I want to summarize the wedding day in words while it’s still fresh on my mind. A written account for my children, grandchildren(to be) and anyone else that might want to read.

The day started quietly.  The morning dew glistening on the partially set up reception and ceremony area. I sipped coffee with JoAnne & Joeleen as we browsed the Internet for wedding video inspiration.  I showered early, knowing that if I didn’t I would likely still be in my pajamas when the ceremony started.  By mid morning family and friends began to arrive to help and Windy Ridge was buzzing like a beehive. The next 12 hours were a blur. Mom and I yelling for each other through the crowds, trying to remember what came next.

And all the while, children ran wild.

JoAnne & Joeleen draped the arbor and front porch with fresh wisteria from the shack. Big boys hauled tables, benches and chairs.  Sisters set the tables and put slipcovers on the chairs.  Brothers, too.  The house was full.

The girls got ready as I photographed and JoAnne took video.  We gathered everyone up in the afternoon heat and did all the wedding party, bride & groom and family photos. Somewhere in between Sabra helped the little ones get into their wedding clothes, which were completely trashed by the time the ceremony started.

Suddenly guests started to arrive. I was completely unprepared. Before I knew it the ceremony had started.  A moment of rest as I set on the steps and snapped pictures and enjoyed the moment.  The first time since morning that I stopped to look around to see how it all turned out. Violin & guitar the soundtrack to it all, beautiful as it resonated in the wide open.

Right before the ceremony ended, Jessie wanted to eat so I had no choice but to take her in for a bit of milk.  Inside I found the big boys conspiring to throw rice at the bridge and groom. I told them to grab the birdseed instead and run up to the balcony to throw it.  I unlatched Jessie and ran back outside just in time to capture it.

And then things got crazy again as we scrambled to the reception.  Soup, bread, soda pop, visiting, photos, cotton candy, photos, cake, more photos, bonfire and sparklers.

Not everything went perfect. The wedding programs arrived the day before the wedding and had a typo. In the chaos we forgot so many of the fun details we had planned. Like the cake table.  We meant to set it up real pretty and adorn the delicious cheesecake, that Anthony’s mama had made, with fresh flowers.  I still don’t know if the marshmallows made it out to the bonfire. That night I learned that I cannot be in 4 places at once. Astonishing.

I imagined the weddings from the days of old. The grand preparation. The virgins holding oil lamps and crying out “Behold the Bridegroom Cometh, Go Ye Out to Meet Him”.(we should have done that, Joeleen, why didn’t you think of it?)  The 7 days of feasting, dancing and celebration.  We may not have had an affair that grand, but it was magical.  As I looked around at the smiling faces watching my sister marry her sweetheart in the warm summer air, I felt tremendously blessed.

I wearily settled into bed that night and thought about how this big house is now anointed with the sounds of joy, laughter & spoken vows. How the birch trees will forever whisper of love promised that summer evening and the concrete steps facing the mountain will always hold the memory of a young bride on the arm of her papa.