A Blessed Event

I love weddings. I love the excitement of a life shared. I love the dresses and suits. I love the flowers and the music. All of it makes me cry with joy for the couple. JD too. Our good friends Brandon and Kristen got married this weekend and it was a marvelous event. They dated for something like 10 years so it was a huge celebration that we did not want to miss. As expected, when they exchanged those solemn promises to each other, our eyes filled with tears. JD's were very masculine, manly tears though. I assure you.

I suppose I get so emotional at weddings because of the enormity of the commitment taking place. Two people are vowing to love, honor and respect each other for a lifetime. Not to mention raise babies, help each other through the ups and downs and share a life together. And while you're standing before God, friends and family in that white dress and suit, it is so easy to feel those things you're saying and mean them. It's when you've been married for a minute, the bills need to be paid and the dirty socks lying on the floor (that never seemed to bother you before you got married) make you want to scream is when those vows seem like the dumbest thing you've ever said before.

I guess I cry at weddings because I am so excited for the couple. Excited that they will get to experience the most wonderful relationship on earth. The relationship that teaches us how to forgive, love without condition, become parents, make a home, see the best in others even when we know the worst about them, apologize, and on and on. It is a relationship that should never be stagnant but grows and strengthens with time. Even when the honeymoon phase is over and the realities of life make it seem like a lot of work to love the person you're sharing your life with. 


And that is what I wish for our friends: a life of love and respect, lots of babies filling their home, and an ever growing relationship together. Here are some photos of their wedding. I have a crappy camera and a photographer I am not, so please excuse the poor quality of the photos. 

The wedding was in an old wine cellar, practically underground. The room had stone walls, stone floors and a stone ceiling. It was lit with tons of candles.

The reception was outdoors on the lawn and under a huge tent. It was a morning wedding so they served brunch with mimosas, bloody marys and pink lemonade.

We laid a table cloth in the grass for Beatrice to play so we could eat and celebrate with the other guests.

It was a great wedding and I wish Brandon and Kristen the best! On a side note, Beatrice did great on the 10 hour trip. We decided to leave at night so she could sleep most of the way. She did, however we did not. We were zombies the next day. Not the flesh eating kind, just the really tired kind. But a little exhaustion was worth it for a quiet trip with not even a peep from our little one.