Saturday we celebrated the wedding of Julie and Daniel, the fourth and final wedding of the year in our church community. In this lovely picture (credit: Matthew Hurley), we are dancing a Virginia Reel. Isn’t Julie beautiful? She is wearing the same dress her mom, aunt and grandma wore with a gorgeous pair of cowboy boots underneath. Directly behind her is Isaiah (white shirt) for whom many of you prayed to wake up from a coma. There he is, dancing! I’m leaning forward, ready to twirl around.
It was a wonderful wedding. I woke this morning through a floodtide of memories…moments worth recording:
~ The groomsmen’s toasts were simply amazing. My friend leaned over and whispered, “If these are the kind of guys Daniel is friends with, it speaks very highly of him.” The masterpiece was the song written by one of the best men, Daniel Went Down to Wallowa, modeled on The Devil Went Down to Georgia.
~ Collaborating with a college freshman on the composition of a violin descant for St. Patrick’s Breastplate, the bridal processional, was a hoot! We had more fun isolating a musical phrase and pulling a blues riff from it when we should have been focusing on the descant. Julie entered during the centerpiece of the song: Christ be with me. My first exposure to NoteWorthy Composer software has me drooling.
~ I looked across the table and said, “Krista, You. are. beautiful.” Her mother, holding with a squirming grandson agreed, “She really is.” Krista smiled and explained, “My husband’s love makes me beautiful.” And. It was so sweet and genuine, not a Sunday School answer, if you know what I mean.
~ The. Kiss.
~ Our Bonnie (mother of the bride, a friend who belongs to us all) displayed extraordinary beauty and serenity. Hosting a wedding reception in her back pasture was no worry. She glowed with the light of grace. It has been five years since she fought Stage 3 cancer. We are so thankful for God’s kindness displayed in her life.
~ The entrance of the cake, held high and carried around all the tables and delivered to the head table by a Best Man (there were two), while a jig was played on the violin.
~ When I heard the men were wearing Wranglers I was a skeptic. However. They looked exceedingly handsome in their Chocolate Black Wranglers with cowboy boots, formal vests and, after the ceremony, cowboy hats.
~ It has been a glorious summer. Glory can be fatiguing but it is a Good Tired. A Happy Tired. Looking back with a young friend, we smiled and sighed and took a deep, cleansing breath. “Well,” she said, “I guess it’s time to start a new season of love!”
A Living Pencil 
Thanks for sharing some of the afterglow!
Oh how I wanted to be there. There are a bunch of tears in my eyes as I read this. Julie my spiritual granddaughter, darling girl, Bonnie by sweet sweet friend. Oh I could hear the music and see the pasture. Oh dear there I go again. TEARS. THANK you Carol for sharing this.
Facebook is freaking out…Good morning! Wow- what a nice thought! We have an HP Photosmart C5180- it uses HP 02s, so I don’t think 56 or 57 would work. Are you sure yours isn’t repairable? (Or is this an opportunity for your family to upgrade, too?)
Here’s the updated music: http://twitpic.com/il75d/full.
I love hearing about the unique things people are doing for their weddings. What a great song to choose! The dress looks like it was beautiful.
It’s a testimony to your beautifully descriptive writing that I just teared up over the wedding story of people I don’t know! :)Carrie
What a perfectly unique celebration! You described it so well, I heard the music in my mind. It’s true, when the “season of love” hits, a whole new cycle begins. Seems in our church the weddings and babies come in bunches! Then there is a lull and it all begins again. You’re right about it being tiring but there’s no better way to spend one’s self.
What a beautiful photo and a beautiful wedding – Many Years to the newlyweds.And, I am so excited that Isaiah was dancing at the wedding. Whoooot! Thanks be to God!
Thank you for sharing about the wedding! My own daughter married this summer, so I’m particularly attuned to weddings just now. Here’s a really wonderful rendition of St. Patrick’s Breastplate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOumHihLQSU&feature=channel_page . (Hi-Fi Hymnbook is a great site!)
@womanofthehouse1 – Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding. And thank you for the link. Oh, that organ can put out the sound. It really is a majestic piece.
That was a description fit for a book. You described it succinctly but with such a feel for the spirit of it. Sounds joyous! And the sense of community sounds awesome.
Aaargh! We missed it. Even our family representative got layed low by pig flu. Thanks for giving such a great feel for the day.