Birdseed Send-off for Rose and Tom!

 From beginning to end, Rose's wedding was a pure delight. 

 

It was a bit of heaven! For me, it was such a joy to have my younger sister Joella and her family (the lady in the far right lower corner of above picture) with us for the wedding. She came around at just the right moments to just be a sister as I enjoyed this wedding to the fullest. She and I both experienced having the first one of our children getting married within about four months of each other! Her Susanna married Daniel Hunter in February.

Even the awkward moments were part of what made this wedding fun!

Like this one captured by the photographer Ezra and captioned, "That awkward moment when nobody knows what to do next!" 

This happened when the preacher forgot the kiss!!!!!!

How we did laugh both then and now--since someone captured it on photo.

Someone--we shall not say who--said before the wedding that he or she hoped their own wedding would not be perfect. Because it just wouldn't be real. 

Well, this one had plenty of imperfections--from the flower girl and Bible bearer not making it (due to Frontier canceling the tickets for my brother Gabriel's family at nearly the last minute) and having to quickly substitute Jed Morley's two little ones

 (who did a fabulous job!)

to having the outdoor rehearsal promptly rained out. 

 

(Everyone did a terrific job of being flexible and rolling with the punches.) The Hagerty family is just tops when it comes to being flexible and dealing gracefully with whatever comes our way. I feel like we couldn't ask for better in-laws. 

We ended up practicing the rehearsal indoors the horse barn-turned-auditorium.

A scene I cherish. 

And one I don't have a picture of to share--the moment when Tom's mother Mary and I took our roses up to place in vases beside the three-fold cord, and then turned around, smiling at each other. 

I thought, "I am so glad we are friends and not thinking how we have to do this and try to get along for this wedding!" I was so thankful for Mary, my friend, that I wanted to hug her. Maybe I should have. I wanted everyone to know that we loved each other dearly and were so happy for this occasion!

 Well, I think I titled this post "Birdseed Send-off," so maybe I better get to that.

I don't know if the bride and groom had any idea what they were in for.   

I caught this awful blast of birdseed on camera! It was in their clothes, faces, hair, and even ears!!!!

And then! The two had hoped to get by without some kind of prank being pulled on their truck, but no.

Some (mostly) bachelor cousins had other ideas.

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After the cellophane had been cut off by the capable groom and he had seated his new wife in the truck, he got a hug from his father-in-law and me, and then he headed for his side of the truck. 

Crystal, Hannah, and Tim take turns giving Rose a final hug.

"My prayers will always be with you," said the mother, as she stood on tip-toe to reach the happy bride about to go away on her honeymoon and to a new life.