Final Wedding Post

A look across the fields at the wedding tents.

The large one is obviously where we held the ceremony and reception

but the smaller one with the point was the appetizer tent.

I was so happy that the appetizers were so well received. 

I didn't get any photos of the spread but we set two nearly identical tables

with cheese, crackers, grapes, olives and spreads.

Everyone said how excellent the cheeses were.

I didn't get to try any of them so I'll have to take their word on it.

The selection was Gouda, Smoked Gouda, Sharp Cheddar, 

Onion Cheddar, Swiss and Port Wine.

On the drink table we served fruit cheese balls.

One was Blackberry and the other was Key Lime.

There were assorted cookies and sweet crackers available to use those on.

Drinks were water, raspberry tea and pink lemonade.

Now we will backtrack and catch some photos from the ceremony.

Chadd spoke his vows.

It occurred to me that during rehearsal there had been more room

for the guys and I wondered how they would manage a 

smaller space to squeeze into.

They did great!!

 

It was planned that the guys and girls would alternate as they left.

This caused some confusion for at least one older guest as they 

were accustomed to couples leaving together.

I had to smile.

But they managed to get themselves out in a very orderly way.

Kevin....getting married to Heidi in just two weeks!

Emily and Jocelyn.  They tag teamed all the way!

Xavier...who beat cancer and is fond of all of his friends mama's.

Emily.... who got stuck with the flower girl's basket.

Travis....Got married recently as well.

Heidi....getting married to Kevin in two weeks!

Joe....who is beating cancer!  Just finished Chemo!!

Kim,,,,this girl knows sports!!

Steve....who was probably silently studying for finals the entire time!

Megan.....Who sweetly encourages all around her!

What a wonderful group of young people who have supported Chelsea

and Chadd all through their dating time and engagement.

It was the encouragement of Kevin and Heidi that made me think

that Chadd was worthy of Chelsea.

They knew him best then.

Here are few more shots of the reception decor....

 These roses were purchased from Costco for the Rehearsal Dinner.

They were still so pretty that I decided they should be used on the 

gift table.

Every other table had this arrangement on it rather than the large 

basket centerpiece.

 Because of the table size and enormity of the tent we were able to set up 

in a very spacious arrangement.  Most tables held six people.

The candles were at half fragrance load

 in a mix of vanilla, caramel and coffee.

General rule of thumb....when lighting candles near food

they should be either food scented or unscented.

I didn't have enough time to make as many pillar candles as we wanted to 

use...I have exactly one pillar candle mold.  However I was able to 

pick some up and they complimented the rest of the decor very nicely.

Warren had to fuss with them to get them to stay lit but once he did that

it was all good. This was taken earlier in the day while the cakes were
still tightly wrapped for freshness.

Chelsea hand wrote each and every table tag as well as the name

tags which were on the flatware bundle.

That way our caterer, The Daily Grind, could put the right picnic box at the right places.

Choices were offered with the invitation.

It was good in that our guests knew in advance that this was 

going to be a bit unique.

Chelsea's vision was to have an elegant picnic.

And so, she did. 

So sweet!

 Here you can see the picnic boxes on the tables.

We provided labels with the sandwich choices for the boxes

in wedding colors.

Chelsea and her brothers are very close.

I was able to get she and Jonathan together for these sweet pics.

Soon she was back with her husband again.  

It means the world that they were able to have this wonderful day.

And then they came into the reception!

The DJ is a friend and his wife has been Chelsea and Chadd's direct

boss for a few years now.  We were so touched that they would 

be willing to dedicate so much time and talent to the wedding.

Before they went to their places at the Head Table they came to the 

floor in front and had their first dance.

I am very, very sure that Chelsea was relieved when this was done!

After we ate Chelsea went and changed into the dress she wore when 

they got engaged before they cut the cake.

It is such a cute dress and easier to move in so we thought it was 

a fun thing to do.

And there was the meaning that went with it.

I wasn't in a great place to get photos of the cake cutting.

But the photographers were and so we will get those later.

Mom did well....she was preparing to serve.

 Then came the speeches.

I missed a photo of Emily but she did such a fantastic job with hers.

It was tender and touching.

Then came the guys.

So funny!

Kevin pretended to be unprepared so Xavier

took over for a bit....then they passed it back and forth.

I won't try to recreate it.

Just trust me...it wasn't a boring speech.

A friend, Kyle, sang a love song and then Chadd surprised Chelsea

with a song he wrote for her last week.

She was so touched!

After a bit more mingling and chatting with the guests 

these two were prayed over and sent on their way.

Grandma Ruth made people wonder what was up as she ran to their car

with something in her arms.

I asked her what in the world?

She replied that it was a fire log for the fireplace that will be 

in the place they are staying.

Leave it to Grandma Ruth to have the last gift.

And most appropriate.

Smile.

That's all I've got.

And I got tired of editing so most of these are dark and uncropped.

Perhaps I will take care of that over time....

perhaps not.

Thanks for sharing this very fun and special time with us.

Here Comes the Bride!

 Let's start with cake.

We've been discussing the baking of these cakes for weeks.

And here they are.

An hour before the ceremony I was cutting a hole in a sandwich baggy
 from which to squeeze icing because 

I couldn't find the other bags I thought I brought. 

We did find them later in a cooler left behind.

Oops!

So, for the need to fall back and punt I was pretty pleased with the 

overall success.

The little figurine was a project Chelsea and Chadd did on one of their dates

to the pottery.

They wanted it to be a cake topper and then they changed from the "naked cake" idea

to a cake table idea and so we just placed it on the table.

It is still simply adorable.

Flowers, flowers, flowers!

So many wonderful flowers.

Susan from Divine Florals did an amazing job

at getting every flower to it's peak just in time for the ceremony.

Our friend, Deanna, went over and helped assemble the centerpieces.

There were 12 of those and many, many more smaller bunches.

 

We alternated small flower arrangements and mini candles 

on the head tables.

Here you can see them with the picnic boxes.

Chelsea wanted an elegant picnic theme for her wedding.

Chadd agreed.

More and more flowers in the ceremony area.

Flowers and burlap.

Burlap and Lace.

These "girls"......my girls.

In the "green room" where they spent the day.

Our facility was out of this world for convenience, attentive employees 

and creature comforts.

Hair and makeup apparently takes a lot of time for six young ladies

and one young flower girl.

So expressive...both Emily and J.

Speaking of J.  She was so adorable walking down the aisle with 

Emily and throwing rose petals to the right. 

Only to the right.

There was a baby in a carrier who ended up with rose petals 

on him and in his seat.

But she ended up using every last petal just as she reached the front.

I was so amused.  Also very proud of this sweet girl.

The only moment in the day that I nearly lost it.

Tears came and an ugly cry was a very real possibility

but thankfully the ceremony was very interesting and I was able to 

be distracted.

I may be biased but I see a very pretty bride here.

And then there is that handsome dude in the blue shirt and white

tie that he was instructed to wear.

He got all of his words just right!!

Pastor Mike did a fantastic job!

He has been in Chelsea's life since she was four years old.

In fact before he was a married man he used to accompany us on 

annual vacations to the mountains.

He knows Chelsea very well and personalized the message so well.

Saying their vows....

And then the Unity Cross.

This was a unique part of the ceremony.

Together Chadd and Chelsea built this cross while Pastor Mike

shared the story to go with it.

The cross was a gift from Chelsea's Aunt and Uncle.

So special!

They exchanged rings.

And next thing we knew they were pronounced married!

There they go....

A while later I caught up with them and found them simply joyous!

I will end this post for now.

I'm about to nod off.
Hoping to share more soon.

Thanks for your patience with me.

Deanna has also posted about the wedding at Creekside Cottage.  

I will leave you with a photo of the fun wedding party.

They were in between photos with the official photographer.

Dear Chelsea

If I were to write a note to my darling, and only, daughter on her wedding day it would look something like this:



My Dear Chelsea,

We bonded during 5 months of bed rest while you were growing and preparing to enter this world.  I used to beg the doctors just to let you come instead of using all kinds of nasty medications to keep you safe and sound in my womb.  You see, from the very beginning I felt inadequate.  That someone else could do it better.  That they could keep you healthy and strong better than I could.  But over and over again the nurses and doctors told me that your place was with me.  That it was infinitely better to have you grow in my protective body as long as possible.  That stuck with me over the years.  They wouldn't let me yield to my fear of inadequacy.  The end result?  A beautiful, healthy baby girl who has brought us infinite love and joy over these past twenty years.  They were right.  I was enough for you.

And so over the years we have enjoyed getting to know you.  Being your parents.  You were the quiet girl with steely strength.  Everyone thought you were shy....but that wasn't really it.  You have shy moments but really you just don't need to be loud and obnoxious like the rest of us to be happy.  You are content to walk quietly in this world and make big changes as you go.  You are the one with a heart for others that puts me to shame.  You are that teenager who sent money to missions because you could and it would help someone but you wanted no one to know.  You are that girl who wanted to go to YWAM, flying 14 hours straight alone, even though it socially went against everything else you had ever done.  You spent hours in intercessory prayer as others went to the bars to minister to those caught in slavery in Thailand and did this even as the oppression of darkness hurt you so deeply.  Chelsea, you have reached out to your co-workers new and old to let them know that you care for them when you hosted them in our home or joined them at other events.  Your quiet strength and caring spirit have helped many new co-workers feel welcome.  And then there was this one co-worker.  Grandma Ruth trained him.  You weren't all that into him at first.  But many ten hour shifts together created a friendship first.  After a while you were spotted at work in his company more and more.  But you weren't an official couple yet.  You see, when you have as many relatives working with you as you do things are noticed.  Ha!  It wasn't long after that before we knew there was something special about this friendship and you were headed out to dinner.  A dinner that would set your current path in place.

We got to know Chadd.  We grew to love Chadd.  And it was through your eyes that we took this journey.  When we would all go to dinner together and you would be sitting in the car behind us with this guy we would be surprised to hear endless chatter coming from you.  Who was this talkative young lady?  Where did that quiet and reserved girl of ours go?  Laughter came easy and our times all together were just so much fun.  We quickly grew to understand that Chadd held the key to your trust and love.  He gained our love and respect as well by being so gentle with you.  His sense of humor and diligent spirit won us over.  We saw Jesus in Chadd.  He can be as quiet as you and yet there is no doubt about his priorities.  When we asked how the start of this relationship looked from his perspective he told us about a hike....the day before he decided to ask you to dinner for the first time. He said that the purpose of the hike was to pray and seek the Lord's will in beginning this relationship. That was meaningful.  This is who we wanted for you.  A young man who didn't just follow his eyes to a beautiful young lady, but the very heart of God for his future.

The evening Chadd asked Daddy for your hand and our blessing you and I waited anxiously outside.  I'll never forget the intense joy and relief on Chadd's face as he ran across the yard to tell you that the answer was YES!  From then on you couldn't wait for the time he would surprise you with a ring.  I guess we do things a bit strange around here.  There weren't many secrets but that's just how we roll. Chadd worked so hard to set up your birthday engagement day.  You wore the special white dress that  you really hoped to get engaged in.  And our hearts were joyful as we sent you off together that day.  We were not surprised or disappointed when we got the first pictures of the ring.  Your heart had found a home.  And you were ready.

Just over two weeks later the unthinkable happened.  Chadd was in that horrible accident.  Our joy turned to grief and agony at the result of that singular event.  There was a loss of life that has scarred all of us.  We can no longer be as care free as we were before that day.  He is changed,  You are changed.  We are all changed.  The grief has felt too much to bear at times.  However, even through those horrible times we have seen the grace of God dealing in Chadd.  Stretching him, growing him and making him a deeper and more mature man.  We have seen you wrestle with these events and watched you become even stronger and more determined than before.  Daddy and I knew that this tragedy would either end your relationship or forge a bond that couldn't be broken.  That bond is incredibly strong.  We are so proud of both of you.  And that is why the tears are flowing as I write.  To be brutally honest the life you have walked since July 16th and you will walk over the next years are not what we would have chosen for you.  We would have chosen joy and sunshine, happiness and ladybugs.  But our Heavenly Father knows best.  We would have wanted an engagement where your biggest stress was where to hold the wedding....instead of asking authorities where you were allowed to go on your honeymoon.  But real life is full of reality.  You have already come to terms with things that it often takes young people many years to realize.  And you have done so with amazing grace.

And so, we, without reservation rejoice with both You and Chadd today as you take the vows that have already been spoken in your hearts and acted out through your actions.  We celebrate Chadd's life, which was miraculously spared and we honor you for your dedication and commitment to this man.  We are going to celebrate the depth and mysteries of our Heavenly Father's plan for your lives. We will do this with your closest friends and family.... just as you wanted.

My dearest daughter, I will miss having you in my home.  I loved starting our days chatting about this and that.  But I am over the moon excited for you.  That you will have a nest of your own to love and care for.  That you will not have to suffer the frustrations of living with this creative and not so domestic mama.  But do feel free to visit and put things back to rights any time you wish.  :-)

Lets do this thing!!  It is going to be a very special and meaningful day.

Love,

Mom (Daddy too)