Valentine's Day at Our House

(Not at all as you would likely expect.)

Today was Everette's and my 25th Wedding Anniversary.  (We don't recommend getting married on Valentine's day.  We'd marry each other over again, but we wouldn't choose Valentine's Day to do it.  But that's beside the point.)

We spent yesterday together in Victoria, window-shopping, checking out new art supply stores, having lunch, taking in Tea-tasting at Silk Road, buying our family a tea set. ( Tea is our new education.  We never liked 'tea' until last month when we actually tried the Real McCoy, and now we are tea drinkers.  So it was a treat to spend more than an hour tasting and smelling and learning about tea yesterday. Then when we returned home we sipped and sampled tea with the children on the living room floor, sitting around flickering candles. )

Today we spent our actual anniversary here at home with our children.  A quiet, lazy day of togetherness.  Sharing, playing, creating, dancing, eating, working together.  A lovely family day.  And I gave my Valentine a surprise.

I must admit, I gave myself a bit of a surprise too.

After 25 years & 14 pregnancies (includes losses which still put weight on me!)

I'm up 14 pounds and still fit in the dress!  

I think that's pretty darn Good!!

 The satin needs a good ironing job, but this was impromptu so it didn't get done, and got shoved back in a sack in storage afterwards, so what would be the point.  Besides, I'm allergic to ironing!

To say that the children enjoyed seeing mommy in her wedding dress is to make an understatement.  Over and over again the younger girls pampered me, fixing my train, dancing around me, wishing they could be my Flower Girls.  They were so delighted.

Tonight we spent the evening trying to figure out our Jive steps for dance class.  And we got Layne and Mitchell learning some steps, too.  There was laughter, and some bouncing like bunnies instead of stepping like dancers, but it was all so enjoyable.

And then there was the cuddles with the children as we watched documentaries and a Tinker-bell movie.

We ended it with lighting sparklers on the back patio, sending light into the darkness.  I hope that our Love gives some light into the darkness.

Being together, its been an absolutely enjoyable Valentine's Day, and a great celebration of our commitment to One Another.  Here's to another 25 years.

Called Off

Since I previously wrote about Layne & Micah's engagement, and did a bunch of posts on all things connected to weddings, and recently shared about the wedding shower, I thought it was about time that I posted an update.

Layne broke off the engagement.

No details to tell.

Layne just got real with herself and realized that she was not ready to become a wife.  She feels that she has some big issues to work out with God, and that those are best to be dealt with before entering marriage.  She felt that it was unfair to Micah to do otherwise.


I know these days/weeks are hard for Layne, as I would figure they are for Micah too.

What else can one say?

Dresses for the Wedding

Got these clothes on sale at Please Mum this past weekend while shopping with Maret and Anders.  Toveli and Gaelyn were very pleased with the dresses I bought for them, too.  I also purchased the same shirt for Laars as I did for Anders, and navy pants (similar but not the same).  The girls are all Flower Girls in Layne's wedding, and she's happy with what I picked. 

The Ceremony & Symbolism

Most people enjoy a good party, but your wedding is more than a party.  Most of your guests come to hear you exchange your vows with one another, recognizing that this is the most important part of your day.  Other areas of the service need attention, but be sure to really take care about what you exchange in your vows.  Don't make a pie crust promise.  Marriage is not a contract or promise.  It is meant to be a covenant.

Below are plenty of links about elements to include in the service and the symbolism which is often threaded throughout the entire wedding day, from a white wedding gown (red for other nationalities), unity candles, the kiss at the altar.  These may or may not be important issues with you.  You may find you want to include them simply because they look like they may bring an element of fun, such as the groom breaking the glass, but when you look at the symbolism it has a deeper meaning in history that you may or may not want to include in your day.  Or the symbolism might be steeped in a belief that totally goes against your spiritual beliefs and therefore you will want to avoid it, although it might be common in ceremonies these days.  I suggest you be wise about symbolism, and do some homework.  Just because it is 'common' does not mean you want to include it in your special day.

Vows are commonly rewritten.  You can include your personal touch by altering traditional vows or go ahead and rewrite them all together.  Make them yours.
 
Traditional Wedding Ceremony
Wedding Ceremony Readings
My Wedding Vows
Heart of the Wedding

4 Most Popular Types of Wedding Ceremonies
Symbolism in a Wedding Ceremony from doves & rings to jumping the broom & stomping on the glass.
Symbolism of the Wedding Cake
Wedding Ring Symbolism, more than eternal love
Symbolism of Flowers 
Best Wedding Sites traditions, customs, symbolism
Jewish Ceremony

Wedding Receptions & Food

You can get an overview of common elements to a typical wedding reception here.   Use what info you want from there, toss the rest, and be sure to add your own flare to the event.

WHAT TYPE OF PROGRAM

My favorite part of our reception was when a friend of Everette's presented me with a baby bib and a story about Everette and food and how messy he could be, and then for proof she unrolled a poster she'd had made of Everette's face dripping with a watery lemon meringue pie that she had thrown in his face for his 21st birthday.

I recall at one of my brother's receptions a timed game they had to play.  While the bride had to hammer a wooden box together, the groom had to change a doll's diaper that was full of 'peanut butter poop', so they would be able to identify with each others supposed marital roles.


There can be an open-mic which allows people to share a special word of edification, or tell a silly story and reminisce.  This can be done in addition to or in place of making toasts.  It is a good idea to have a Master of Ceremonies who can keep things going without big lulls, but also be able to encourage long-winded people to pass the mic along.

Lots of receptions have music of one sort or another.  Live music alone or with a dance floor.  DJ's and pre-recorded music.  Your pick. 

You can have somebody (or yourself) arrange for some type of games to play, with tables competing against other tables.  It helps break the ice if people don't already know one another that are sitting at the same table.  You could have an impromptu talent show.  Or contests for costumes if it was that kind of theme party.

Receptions, in essence, are just like a lot of other parties.  Make it a party that you would like to host, and people will get as much fun out of it as they put into it. 



FOOD

Food is usually the most expensive part of a wedding plan, unless of course you don't invite many people at all.  But there are choices that can fit into any size budget. Below are a few links for different kinds of receptions and the food and style for serving. 


Things to consider:
*time of day of reception
*level of formality
*the venue you have chosen
*a theme you chose for your wedding
*financial budget

Some venues will provide sample menus available to choose from with a variety of prices per plate. Consider vegetarians, vegans, or those with food allergies.

Styles to consider:
*formal sit-down catered
*buffet (food prepped by friends or yourselves or catered)
*bbq
*picnic
*pot-blessing
*dessert only
*finger-foods
*cocktail party



We know of a couple who had a really informal reception where they had soup and rolls served up by themselves.  It was more than just home-down nourishment for their guests.  It was a humble act of service in which they wanted their marriage covenant to be symbolized by.

We've also heard of a couple who hired a bus to pick up homeless people and bring them to their reception as per a Bible parable.  They wanted to share their abundance with other children of God.



The Best Wedding Reception Ever 
Pros & Cons of Buffets, Sit-down Dinners & other Catering Ideas
Wedding DNA consider food options and meeting budget
Wedding for 125 break down of what was needed for DIY reception
A Finger Food Reception
 Set up an Amish Wedding Meal

BBQ Ideas 
Amish Wedding Traditions home-cooked meals for 200-600 guests!
Jewish Reception including challah and the Hora
A Summer Picnic Wedding planning in progress

Question for You: What is your most memorable thing about a wedding you've been to?

Honeymoons

Some historians credit the Babylonians with creating the original honeymoon--their newlyweds drank mead, a honey-based alcohol, for one full month after marrying. Others believe the honeymoon comes to us from the Norse hjunottsmanathr, wherein a young man kidnapped his bride-to-be and held her captive for one month.

The honeymoon is meant to be time set aside right at the beginning of a marriage to focus on each other without the responsibilities of daily life.  In Bible days the men were to take a full year off of all responsibilities, including not going to war, so they could focus on and adjust to married life.

Most of us don't have the ability to take a year off of work.  Finances and our tie to work may not allow more than a weekend or a week to take a honeymoon.  It might not be feasible to do immediately after the wedding but have to wait for another season.  Whatever it looks like to you, you can make it worth.  Making each other a priority is an important step in starting off a marriage.

A honeymoon could be as simple as going to your own apartment or house, locking the door and closing the shades and using the answering machine as your servant.  You could liven it up with special foods prepared so you don't have to do the cooking and neither do you have to go into town to eat and be 'caught' by friends and family who thought you had gone away somewhere instead.  You could prepare your own spa treatments to indulge in or pamper on each other.  Let your imagination go.

If money can allow and you are able to free yourself for an extended time away from work, you can do extensive traveling, backpacking Asia, hiking the back-country or across the UK, cycling Europe, taking in the Holy Land, paddling thru the Grand Canyon.  Make it fun, or make it romantic.  Make it Yours.

And if you are taking an extended honeymoon, don't overlook getting involved in some form of volunteering.  It could be helping to get clean water for a village in India, or helping distribute blankets.  Your honeymoon may be a time of focusing on yourselves as a couple, but volunteering and helping others out can be a great way to work alongside your spouse and see their big heart.  It isn't all about us.  We are blessed by blessing others. 

Conservation and eco-tourism might be top of your list to consider when planning your honeymoon.  Check out sites like &Beyond Africa.



Destination weddings lend themselves very much to themed weddings, and easily would include a honeymoon since you are already at a destination you'd like to spend more time at, such as
Caribbean Destination Weddings

Another unique honeymoon might be taking lessons that you don't normally have time to do.  Like learning culinary skills, or take sailing lessons

Creative Honeymoon Ideas
Windstar Cruises out of the ordinaire
Honeymoons By Design
Unique Destinations

Question for You:  What would your dream honeymoon look like?

Wedding Invitations & Guests

GUESTS

Personally I like the intimate wedding ideas.... where the number of invites is less to allow more interaction between bride 'n groom with their closest friends and family, and where special care and attention is given to the how and why's of the details.

This isn't the time to invite all the long lost friends and cousins, the childhood friends one seldom sees now.  It should include those that really matter in your life on a regular basis.  Those that you share the ups and downs of life with, not those whom you share only the highlights with.  And I believe ultimately its the bride 'n groom's friends who should be invited, not the friends of the parents/guardians (unless of course they are also friends of the bride or groom).

I would suggest that if somebody really wants to invite alot of people, say the whole church congregation, or the community, etc., then a feasible way is to not feed them all a meal (as has become custom here in Canada) or have them all bring food for a potluck (pot-blessing).  Let's face it.....feeding a crowd can be very costly.  And the point of the day is to get married, not run the soup-kitchen......unless that is part of the individual couple's outreach and then the soup-kitchen is already their community and perhaps they do want to feed them.

The friends and family that you do invite might be a great resource for talents such as making decorations, assembling decorations at the venue for the ceremony and/or reception, providing music or being a DJ, sewing dresses, or presiding over the ceremony.  It will make them feel useful using their talents while including them in an integral part of your wedding.

Your guests could also be included in other unique ways.  I read about a couple that collected old gold jewelry from their guests ahead of time, had it melted down by a jeweller like greenkarat.com then they had a credit to use towards making unique wedding bands.

You could give 'assignments' to certain people, like request somebody to take care of getting a guestbook and arrange to set up and 'man' the table before the ceremony.  That could be in place of any wedding gift they might have given.  They've given of themselves which is always a superior gift than something tangible.

Another friend might have a garden full of beautiful flowers that they might be excited to incorporate into bouquets or centrepieces for you.  If you don't ask, you don't know.  And when people say: “What can I do to help?” they mean it!

INVITATIONS

 Carry on with your colours and themes through pictures, textures, and shapes when it comes to your invitations.  These too will reflect your personality.  They can be homemade (DIY) or professionally done, and part of that decision will likely be hinging on your budget and creativity of yourself and/or your friends and family, if you were wanting to include them.


Unique Wedding Invitations

Something New Invitations

Invitations by Dawn
Cards & Pockets
Arts & Crafts by Hand
My Dream Wedding

Question for You:  If you were to do it all over again, would you change from an intimate wedding to a big list of invites, or vice versa?  Were you happy with the choices you had made?

Music, Decorations & Favors

DECORATIONS & FAVORS

You have your theme picked so your decorations will definitely keep to that theme.  Let it all flow.

With an eye on your budget of both money & time, decide whether you are going to purchase them or make them.  Some things are very time consuming and much easier to purchase.

Making decorations and favors can be an activity you as a bridal couple do together, or serve up pizzas while members of the bridal party help you out one evening making the decorations.  Or it could be something you have your friends and family do for you so that they are incorporated into making your wedding special while you honor them by using their gifts and talents .  It can be a win-win situation.


MUSIC

Pachabel's Canon is one of the most commonly played songs at traditional weddings, but it most certainly doesn't have to be a part of your wedding.   Select songs that have meaning for you as the bride and groom, as well as what might be enjoyed by others.  It could be a style of music from a certain era that corresponds to your wedding theme, as music from the 1920's, or classical from Bach, or western.

Carefully consider whether you want pre-recorded music, a live orchestra, or a lone singer.  If you are a poet, maybe you've written something for your future spouse you'd like a friend to set to music and sing for you while walking down the aisle, or signing the registrar.  Or it could be a song written by your friends.



Here again is a place in your day that your ethnicity might show through.  Bagpipes & kilts, or accordians playing Hava Nagila (Jewish) or played like this:


or dancers that might remind you of 'Fiddler on the Roof'

The Wedding Decorator
Not On The High Street
Selecting Wedding Music 
Blooms By the Box
A Practical Wedding beautiful picnic receptions

Question for You:  What type of music did you have at your wedding, or would you have in the future if you aren't already married?

Wedding Cakes

Don't like white cake?  Make it chocolate.  For intimate weddings with a small number of guests, make it a rich baked cheesecake.  Forget the matrimonial cake if you don't like fruit cakes.  Do something that you like and that's memorable.  Fancy cupcakes.  And who said there had to be a cake, anyways????

Amazing Themed Cakes and more cakes and more.  I particularly like the doughnuts, the stack of books, and the stack of pretty pillows.  Talk about individuality!

There are alot of cake decorators around who do it for a hobby, so you might be able to find somebody you know that would love to make a unique cake for your special day.  While paying them for their efforts it might save you some dollars over paying for a professional.


Wedding cakes can be rented, also.  No, not the edible ones, silly.  But you could consider renting a fake cake and then having something unique to serve to all the guests instead of cake.

Again, you decide what you want for your special day.  Tradition is not law. 

How about a James Bond cake?


Question for You:  If you were to get married, or had it to do all over again, what kind of cake would you have?  Or would you break with that tradition?

Themed Weddings

Themes are often used when it is a favorite idea of at least the bride or the groom.

It could be that she's a cowgirl type personality; grew up on a ranch or loved to ride her horse in the backcountry, or has just dreamed of having a horse one day and wears clothing with pictures of horses, or decorates every wall and room she can with a horse theme.

Or maybe the groom is into medieval chivalry with swords, and armour, and crests on flags. 

Or it could be a love for sunflowers, or songbirds, or waterfalls, or Celtic heritage, or hot-air balloons, picnics, or....its limitless.  But these fascinations can be incorporated into a wedding as a reflection of the heart of the bride or the groom (or both of them). 

I was recalling the blog of a Christian author I follow, Marla, and her obvious love of Scrabble because she even decorated her Christmas tree with Scrabble pieces.  So I got to thinking that a Scrabble fanatic could use that as a wedding theme, and voila......I found this!

• Select a simple, but cohesive theme. Involve family members and friends where possible.
• Picking a colour scheme is a simple way to bring all elements of your wedding together cohesively.  Don't overlook the simplicity of that thought.
  
• Choose a motif for use on invitations, thank you notes, decorations and cake.....through out the wedding site. This can be anything, such as the above examples.  They could be seasonal, as in an autumn theme, or St. Patrick's.  Whatever best symbolizes the couple.

Bloomex's Weblog 
Stylish Beach Wedding on a Budget
Gangsters 
Sweet Sassafras cute hat theme
Stay away from these kinds of themes! 



Question for You:  Have you ever gone to a themed wedding?  What was the theme?  Would you ever do a themed wedding, and if so, what would your theme be?

Wedding Attire

One of the parts of Little House on the Prairie book series that I remember the most is when Laura is engaged to Almonzo and they have started to plan their wedding.   Laura and her ma were preparing things for the home, and sewing up clothes that Laura was in need of both before and after the wedding.  Almonzo busied himself in building a house.

Almonzo asked Laura how soon it was that she could be ready to wed, as his own ma and sister were going to be arriving from out of town, much sooner than expected so that they could help plan the wedding for Laura and Almonzo.  But he knew that their plans would involve much more money than he was prepared to spend on a One Day Event.

Well, the short story is.....Ma finished sewing up the new black dress for Laura and that's what she got married in.  They quickly put together a wedding with the most important elements in it for themselves, and they became Mr and Mrs without a  load of debt.  Very simple.

The point here is.....the attire and all the paraphernalia really doesn't matter in the end if the goal is to become Mr and Mrs.  That isn't to say that the rest is pointless.  It isn't.  Just don't make it a bigger deal than it really ought to be.

So, here's some ideas and links about wedding attire other than the traditional long white gown and black tux.


*Wear the clothes that feel great. Be comfortable!  A woman doesn't have to wear a gown.  It could be a beautiful pant suit instead.

*Go barefoot or wear heels.  What about red hightop sneakers?  I wore faux snake skin pumps.  Not the most comfortable, but back then I really liked them.

*Wear something to fit a theme.  Time-period costume for medieval, wild west, or Elizabethan.

*Invite your guests to dress for the time-period also and have a Prize for the Best Costume.

*Borrow a wedding dress.  Maybe a siblings, or a parents, or a girlfriends.  Get it tailored to fit if needed.  I wore my mother's wedding dress but had the style changed abit when I had to get the lace all replaced, and made it more to my liking while still keeping most of the original design.

*Pick something to reflect your ethnicity.  Kilts are great for Scotsmen!  (There's my celtic ancestory shining through)

*I know there is a significance to white gowns, but don't feel obligated to where white.  It's your day and your dress, and likely your own hard-earned money spent.  Get what you like and what you feel good in.  Besides, white doesn't look good on everybody.  Cream is still traditional enough if traditional is what you want, without it having to be white.  My mom's dress had yellowed beautifully to a creamy satin so it worked perfect for me since I don't like wearing white.

*Instead of picking just one color for the wedding party (usually in addition to white & black), pick a palette of colors.  A great idea I saw was to go to a paint store and pick up those strips of sample paint colors.  Let the wedding party pick which specific color they individually want from a small selection of palettes you've pre-chosen as a color theme. Everything should still coordinate well with the theme you have chosen and look great in the photos, while you've encouraged individuality amongst those of your wedding party.

*You can allow your wedding party to choose their own style of attire within whatever guidelines you'd like to make, depending on how particular you are.  For example, you could ask your bridesmaids to wear sleeveless evening gowns in jewel tones, or pastel sundresses, or bluejeans with a crisp white blouse and cowboy boots and hats (in brown, or black, or whatever color you choose or don't dictate).

*If you are looking for an economical wedding dress check out formal wear stores, particularly those that sell prom dresses.  Or you can opt to rent a gown.  Or you might be fortunate to find the right look and fit at a consignment store or even a thrift store.  And there's also online auctions.

Best For Bride
My Canadian Wedding
Dresses for Your Body Type
2010 Trends for formal wedding dresses
You Light Up My Life
Guest Attire or this
Wedding Colour Theme
Beach Wedding Attire
Wedding Tropics
Fancy Wedding Attire informative about styles, cultural significance, and even how to tie a tie.

Question for You:  Did you wear something unique for your wedding?

Wedding Services

There are countless places on the web to get wedding ideas from.  Some specialize in gowns, some in catering for the reception, and some will Do It All!  Pick and choose the services, according to what your overall goal of your wedding plans are.  If you are a Do It Yourself-er (DIY) then there's lots of blogs to give great ideas to fit any budget.  The sky is the limit, basically.

If time to plan and organize and book things is very limited but money isn't, then full-service might work best for you.  Many couples today are looking for the personal touch in which they stay fully involved in the process, and are environmentally conscious so they are more likely to DIY, from making handmade invitations and decorations, to prepping their own reception food.

It's all individual.  Make a list of your own priorities, and stick to them. There isn't a right and a wrong way to plan the wedding, unless it isn't a right fit for you.  Get in touch with what your dreams and ideas really are, and make step-by-step plans with your fiance on how to accomplish your goals.  The clearer you are about your goals the easier it will be to get there.

Daily Wedding Planning Tip
Bride.ca from Vancouver
It's a Jaime Thing
Bubbly Bride
Canadian Bridal
The Wedding Expert
Dream Weddings on a Budget
i-weddings
Intimate Weddings (one of my faves)
My Canadian Wedding

Wedding Ideas

A wedding celebration is the moment when two people seal their lifelong commitment to each other. Since our eldest daughter is planning her wedding for June 2010, I thought it would be fun to do some research on Weddings and all the stuff that surrounds that big event.  I'm blogging about these subjects because I'm having fun searching the web about it, I'd like to share neat ideas I find with Layne kind of like a big brain-storm, and I thought I'd share some posts so I have references for when one of my other girls plans a wedding.


DREAMS

As a little girl and young woman, I always dreamed of getting married and becoming a mom. Those are high callings in life....and that's what I wanted to invest my life into.   I wanted to have a beautiful wedding to commemorate that change in my life, when I publicly stated my commitment and un-dying love to my husband.


It's always  important to be able to differentiate between whether you are doing something because it's in your own heart and you'd love to do it, or whether you do it because its expected of you (and it will hopefully avoid confrontations with others).  And above all,  consider what would give honor to the Lord and to one another.


WHO'S PLANS?

With our daughters' (6, so far) weddings all ahead of us, I'd like to think that they can have alot more freedom and creativity when planning their own weddings.  As Mom, I don't want to dictate nor expect.  I want to support and brainstorm.   I had my own opportunity to plan my own wedding years ago, and whether or not I took that opportunity to the fullest is beside the point.  It is not my place to dictate or co-erce my children to plan their wedding around my ideas or dreams.  It is my place to come alongside and help my children accomplish that which they dream and desire.  And I know that my children have strong opinions as to what they would or wouldn't like, and I want to respect those and those of their future spouse.


INDIVIDUALITY


While there are many traditional wedding elements to choose from, it’s not necessary to stick with those well-known options. It's fun to incorporate new elements that reflect the bride and grooms personalities and talents or to incorporate the skills and talents of their beloved family and friends.

More than a decade ago I purchased a book to help the older girls and I learn to do some fanciful hair-dos.  One of the photos in the book had a bride wearing a formal wedding dress while wearing red hightop runners!  It was cute and fun, and likely there was a story behind why she would wear hightops for her wedding.  But this was one of the starting points for us talking about unique things to incorporate into  weddings.  Something to make it personal, and obviously memorable. 

The uniqueness can be expressed in so many different ways, by the attire worn by the wedding party such as casual wear, or jeans.  It could be the 'bouquet' which isn't flowers but pinwheels.  Or traditional vows rewritten with deep personal meaning.  The ceremony can take place at the beach, or in a quaint country church, or the family's backyard.  If food is served it can be a formal sit-down, a bbq, a picnic, or feature a favorite ethnic cuisine.  The ideas are endless. 

I'm planning to write many more posts about weddings in the next few days, and throughout there will be lots of examples and links to how people can and do make their weddings very individual.  Ideas from weekend-long parties in the mountains, to casual beach ceremonies, to masquerades or the wild west themes.  I'll skip the Shrek and Star Trek themes, but basically anything goes when it's based on individual tastes.  After all, God made us all unique, so why would we all want to have the same things as everybody else.....the church, the elegant gown, the candles, etc.

There are usually significant meanings and spiritual connotations behind the traditional elements in a wedding, and we'll touch on the symbolism and see that there can be different or unique ways to incorporate the meaning with a twist.  And of course there are cultural differences in weddings.  Maybe we can touch on that, too. Like incorporating things like a Chinese Tea Ceremony or Jewish Blessings.

MASKS

Some people just are not comfortable dressing up glamorously.  So, why should their wedding day be something that they are not?   Why start a marriage with a show of who you aren't, just to make it look beautiful and acceptable for others?  That's like wearing a mask, being afraid to let people see who you really are, and not being able to trust them to love and support you no matter what.  Be honest with who you are and what you want.


PRIORITIES


It's easy to spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on that one day.  Put more thought into the plans than money, and make sure to not get consumed by all the wedding preparations.  Keep your relationship with each other as a priority.   The wedding is just one day out of your lifetime.  The relationship you have with each other is to last forever.

Think about what is most important. Is it flowers? The invitations? Food? Music? Focus attention on the things that matter the most.  Photography might be a biggie, as it captures those memories forever.

Don’t worry about how other people think you should do your wedding. A heartfelt ceremony will touch those who love you two the most.

NEW JOURNEY

My daughter has never been 'getting married' before, so she's new to this, and so is Micah.  And I've never been helping a child of ours plan their own wedding.  So, I walk a new journey here and admittedly have much to learn.  I haven't had a daughter begin a new life with a man outside of our covering. I've never had a grown son I don't know, but I choose to love and embrace him into our family. And I've never had any children's  in-laws to built relationships with.   It's all new.  It's exciting.  I trust that the Lord will help me walk gracefully and in love in this journey, down this road. 



Remember, no matter how the big day actually goes, the goal is to get married so at least get that accomplished.  And when there's bumps on the road or glitches in the plans, Let Go and Let God.

10 Reasons to Have a Small Wedding

15 Unique Ceremony Ideas

Two Thousand Dollar Wedding

Wedding Etiquette

Green Wedding Shoes

Earth Friendly Weddings with lots of links

Wing it! It is YOUR day.

Do whatever you want.