Taylor's Wedding Weekend

I am guilty of drinking a Dr. Pepper tonight. And, as is usually the case when I drink caffeine after 5, I am unable to sleep. Sigh...

I have already prayed, planned for tomorrow, and thought about things, so I figured I might as well blog about this weekend's events...

My sister, Taylor, got married this weekend.

Here are some of the highlights and things that stood out:

1. The highly entertaining Marie Antoinette bachelorette party planned by Taylor's friends from college

2. Hannah's costume for the bachelorette party

3. Meeting Kelli and Kristi, close friends of my sister, Tessa
(These girls came down from Harding to help get ready for the wedding. These girls worked their fingers to the bone for about two weeks. It was fun to get to know them better. Awesome girls...)

4. Finishing the sewing of the 33+ !!! dupioni silk rose bouquets that were on the reception tables
(This may not sound like a highlight... Trust me, it was.)

5. Getting to know Shannon, the intriguing family friend who fixed the bridesmaids' hair for the wedding. She was such an interesting person to talk with. I found her fascinating!!! A few facts about Shannon...She makes her own cheese, can do origami (quite well I might add), was a childhood beauty pageant winner, and sings like an angel. I could write an entire blog all on the interesting life of Shannon.

6. The fabulous photographer who is a full time missionary in Thailand, but takes wedding pictures in the summer to help pay for his expenses during the year. My sister, Taylor, is also a photographer and was extremely picky about who was going to shoot her wedding. I haven't seen the wedding pictures yet, but her bridal portraits were unbelievable!!! Might I interest you in Paul's World? He work is amazing!!! And...on top of it all...he was a really neat guy!

7. Getting a pedicure.

8. This is the only downer, but I had to include it because it was such a memorable part of Scot and Taylor's wedding weekend... The PREACHER showing up AN HOUR late for the wedding rehearsal and several key members not showing up at all. Something about someone (or three) being stuck in traffic? This was a huge bummer and time waster for everyone. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end, despite these missing persons.

9. Taylor's choice of wedding music... The wedding music was very important to Taylor. She is very musical, has sung in countless choral groups. My brother, Ben, played the piano. One of Taylor's good friends sang beautifully. Another family friend played the cello. (Beautiful!!!) She had congregational singing of The Lord Bless You and Keep You (sung acapella)...which sounded surprisingly wonderful. She went down the aisle to her favorite hymn, Christ We Do All Adore Thee. But...by far my favorite music of all, was Taylor's choice to have Mary Alice sing He Leadeth Me. Of course it was adorable! :) I'm a little biased.

10. The cousins, Major and Landon, ringing bells just before Taylor entered (Major rang the bell with his usual energy and enthusiasm. He is such a boy!)

11. Mary Alice as the flower girl. Taylor chose a very non-traditional flower girl dress. Mary Alice was presh!

12. Watching Taylor and Scot trying not to cry, but crying a little bit anyway... Sweet emotion...

13. Mary Alice started crying during the wedding, just before the recessional. When we walked back down the aisle, I asked her why she was crying?? She looked at me with big tears in her eyes and said, "Everything was just so happy. I just had to cry!" I thought it cute that Taylor's wedding moved her to tears. I know she got that crying gene from her mother. She is my tenderhearted girl.

14. Major and Landon hiding under the kid's table eating gummy bears. I didn't actually see this one. Major told on himself.

15. Seeing my cousins and actually getting to talk with them for a few minutes...

16. Getting to catch up with a childhood friend that I never ever call. :)

17. The food! When I take Mary Alice to play practice tomorrow, I will be sure to swing by my parents' refrigerator for LEFTOVERS!!!

18. My mom in her beautiful dress... My mom was not adorned in the typical frumpy mother of the bride attire. She looked absolutely stunning. The woman is HOT! I need to brag on the endless amounts of time she spent on the wedding. She worked night and day for months to make Taylor's day perfect. And it was.

19. One other small bummer that didn't turn out to be such a big deal after all... The rain... After a downpour that lasted nearly a week, the outdoor reception had to be cancelled. The reception was held inside the church building instead. It turned out great! Everything was gorgeous. And as an added bonus...We all stayed dry. :)

20. Some Taco Bell sauce packets that said "Will you marry me?" on them. They were supposed to be put on one of the reception tables. I never saw those out anywhere. Perhaps they were misplaced? Oops.

21. One very funny impression done for us by my brother in law, Chad. Chad is some funny stuff.


I can't wait to see Paul's pictures of the wedding! I didn't want to lug around my camera, so I didn't get any pictures of my own. I was much too worried about making sure that the kids were in their places and just enjoying the moment. The wedding was unbelievably beautiful and extremely sweet.