Our Tim built the rustic arch for Rose and Tom, and cousin Candace decorated it simply with burlap, antique blue fabric, lassos, and wheels.
The backdrop is Saddleback Mountain. Early the morning of the wedding, while the bridal party was eating breakfast and beginning the dressing, Jonathan and I went for a walk to the wedding site. There under the arch, with Saddleback Mountain behind us, we prayed for God to be at this wedding and to keep these precious young people together in His care till death parts them.
When saddlesore and weary, may God be their strength and rest. When they get bucked, may they climb right back into the saddle and keep riding.
Amen.
"Dad!" Rose gasped, when she saw his arms full of tissue boxes. "It's okay to cry a little bit, but not that much!" :) :)
The groomsmen were not into feelings or kleenex or boxes of tissue. Sam had shot several rounds of shells after the rehearsal and the guys had found the empty shells to give the girl cousins to fill with flowers for their boutonnieres.
Row decorations alternated between cowboy boots full of wildflowers and jars of flowers.
We brought decorative wagon wheels from our home, some of which Danny had made for us last year.
We mothers, coming in on the groom's arm, each brought a rose and aspen leaf stem to place in the vases on either side of the three-fold cord.
The bride arrives!
Her father was handsome!
Rose's cousin Krissy, sang "The Lord's Prayer," accompanied by cousin David on his guitar. It was just beautiful! The evening before, when the two had begun to practice, a meadowlark had flown up into the tiptop of a nearby tree, and flitted here and there, as if wondering what new meadowlark had arrived. Then just before the "Amen," the curious bird flew away. But Jonathan and I had been entranced with that meadowlark.
The vows
"I take you..."
Rose and Tom had chosen to have all their siblings in the wedding party, plus one cousin of Rose, Pearl Morley, my brother Elon's daughter.
Family prayer.
The preacher had never seen "family prayer" done before, with both fathers praying over the new couple. He liked it so much that he said he was going to recommend it at any wedding he does in the future.
The preacher pronounced the couple man and wife--and promptly forgot the kiss!
The bride and groom, however, did not!
Neither did the rest of us! The maid of honor hissed something to the preacher, and the mistake was quickly rectified! Bride and groom happily kissed--to the tune of a surprise volley of cap shots by the groomsmen and others in the audience.
Happy hugs after the wedding is over!
The line of over 100 guests went quickly because no one wanted to stay in the hot sunshine any longer than necessary! And more about the reception will follow.
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