Tying the knot

For the past year or better, we have been doing some planning. 

My sister Courtney was blessed to find a awesome fella who thought she was a pretty good catch too. Since Brandon got the okay from my daddy and asked Courtney to marry him, we've had a lot of work to do.

Well, let's tell the whole story...we began the wedding dress search before the proposal even came. (Court knew this one was a keeper!) She'd already decided she wanted an all lace gown and we saw one months prior on our earlier shopping adventures that had her eye. Even after time passed, that one dress stuck out in her mind, so finally one January day we went back to the dress shop. It was then that she committed to the perfect one for her. We all loved it!

Three-month-old baby Reid, who was still very attached to Mommy, got to be a part of the decision-making process. 

Beautiful

We loved the antiqued look.

The other gowns were lovely too...

...but weren't quite right.

Reid also got to watch the bridesmaid dress fashion show.

Okay, ladies...Let's wrap it up!

For the next several months the planning was slow, but then it really took off. We talked about locations, bands/DJs, photographers, seating, tents, etc. We worked on engagement photos for Save the Dates, the order of ceremony, and finding music. We searched Etsy for flower girl dresses and debated what the little boys should wear. I saved my wedding planning binder from my wedding, so for some things we didn't have to start from scratch which was a help, but there was still a lot of searching to do. With three little ones, I wasn't as much help as I would have liked to have been. Mom and Courtney did the leg work and boy did they do a great job.

I did get the privilege of throwing Courtney a shower though! I love party planning and wanted everything to be perfect and special for her, but again, having three kids limited me. I found some beautiful black and white paisley plates at the Dollar Tree and decided to base the theme off of those colors. Once I had something to run with, the rest of the decor came together.

My cousin Addie had a few decorations she saved from a shower she threw recently that she let me borrow as well.

The day before the shower, I either had some type of Lupus flare or came down with something else, but whatever it was I was pretty sick either way. Mom jumped in and took care of pretty much all the food for me aside from a couple things Aunt Pat made. She even baked the cupcakes so that when I was feeling up to it I could decorate them and make the cake I was planning. (What would I do without her...) Later that day I felt better thankfully and went to work getting the decorations together, making the favors, and constructing the cake. We got it done.

Thank you, Pinterest, for the idea!

The pearls for the waist were my mom's and the broach we used was my great-grandma's.

There was a ton of food, but several friends and family members showed up early unexpectedly to chip in which made the work load a lot lighter.

The games were my department, but I actually used a few that my mom had at a couple of my showers. For the first one, my sister was blindfolded and given a bag of clothes. She was told to pretend that she had just arrived at the hotel for her honeymoon and the electricity had gone out. Her job was to try to get dressed in the dark. We didn't use anything too risque, of course, and she was a good sport, giving us all a good belly laugh.

The second game was one I got from Mom too. Four volunteers were blindfolded as they competed against each other to try to find small safety pins that were hidden in bowls of rice. Though there were plenty of pins the women really had a hard time with this one. Don't believe me? Try it! It's harder than you think.

The third game was the classic "make a wedding dress out of toilet paper" one. Again, laughter ensued. Just look at the women's faces in these pics and you can tell it was a riot.

One team took the challenge more seriously.

Concentration!

Getting down to business...

Aunt Susie's team made good use of one of the doilies to make a nice bow.

Brandon's dress was my personal favorite!

A little too short there, Courtney's team.

Model it for us!

Finally, it was time for the gifts.

Courtney had a good time and got some very nice gifts, so when it was all said and done, Mom and I were happy too.

The kids crashed the shower to get some good food and then got play outside on the church's playground. They were pretty satisfied too.

The shower took a lot out of me and I had several other things on my plate, so I asked one of the bridesmaids if she would be interested in setting up the bachelorette. I threw out a few ideas, she made some phone calls, and voila!

First, we went for pedicures...

...then out to dinner at a local Japanese steakhouse. Nothing wild and crazy but a good time relaxing.

This past weekend, the main event arrived. Friday loads of people joined in to help Mom and Courtney before the rehearsal took place that evening. When Dave and I showed up after getting the kids ready, dropping off my dress to be steamed, and picking up Granny, I was impressed with all the work they'd done. Lace covered hay bales waited for folks to sit and a curtained arbor stood in anticipation of the couple to make their vows.

Courtney asked my dad's brothers to walk her down the aisle. She couldn't choose between them, so she was escorted by one on each arm.

They seemed pretty pleased to have the job.

Hadley has been super excited about her job as a flower girl. Though she really didn't have any idea what the title entailed, she repeatedly has told us, "I'm a flower girl," over the past several weeks. I'd say something like, "Hadley, are you a princess?" and she's say, "No, I'm a flower girl." She also kept bringing up that Caleb was a ring bearer, but neither of them understood what they were supposed to do and definitely needed the rehearsal. 

When they were finished practicing, NaNa and Courtney had some treats for good behavior.

Hadley LOVES to pretend things are lassos. After this weekend, now she has one...and a pink one at that (her favorite color)!

Daddy, those are the kids' toys.

What did Reid get? Some lovin' from Uncle Junior - a member of the Reid fan club.

Dinner was at Yamafuji's - a Japanese place Courtney loves to go to for sushi.

Caleb wanted to sit with Granny and Auntie Beth claimed Hadley.

Courtney gave the bridesmaids cowboy hats and shawls. Reid had to try the hat out.

Meanwhile, Auntie Beth was giving Hadley lessons on how to use chopsticks.

We were up late that night preparing for the following morning. Dave and I gathered everything the five of us would need to wear and items to keep the kids entertained during the ceremony. Afterwards, I wrote my speech while Dave helped iron the boys' clothes and his own. 

My mom wanted a special handkerchief made for my sister with a picture of her and my dad when Court was little and another of Courtney and Dad dancing together at my wedding, so Dave had been put to work earlier in the week figuring out how to print iron on images to help with this surprise. The night before the wedding though, he also got roped into helping me out with a surprise of my own. More on that below...

Finally, the day was here! The weather was perfect and everything went wonderfully. We don't have the professional shots back yet, but here are a few I got with my camera.

We got ready at Bentonville Baptist Church, which is the church we grew up in and the church where my parents were married.

My granddad owned a farm called the Baker Place that my parents' bought years ago which is where the wedding was held - just the right spot for a country wedding. Her theme was burlap and lace, and she and mom did it well with lots of help from family and friends.

To save time, we took photos before the ceremony instead of after. Aunt Brenda was right with the photographer, trying to capture some shots herself.

I had to be there earlier in the afternoon, but the kids needed naps so Dave brought them later. I had to give my husband a pat on the back that day because he had a lot on his plate getting all three kids together and there on time. A few friends and family members helped us scramble to dress the little ones in the back of the Pilot and then it was off for some pre-ceremony pics.

I love that Uncle Junior is holding her purse.

Caleb was the last one to get dressed but the picture snapping started anyway.

There he is!

The gnats kept bothering Caleb so it was hard to get a good shot, but I love this one.

Even Granny got in on it.

I had to lay my camera aside and let the professionals do their job at that point, so I can hardly wait to see what they got. My aunts, Beth and Brenda, got a few good ones that will have to suffice for now...

The wedding was short and sweet and then we went to my Uncle Greg's farm for the reception. I could tell my mom's stress levels were down as soon as the ceremony ended without at hitch; she was back to her happy, talkative self as we rode away in the limo. I, on the other hand, knew I still  had to do my speech. Though I like to write, speaking definitely makes me anxious. When it was finally my turn to have all eyes on me as I shared my love for Courtney and Brandon, I got a bit choked up, especially at the mention of my dad in some parts, but I slowed down, held it together, and said what I'd planned. These newlyweds are two people I'm so thankful to be able to claim.

Secondly, I had a special surprise planned for the Father of the Bride dance since my dad wouldn't be there to do that job. I saw a video a while back (long before my dad passed) of a girl whose father died shortly before her wedding. Her brother arranged for the men in their family to still give her that dance. Not too long after our own loss, the video came to my mind and I hunted Youtube to see if I could find again. I sent a private message to my family on Facebook to see if they would help me give Courtney her special dance as well. I knew the song she'd wanted to use and had pre-selected months ago, so I had Brandon set it up with the band. Seven fellas were lined up to take turns cutting in to dance with her as the song played. The night before I tried to plan out exactly when each of them would trade off, so Dave and I did a lot of dancing in the basement of our house to get the timing just right. There were so many unknowns and I was praying it would all work out. I waited anxiously all evening, but when the dance started everything was perfect. People applauded them and my heart was full that she had all the love and support of so many men in our family on her wedding day.

Now all that's left to say is: We did it! They're hitched and everyone can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief now that the planning is done, enjoying the memories of the day and anticipating what the photographers have in store for us...