Waiting on a wedding

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.

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Happy Wednesday

Comments

[Gayla]

Oh my! This was a dream wedding! I really loved the theme and all the special touches! You and your family have so many happy moments! You looked fabulous, Darling!! ....Gayla

[Jennifer]

@Donna ... forgive me my friend for not seeing your comment until now. I have been out of the loop as it were. Love you! xoxo

@Debbi ... YES girl it was beautiful and thank you for noticing all of the special touches. It was truly a labor of love and we have so many wonderful precious memories! I will share more pictures! Merry Christmas!

@Hena ... Awww thank you my friend! xoxo

@Gayla ... You are too kind and I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment! God bless you this Christmas season! xoxo

[Judee]

OMG!! I am blown away by all the beautiful details of this wedding. I love the colors, the table themes, the bride's dress, and all the beautiful photos of your family. One of my favorites is the Tulle and fairy lights that adorned the center aisle- it created such a beautiful look. The pic of the girls in red berets in front of the Eiffel Tower is so special and then the Lambeth style cake is beyond. I Love it. Thanks for sharing with us-Sorry I'm so late to comment but I've been away. Wishing you a very merry Christmas.

[Judee]

OMG!! I am blown away by all the beautiful details of this wedding. I love the colors, the table themes, the bride's dress, and all the beautiful photos of your family. One of my favorites is the Tulle and fairy lights that adorned the center aisle- it created such a beautiful look. The pic of the girls in red berets in front of the Eiffel Tower is so special and then the Lambeth style cake is beyond. I Love it. Thanks for sharing with us-Sorry I'm so late to comment but I've been away. Wishing you a very merry Christmas.

[Jennifer]

@Donna ... Yes, Lambeth! Audrey was so wild about that cake, haha! I didn't get a single bite of it. It was devoured! xoxo

@Debbi ... It was exhausting but such fun to look back on! Happy New Year to you my friend! xoxo

@Hena ... Thank you and Happy New Year! xoxo