Love was in the air

What a great weekend!  I flew to Alabama to attend the wedding of my nephew.  We had been concerned that the recent bad weather would affect things but the entire event could not have been any better!  (Okay.  For those who drove, they could have done without the outrageous gas prices!)  It was so nice to spend a few days just relaxing and enjoying the outdoors.  The weather was perfect and the wedding was held outside overlooking the lake just as the sun set.  I will post more pictures later. It was just beautiful.  We came from all over - Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Minnesota, and Canada.  Many of us had not seen each other in years so we spent hours catching up on the latest.  The groom had two days to do nothing but relax and even went fishing the morning of the wedding with some of his buddies.  As an avid fisherman from the Florida coast, he kept saying he could not believe that he actually got to fish on his wedding day.  When he caught a fish in the lake we all agreed that it was a good omen and he felt that sealed it - NOW he could get married!  As the hour drew closer to picture time, many of us who were not in the wedding party sat in the shade of this grand tree and watched the fun. (To give you some perspective, those are three-seater wooden swings on each side of the big tree.)  What a way to do a wedding!   

There are always unexpected things that happen which help create the "special" memories and this wedding was no exception.  It was very surprising to see the bridesmaids cross the grass and come down the aisle in their barefeet.  Turns out all their shoes were so painful the bride told them to leave them behind.  So, of course, the two little flower girls took theirs off as well.  It was too cute! 

The two little ringbearers were both about four years old and cousins and each was quite adamant that he was standing in the correct spot but his counterpart was not. Quiet, animated gestures and finger pointing followed by vigorous shaking of the heads drew smiles from the guests.  During the ceremony, the younger of the flowergirls (3 years old) finished emptying the flower petals into a pile where she stood and then she set down the basket and sat on the grass.  As the time approached that she would need to pick up her basket and go back up the aisle, a bridesmaid tried to coax her into action.  Nope. She shook her head, folded her arms and the frown on her face said it all.  She was done!  While she did leave at the appropriate time, the bridesmaid carried the empty basket out herself. 

Everything was so perfect and reflected the gentle, sweetness of the bride and the humor and tender heart of the groom.  The words they had chosen to say about each other brought tears to our eyes and we were happy to see a couple who had come together to start a family with a strong, religious foundation. At the reception we all agreed that we had witnessed the beginning of what we felt certain would be a lifetime committment.  And that just makes you feel good. 

Edit:  Here are the proofs from the wedding.  Beautiful!