT of the kitchen and the owner of the venue refused to deal with her further on any important matter. I don't even know exactly what happened. But, as I headed back into the kitchen for the 30th time, my mother-in-law looked unhappy and said, "I can't believe they allow you in there, they have kicked me out and told me not to come back in, I'm not allowed." To be honest, it didn't really surprise me. The crew were busting their rears and definitely did not need the added stress of somone coming in to boss them around...they were doing the best job they could under difficult circumstances with the bad weather. I told my mother-in-law, "Sometimes, it's not about being bossy, but it's about diplomacy and knowing the difference," then I walked into the kitchen to give another back rub to a dish-washing, hard-working gal.

 

I figured, this is my daughter's wedding, no points will be scored with the people who are working here by being bossy and ugly...and those guys were so sweet! They even packed meals for every vendor who worked the wedding. I told them to take the left-over food, after they packaged containers for us. And those containers were jam-packed with food. Even though my daughter and her husband didn't have time to eat, I want to let them know that their meals were not wasted!

 

 

 

Who wouldn't love these signs on the chairs of the Bride and Groom? They say, "Mr. Right" and "Mrs. Always Right."

 

Henry, learn young. Keep your woman happy. It's not hard to do. Women are usually rather easy to please, just do right by her and be patient and kind. Listen to her. Be tender with her. You have a privilege in her life that no other man can claim...you are her husband. It's never a guaranteed position, so do right by the title and you'll have a good, content marriage. Hard times will come, but a strong love is like a strong foundation...it will keep you together.

 



 

Their first dance was like a Fairy Tale experience, ending with a dramatic twirl of the Bride and the groom sweeping her backward for a kiss as the crowd ohhhed and ahhhed!

 





 



After we'd traveled back home from the wedding, I strung up all the bouquets in the middle closet to dry out. I am hoping the Bridal Bouquet will be preserved nicely over the next few weeks of drying time. I also am drying her dad's pin-on, my bouquet and Stefie's.

 

The wedding crew is to be thanked! They helped make this day very special for everyone!
 

The wedding coordinators / party rental help and friends!
Every bit of help was amazing!

And the honeymooners are in Europe for THREE WEEKS. They left for Athens, Greece the day after the wedding. No rest for the weary! As I write this post, they have chartered a plane and are in Mykonos. They have also posted pictures of their tour through Venice.

I'm jealous!

They will be visiting lots of places and ending their honeymoon in ROME!

I'm jealous!

They are posting pictures on Facebook as they make stops here and there. Every place looks like a postcard. I'll be make a post very soon about their travels. I can't believe they won't be home until November!

I never really had a real honeymoon trip...I had honeymoon "moments" like so many other people, so I hope they are living it up for all of us who dream of having that fantastic honeymoon!

After I was married at 18 years of age, I moved to Germany to be with my husband who was stationed there and we lived there for approximately three years. As my mother always said, "You had a three year honeymoon in Europe."

I hope they treasure their good time and remember that life is all about having a good attitude and a great perspective, no matter what the view!