![Hold Back the Dawn [DVD] Charles Boyer; Olivia de Havilland; Paulette Goddard](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AkExBJQsL._SL75_.jpg)
Waiting on a wedding
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 12:44PM 
TG, cool as a cucumber during the afternoon.
Actually I'm waiting on the official wedding pictures, which I have not seen yet, but soon will I am sure.
And at that time I will share a selection with you.
These are all cell phone photos taken beginning the night before, at the rehearsal dinner, and going through until just a short time before guests began arriving for the ceremony.
This greeted us as we entered the rehearsal dinner venue.
We'd been at the church until nearly one o'clock in the morning on the Wednesday night before the Friday wedding day.
There is a family in our church who create dramatic lighting effects in our Family Life Center, which is a gym with a full restaurant-style kitchen, and where many receptions and dinners are held.
The lighting process is somewhat time-consuming, and I had added a light curtain to the mix, and we were all there to help the installers in any way that we could.
Audrey had bought French-inspired vases for the flowers.
We also busied ourselves with other tasks such as hanging backdrops for our photo booth and finishing up some details having to do with table decor.
So it was a late night and the next day, Thursday, wedding eve, would be a long day with, we were hopeful, not so late a night.
But there are so many last-minute things to see to, that one wonders whether simply working around the clock until you drop into the floor unconscious would be the way to get it all done.
E is for Erni, our Audrey's new last name. It's Swiss.
I'm fortunate that I had a great deal of excellent help.
On Thursday I arrived at the church at about ten o'clock in the morning and started on installing fifty pew and altar and door decorations.
All of which I had made with me own pirate hands.
The ladies painted these old books.
The tulle was almost all saved over from Erica's 2018 wedding. I had stored it carefully -- okay, it was stuffed into a box that sat in the guest room closet for six and a half years, haha -- and it was as fluffy and magical as ever.
Tulle does not die unless you set fire to it, I imagine. I'm now saving it in case we need it when our Allissa gets married. Yes, she is sixteen and still in high school, but just go with it.
Get out ahead of things, I always say.
There were charcuterie-type treats on hand.
Around each tulle swath I wrapped a piece of gold bling and added fairy lights, then tucked in an ivory silk rose adorned with a gold laser-cut butterfly, and bows of tulle and double-faced satin ribbon.
Thirty pews each got one of those. Fifteen more festooned the altar -- they looked like tiny waterfalls -- and there were four hanging on the glass doors leading into the church lobby.
My niece Rebecca, who lives here now, having moved to the area last summer, came to help and she ended up fluffing and arranging every single one of those pew decorations.
And a festive Chantilly cake.
It took her many hours and what I would have done without her, I cannot imagine.
I was busy doing the altar decor and putting up some other lighted things, and our lamppost still was not in place beside the bench on the platform, but that would have to wait until Friday morning.
At various times I would traverse the large auditorium and spacious lobby and long hallway leading to the reception venue, where many helpers awaited the rental delivery van.
My brother Mike and his wife Jennifer came from California.
Mike and Audrey rented chairs, linens, flatware, beverage service urns, a grass wall, a coffee cup display piece, and a cold beverage trough that would be stuffed with ice and green bottles of Maison Perrier sparkling water.
The truck came from Charleston and once all of the items were unloaded, many hands got to work placing the chairs and linens, and putting the centerpieces together.
Our centerpieces were meant to evoke both Paris and Versailles, which is forty miles to the west of Paris.
The dress, being photographed in the church lobby.
Both places that Audrey loves and enjoyed visiting on her two trips to France, in 2005 and earlier this year.
In fact the newlyweds are at Versailles as I write this.
On the white linen tablecloth we placed a twelve-inch square of artificial grass. Atop that was a black box eight by eight and four inches tall, which I embellished with the same gold bling used in the pew and altar decorations.
The bride glowed with happiness all day long.
This was to give the centerpiece height and drama.
Atop the box was a fifteen-inch black Eiffel Tower, and stuck on top of the tower was a flower ball of white foam roses installed with diamond-head pins, with some greenery, and more gold butterflies, and fairy lights lighting it from within.
I know, right? Somewhat elaborate but I had fun making those flower balls. They took at least one hour apiece to assemble.
Our grandson Guy enjoyed the run of the sanctuary.
And when all of those were set in place on twenty-five tables in the large room, it looked quite nice. Two dear friends of mine turned all of the flower ball lights on about an hour before the wedding.
We had selected square-ish plastic plates in dusty blue (we called it French blue, haha) and embellished with a frilly gold painted design on each of the four sides.
I thought my flowers were exquisite.
The ornate real flatware (fork and knife only; we couldn't afford spoons, haha) looked great beside the plates, and topping it all off was Mike and Audrey's stunning oversized and personalized dinner napkin, the design of which matched their wedding invitation.
We did a photo shoot about a week before the wedding and I used the pictures, framed in ornate French blue-and-gold frames, to define tables that were reserved for family and special friends.
Tulle and fairy lights adorned the center aisle.
Our party favors were pains-au-chocolat (French croissant-like pastry with chocolate inside) paired with a tiny jar of Bonne Maman or St. Dalfour French jam, and a tiny plastic spoon inside a clear glassine bag adorned with a strip of bleu-blanc-rouge ribbon and a Paris sticker.
In addition, guests were treated to Madeleines served by two adorable mademoiselles dressed in black dresses with white Peter Pan collars à la Edith Piaf, and sporting red berets.
Ember and Rhett populating the park bench.
The girls are first cousins and they loved carrying their baskets full of Madeleines, going around to the tables saying Bonjour! Would you care for a Madeleine?
Who could refuse such a treat -- either the almost-ingenues or the French cookies?
The rental company placed the grass wall in the lobby of the venue, where Audrey and I had stationed our Scentiment hotel diffusers and were playing the scent "The One."
Dagny joined them for this shot.
We would play it all the next day too, and the glamorous aroma wafted in and around the reception venue.
My large iron easel would stand in front of the grass wall and hold a 20x30 canvas of Audrey's bridal portrait.
As Thursday waned, we were nearing completion of the preparations, except for a few things that would have to wait until Friday morning.
Then it was time for the rehearsal, and it went as well as could be expected.
Joel and Andrew in deep discussion on the wedding afternoon.
Afterwards we all traipsed across the parking lot to a building which houses a space we call the Chandelier Room, which is used for showers and smaller parties.
Audrey had enlisted a lady in our church who has three teenage daughters, all four of them talented in flower arranging and various decorating and entertaining arts.
The ladies had transformed the Chandelier Room into a lovely party venue, and Mike had provided lavish charcuterie, sandwich, vegetable, and fruit platters for everyone to nosh on.
Audrey rested, surrounded by her bridesmaids.
There was a scrumptious Chantilly cake and lots of candlelight and flowers and everyone had such a good time.
Audrey and Mike had put together generous gift bags for their wedding party, and those were distributed along with thank-you gifts for several who had been such a great help to us throughout the process.
Several of us also gave housewarming gifts to our Stephanie. She and her family moved into their new house only days before the wedding. It is a few miles from their former house, but with more room for their growing children. I've only seen it in pictures but I look forward to a visit.
"Little" Andrew and Dagny joined the menfolk.
I slept quickly that night and was up early for coffee, and then set out for the hairdresser's, from which I would go straight to the church.
My hairdresser, Nancy, also cuts Audrey's and Erica's hair, and she would be a guest at the wedding.
My brother Mike and his wife, Jennifer, who flew in from California and were with us at the rehearsal dinner, helped me with the final preparations in the sanctuary when I got there on Friday.
Andrew helped with the children during the wait.
We worked for a few hours and then lit all of the fairy lights and declared it finished.
Eventually all was ready and it was time to get dressed. There is a whole story wrapped up in that, as far as I am concerned, but I won't tell it to you today. Suffice it to say, one lives and learns.
Charlie Mather, our photographer, had been there since noon, photographing the dress and accessories, Audrey's perfume, Mike's cologne, the flowers, many of the decorations in both the church and on-site reception venue, and so forth.
The wedding cake was in the Lambeth style.
Mike and Audrey chose to do a "first look" before the wedding so that we could get the majority of the photos out of the way.
We met in the sanctuary to take a good number of those on the platform where Mike and Audrey would be married a few hours later.
Our grandchildren Ember (almost five) and Rhett (three), the flower girl and ring bearer, were meant to sit on the bench beside the flickering lamppost throughout the ceremony, looking like a miniature bride and groom.
There were also petit fours.
Only, it didn't happen so in this post I share one of the few pictures I have of them on the bench together.
(Rhett melted down when it was time for him to serve as ring bearer. He never made it into the sanctuary, much less to the altar.)
Ember sat alone with her basket of red petals (she forgot to strew them as she walked), and was as good as gold.
The tables, set and waiting.
Alas, big weddings are destined for glitches and ours had more than a few. It will take a whole post to tell you about them and I promise you will enjoy it.
It is of the laugh-or-you'll-cry variety, if you get my drift.
All in due time.
I cherish a photo that Erica took of me with our Andrew that afternoon. He is so busy in his job as a pilot that we don't get to see him nearly as much as we would like.
The napkin design matched the invitations.
He enjoyed catching up with our son-in-law Joel, while Audrey rested in the lobby surrounded by her bridesmaids.
That waiting time stretches long when you get an early start on things, but we felt it was better to be ready and have a relaxing time of photos, rather than be rushed.
The weather was unseasonably warm -- nearly eighty degrees -- and the humidity was an unexpected guest at the wedding.
Our mademoiselles. I forgot to steam the wrinkles out of the backdrop.
We girls were grateful for hairspray and a great deal of it was utilized to keep our tresses from wilting.
I loved my corsage of white mini roses and carnations, and the bridal bouquets and boutonnieres were equally fresh and dewy and romantic.
And then the guests began arriving and it's all sort of a blur after that because there were a few surprises and they were delightful ones, along with the precious friends and family members whose presence I was expecting and keenly anticipating.
I cherish this picture of me with my son.
We had guests from California, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and of course from all over South Carolina, specifically the upstate where my sister lives, as well as many who live locally.
The rest of the wedding story I will save for later.
Meanwhile, are you ready for Thanksgiving? You do realize that Christmas is in just one month; right?
Tell me in the comments what you're up to.
And that is all for now.
=0=0=0=
Happy Wednesday
Reader Comments (22)
You are beautiful, and so is your dress. I imagine you went home and straight to bed after all of the wedding preparation and actual wedding. The French theme is amazing, and what a success! I love the Eiffel Tower decorations on the tables. and the plates do NOT look like paper, I could really not believe they were paper. I got a good laugh about Rhett and Ember! The cake is stunning, so much better than boring white! The pew decorations are marvelous!!
@Ginny ... Thank you so much my friend, for your kind words! The plates were actually plastic! And I have washed nearly 200 of them and we are sharing with some ladies in our family because they can go through the dishwasher and be reused until they crack or break, hahaha! I'm glad you like my dress and the French decorations! xoxo
It was such a marvelous wedding! I know you said there were glitches, but rest assured that they were missed by your guests. We knew about Rhett, but didn't catch anything else. Poor little Rhett will be reminded of this in years to come, maybe at his own wedding!
The cake was just gorgeous, your decorations showed the many hours you put into them. Audrey's dress was stunning and so was yours!
I say it was a great success!
PS - Now I need to check further into those scent diffusers. They sound like something I would love!
@Mari ... Oh girl! The scent diffusers! They are having a big sale right now at Scentiment but there are other brands too. Audrey and I sprung for one each and I love mine. I DO wish that the scent "threw" a little further but that may all be down to where it's placed in the house. I've only really used it in the front room and now I have it in the kitchen, just because I sat it there when we brought everything home and I decided that for now I'll leave it there. "The One" scent is truly special. We got two more in our starter kit, one called Day Dream and one called Ocean Breeze or something like that, but I have not smelled those because they're still sealed. I did buy some more of The One because I don't want to be without it, but the small bottle that came with it is taking a while to diffuse and I run it for eight hours most days! And I'm glad that most didn't notice the glitches (well, Rhett's meltdown was hard to miss, haha) and I realize that it's all small stuff, but I think my expectations tend to be unrealistic, hahaha! I'm so glad that you and Bon were there. That was a real treat for me and for all of us! xoxo
Hooray for learning more details about the wedding of the year! Although you must still be tired; I would be. Thank you for the photos because I couldn't quite picture everything in my mind, in spite of your descriptions. I just am a visual person. I love love love the Eiffel Tower! And I cannot believe you made all those decorations - wow! The cake looks absolutely delicious! Aren't weddings wonderful in bringing all the loved ones together to share in the happiness? And I am certain the loved ones did not notice any glitches. As for Rhett, well, we still tell the story about how my 6-month old daughter wailed during part of my brother's wedding 30 years ago. Best wishes to the newlyweds and to Dagny for a lifetime of happy family moments.
Of course I gave up after awhile, but you have written a good record. I just want to note that it is a good thing that your pirate hands aren’t hooks. I think you would have had trouble getting it all together.
@Maryellen ... You know, I was of the opinion for YEARS -- and yes, I was vocal about it -- that the last thing that should be in a wedding is children. And then I had grandkids. Hahaha! Now I think it's the cutest thing ever. And it WOULD have been, if Rhett could have gotten it together, but alas he could not. Bygones! No hard feelings. He was overwhelmed but then again, by that time, so was I! Hahaha xoxo
@AC ... What? You couldn't stick with me till the end? Hahaha yes if I had hooks for hands that would have been a whole different wedding! xoxo
Jenny...what a beautiful wedding! Audrey was absolutely gorgeous, and Mike was so handsome. They make such a beautiful couple. I cannot imagine how much time you spent making the beautiful decorations...absolutely gorgeous! You are such a wonderful mom, my friend, and I know your family appreciates your sacrifices that you make to give them their dreams! xx
The wedding looked amazing. Audrey made a beautiful bride, and the mother of the bride was also beautiful.
@Dianna ... I did put the time in but it paid off and I was so grateful for the opportunity! Mari delivered your hug to me and it was so appreciated, my friend! And thank you for your prayers. As I know you would, I'd do just about anything for my children. God is so good to us! xoxo
@Jane ... Thank you my friend. I hope you're doing well! xoxo
Hello Jenny,
Where to start? The photo of you and your son ... xx oo ... made me smile big time. You look wonderful and your son is very handsome.
Your girls are beautiful. And I said it before, I will say it again, the bride is gorgeous and that dress!!
The wedding cake, the flowers, the dresses, the family and the french theme... so so much goodness.
My boys are coming to stay the weekend, we are celebrating an early Thanksgiving and decorating our Christmas tree.
xx oo
Carla
Wow, that is one fancy wedding! As much work and anticipation that went into it, I bet you are glad it if over and behind you. The bride looks so happy and beautiful.
@Carla ... I knew that the picture of me and Andrew would resonate with you! It is (so far, since I haven't seen the official pictures) my favorite picture of all! Audrey did look gorgeous and she is so happy. We are all so happy for her and Mike! Your weekend sounds so special and I can't wait to read all about it and see pictures! Stay cozy! xoxo
@Jim and Barb ... It was rather fancy, wasn't it? I didn't even know how fancy it would all turn out, haha! It got bigger and bigger the longer we chewed it! But we had a marvelous time and Audrey did look beautiful and happy, didn't she? So wonderful. Love to you both! xoxo
It looks like such a gorgeous wedding! The church looked so beautiful and something about tulle decorations looks so elegant! I should have sent you all the tulle I have left over from Shauna's wedding! Everything was so beautiful I saw the napkins in Mari's post and was blown away! Audry is such a beautiful bride and you, my friend, are a beautiful MOB! I love your dress! I was perfect for the wedding! XO
I was so excited to read this post and it did not disappoint. Every single thing looked amazing. Your attention to detail is amazing from the decorations to the mademoiselles. The photo's are gorgeous. The bride looks SO happy and gorgeous and your dress was stunning!! I just love that color. I'm sure the wedding was just perfect. Poor Rhett though. At least you got an adorable photo of him on that bench. Big hugs. I hope you're all rested up. xoxo
Nothing much here. But your post recalls weddings of the past...of family, friends. It's been many years now since I last attended a wedding. Thank you for reminding me of the special moments in a life that weddings are.
@Jeanette ... Oh girl that tulle was all left over from Erica's wedding!!!!! And I have deconstructed all fifty of those things and every bit of the tulle is piled up in my front room! I'm guessing the next bride will be our granddaughter Allissa and since it's not a wedding without tulle I will save it for that, just in case she wants it. It's so hard to think about throwing it away! I did love my dress ... it was a dream of mine to wear a Mac Duggal gown and that's what I did! I would never have thought I'd enjoy wearing dusty blue that much but it really was an ideal dress for the occasion! Thank you for your kind words! xoxo
@Lori ... Awww you are so sweet but be warned, there is more to come, hahahaha! I have some funny (now) stories that I will share. It was quite the event. Weren't those napkins something? I couldn't believe how BIG they were when I opened the package! We had such fun. xoxo
@Mike ... Yes it is good to be reminded of what special occasions these are. I know men don't get into weddings as much as women but I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment. Hope you're well my friend and enjoying these happy hopeful days in America! xoxo
Oh my word! She's Beautiful...I love the photos, one and all!! You ALL are gorgeous!
And that cake is perfect! I also would have chosen Lambeth style...
Can't wait to hear the rest of the story!!
hugs
Donna
Now THAT was a beautiful wedding! I enjoyed the pictures so much, my friend! Little Andrew and Dagny look so grown up in their elegant attire! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cake, and the color!! All the little touches made it so pretty, so elegant, so classy....the napkins, the place settings, the pictures, etc. What a gorgeous bride she was, and all her sisters looked so pretty too, as well AS YOU, and yes, I love your lovely corsage too, what a pretty one! (I notice things like that, LOL). Your dress AND SHOES were so nice. I'm thinking they may be back from their honeymoon soon and I bet you and Dagny have had a ball with all that precious one on one time together, I'm so glad you got that. All the men looked so handsome and little Ember and Rhett were adorable, wow, Ember's dress matches PERFECTLY TO Audrey's! Well, hope y'all had a happy Thanksgiving, and looking forward to seeing MORE WEDDING PICTURES! HUGS!!
Everyone looks wonderful and the decor was beautiful. You all did a marvelous job.