E and E 9/27

This is the longest I've ever neglected the blog...ahh!  Under the conviction that it's better to just start somewhere than not to  write at all for fear of imperfection, we'll start back with the wedding of last weekend! It was the marriage ceremony of a dear friend who goes by her middle name, Edith. John has known her and her family since she was about ten, and was almost like an adopted brother during his years at grad school. Then, she spent many hours babysitting Gemma Grace on our choral society nights back before Ruthie was born, and often Eli would come along, too.

They chose to get married at a mountain chateau, which was utterly enchanting (heh, I'm not sure if it was actually a chateau, but the term seems fitting :)). It was basically a destination wedding, with the wedding party, immediate family and some of the other single folk staying ok location in the main house or guest house, but they had both the ceremony and reception outdoors. And they asked Gemma, Ruthie and another little one all to be flower girls! Gemma was very excited.

When we first made the intrepid drive up the mountain road, we saw a flock of turkeys and some young deer!  The miss the rock-work, the bends and streams were unsullied and elvish, and when I caught my first glimpseof the elegant roofline rising out of the mist, I also had to catch my breath.  

Friday morning the girls and I spent at a bridal tea with the ladies, and the rest of the day we spent exploring the grounds and home (which had an impressive playroom for the children) and holding my inconsolable, teething toddler while others ran about helping with food and preparations. Ruthie was not at all her cheerful self for the first day and a half and we had just about lost hope that she would be a flower girl at all. Gemma and the other little toddler rehearsed together on Friday night, and then we all enjoyed a cookout on the veranda.  

I loved how they ordered their flowers by the bucket from a local farm and made up all the bouquets and centerpieces themselves. I also really loved how brides of the past had left their bouquets hanging from the exposed beams in the kitchen.

Well Saturday afternoon came and Ruthie had gotten a decent nap. We got her into her dress but she still wouldn't be put down for pictures. At least there were some good ones of Gemma with the bride. And then John and I had a face-palm moment and gave her a small dose of Tylenol, which changed her demeanor within minutes! 

Soon she was happily trotting about inside the house holding her sister's hand! She was also happy to carry her little basket...once I put a chocolate in it. Heh. 

So, marvelously, all three little flower girls made it down the aisle! And the ceremony was lovely and uninterrupted by childish noise. Our girlies thankfully did fine and I don't know if the 14-month old was there the whole time or not, but everything was quiet and lovely! 

Since the groom is culturally Jewish, they chose to have a traditional Jewish ceremony with the wine, the huppah, and the stomping on a glass, among other things. It was very neat to witness. Our pastor's recent preaching from Romans 11 has warmed my heart to the Jewish people in a new way as we've been learning about the special place they held in the heart of our Father and their need for salvation. It was just neat how these events came on the heels of that preaching, and were all the more stirring and intriguing for me, personally.

I also loved how the bride incorporated some lovely crocheted lace into her dress! 

And it was a great idea to have the bridesmaids all wear black dresses of their choosing. Here are the three sisters of the bride...

 

Abi is the one on the left, is the photographer of the family. She's the one who has taken newborn/family photos for us when both our girlies were born, and she is SO talented! 

A few more photos....

Gemma seemed genuinely confused by the tug-of-war photos. :)

The bride and her parents. We love them all so much!

The reception...

...and the giant sandbox right next to the reception! This was such a child-friendly wedding! 

(For the curious, Ruthie's dress washed up just fine! We're getting Gemma's dry-cleaned since it was borrowed.)

Time to cut the cake! This was another smart idea they had: having just a small special cake and serving sheet cakes to the guests. 

Our children had so much sugar for two days!  And then the bride and groom had their send-off out the front doors of the house in the dark while we all waved sparklers.  It was an exceptional weekend in many ways. :) I regretted forgetting our good camera, but having only phone pictures has certainly made blogging about it easier. ;) 

We love you, Edith and Eli, and hope you're having an amazing honeymoon!