My sister Brooke married the man of her dreams two days ago. Welcome to the family Jonathan!!!! We love you!!!! The photographer (amazing gal, check out her website here) posted this ONE picture on facebook. I'm dying to see the rest.
I was a bridesmaid for the first time! Jonathan's sister Kimberly was the other bridesmaid and we had a blast laughing and crying together!
(Kimberly, I am happy to be connected to you through Brooke and Jonathan. You and Blake are amazing people and made the whole experience so wonderful!)
The grooms-men were Jonathan's brother Jeffrey and best friend, Chester.
(Jeffrey is a musician and just as nice and wonderful as Jonathan! Thanks for singing and playing for us! And for walking down the aisle with me :) Chester made the cake and the bridal bouquet! Super talented!)
We flew from Palm Springs, CA to Knoxville, TN. It was a wonderful getaway for Kyle and I. We have never left the kids to go out of town before! We loved the quiet airplane flights, sleeping in, going out to eat together and shopping together. It was heavenly!
Thank you to my grandmother for watching the kiddos!!! (yeah, she was packed and waiting at the door when we got back ;) The kids had a great time with Grandma and we appreciate her taking care of them! (Aubrey had other plans... she went to Knott's with the Ferraud's and hung out with the Walker's the rest of the time... thank you, thank you!)
We were able to stay with Brooke and Jonathan's friends, Henry and Jonelle. These folks are amazing. They instantly felt like family to us. Jonelle has this deep southern accent. She resembles Paula Deen and does a killer impersonation! She was fun to chat with. This woman can make anyone feel welcome. We laughed and laughed. My new mantra when I'm feeling crusty or guarded with people is going to be, "What would Jonelle do?" Jonelle and Henry opened up their home to all of us for the wedding and reception. It was better than staying in the finest resort. Everything was gorgeous, but also cozy and warm. They even have a fish pond out back! Our room was beautiful and they said we can come stay whenever we'd like... hmmmm Tennessee might be our new vacation destination.
The first night we stayed up late catching up with Brooke. The next day we met Jonathan's wonderful family. We helped with wedding preparations. We had the rehearsal and dinner. (BBQ! )
The next day was the wedding! My sister looked stunning in her dress. I am dying to see all the pictures. Witnessing Jonathan and Brooke say their vows was very touching. They both have such love for each other that it is evident on their faces. I know that they will be good to each other. The chaplain talked about how in marriage, the hard times are only half as bad because you have someone to share it with. My brother Johnny, Kimberly, Chester and Jeffrey all sang, "How Great Thou Art". Everyone was crying. It was beautiful. Oh, I have to say that the music we walked away with was Zip-A-De-Doo-Dah... only my sister and Jonathan would pick that song! I was like, "Of course!" It was a blast!
After the ceremony and picture taking, they were announced for their first dance. Then Jonathan and his mother had a dance together. Let me just say that Jonathan's mother is a sweetheart. She says she is adopting me as her third daughter. It was so fun to meet her. Warm and friendly, and totally into what her kids are doing. She is a true example of how a mother should be. Whenever I feel frustrated with my kids I'm going to think, "What would Joyce do?"
Then Brooke and Dad had a dance together. They danced to "Baby Mine" from Dumbo and then "When I see an Elephant Fly" It was sweet and then hilarious when they were singing along to the second song. They used to watch it when Brooke was a little girl.
Then there was dancing and food (think shrimp, chocolate fountain, and chicken salad on croissants) and cake cutting and garter/bouquet throwing, bubble blowing and the bride and groom riding their motorcycle as their getaway vehicle.
The wonderful women that helped make this all happen belong to a group called, "Akima". It is charity group. Among other charity fund raising activities, they put on a caberet show every year to raise money for various causes. Brooke, Jonathan and Chester work as their dance instructors and choreographers. They are wonderful women and I am so grateful for all they did for my sister to help make her wedding so special. A memorable moment from the wedding was when all the women surrounded Brooke on the dance floor and danced to "I Gotta Feeling" I didn't get that it meant anything other than a fun song until I saw this video on You Tube last night. It was so fun to watch this and recognize many of the women and men that I met at the wedding! Thanks everyone!!!!
I will never forget this magical time we all had!!!! Love you guys!!! Already missing you like crazy!
