Rose and Tommy's Wedding--First Look!

My time is full here in South Dakota, but I will try to post as much as I can of the wedding now at the day's end, since I am wakeful.

Since we were parents of the bride, we got in on the early morning photo session, including just before and after the "first look." The wedding morning was just beautiful! It seemed God was smiling by sending sunshine and bluebirds! 

Rose and Tom chose to have a “first look,” followed by photography with the wedding party before the ceremony so that part could be done early. I am usually a traditionalist, but as the mom this time, I really, really liked the “first look” idea and early photographs, especially since the couple wanted to leave for their honeymoon about three in the afternoon. 

The “bridal suite” upstairs in the guest quarters was quite abuzz with girlish chatter as the bride and her maids dressed and did each others’ hair. Jonathan (since our guest room was just outside the maids’ rooms) overheard interesting conversations about the dads and whether they were going to cry or not. Our girls were saying their dad was probably going to cry. (After all, he already had when we got in on the special song being practiced.) “We better not look at Dad,” Crystal said, “because we all lose it when we see Dad crying.” Another girl said, “My dad probably won’t cry. The only time we’ve seen him cry is when his dog died.”

At that, Jonathan lost it and came down to tell me about his eavesdropping, and we could keel over with laughter and have a little more reason to try to hold it together later. 

After her dress was buttoned and her veil attached, Rose was all a-jitter waiting for Tom to come for the “first look,” and to bring her the bride’s bouquet. (He is to the far left in the photo above with the bouquet.) 

 

The first look was just for her and Tom, no photographer or anyone else allowed. This was a special moment between them, not a photo op for show.  I loved Rose's good choices.

Here they come now!

 

 Photos were taken at various rustic and unique spots, 

 

with Jonathan and me (and several dogs) trailing behind enjoying everything to the fullest and getting our own sneak photos. 

I could hardly have been happier. It was all just so fun and so lovely. 

Our boys looked so handsome in their new jeans, western shirts and vests, and cowboy hats and boots–and full beards on all three! And how pretty all our girls looked, as well as the Hagerty girls.

Jonathan and I had some time to sit down and relax a bit after the photos while people began arriving. Rose and Tom hid out in the guest quarters where both bride and groom decided they were hungry. 

So someone went and brought them a plate of leftover breakfast food and watermelon! Then we went for my rose I was to carry down the aisle with me, and found a stem of aspen leaves from one of the tables, since Rose remembered she wanted aspen leaves with the rose.

Wedding coordinator, Rose's cousin Susanna [Bradford] Hunter helped pin my corsage.

Soon everyone was either walking or being shuttled up to the wedding site in the field in full sight of Saddleback Mountain.