The last wedding post...

I was hoping to return to regular blogging by now but I'm still recovering a bit.  The house was neglected as both the wedding and the garden had to take priority, not to mention a mountain of laundry which I haven't even started!  Victoria was in such a snit from no attention, too.

So... I will write now and then start regular pondering next week.

I did like my dress!  I have no waistline being short-waisted to begin with and then expanding each time the doctor increases my insulin (I told you I was beginning to resemble the Pillsbury Doughboy).  So, I was looking for a dress with a light jacket to cover the midsection. 

At the wedding, I realized my dress (green with a few purple flowers) was very similar to the mother-of-the bride's dress (shorter and a light purple with green accents).

The wedding was lovely.  The bride and her mother had been putting it all together on a very tight budget but no one would have known both families had to pinch pennies (and both the bride and groom being college students). 

I had found a vintage deep purple velvet purse at Goodwill a few months ago and it added lots of elegance, so much so that I could keep it with me.  I'd said I wasn't going to cry but "just in case", I added one of my pretty vintage hankies to the contents of the purse... a very good thing indeed.

The first time I cried was when the bride's mother called me out of the kitchen (where Steph and I were doing last minute preps) to tell me our children were sitting in the back of the church, holding hands and praying while waiting for the photographers (the outside pictures were taken before the wedding).  We both cried!

I cried off and on during the service, it was so Christ centered. Then the tears really came with the dance for the groom and groom's mother (that being moi') at the reception.  Christopher had asked his sister what song he should choose and she told him it had to be one of my favorites... Garth Brook's The Dance (which always makes me cry!).

The rehearsal dinner was held at a caterer's in the same town as the wedding.  It was delicious and the only thing I had to do for the rehearsal dinner was meet Christopher there in late afternoon to help decorate the tables.

He and I had experimented with those "beads" that expand into marble size "beads" when in water.  All of the small glass bowls came from Goodwill and the six tall glass containers were (I believe) from Hobby Lobby... really inexpensive.

It was his idea (I'd never heard of them) and it turned out so lovely with clear "beads" mixed with a few purple "beads" for accents immersed in water and then battery operated tea lights in the water to make them glow... two small glass bowls and one tall glass container on each table.

We decided flowers were only needed at the bride's table and he ordered a gorgeous Spring bouquet of purple flowers mixed with a few other colors.   It cost more than all the other table decorations combined but they showed how special she was to him.

The music for the dance with the bride and bride's father was I Loved Her First by Heartland.  Oh, my... that is a tearjerker!  I told hubby it was a good thing that wasn't around at Stephanie's wedding or he wouldn't have made it through the reception.

As much baking as I did, it is truly Stephanie who made it all beautiful.  Christopher told me whenever someone talked about how beautiful the food was, he'd say... "Well, you see, my sister has a degree in Interior Design."... and that explained it all.  She's been that creative since she was a toddler.

Speaking of children and all, we did enjoy spending time with the entire family again.  Anna celebrated her second birthday the day after the wedding at our home with her parents, siblings, and my son-in-law's parents (whom we always enjoy seeing).

I must admit Grammie was a bit in a fog that day as I developed one of those "knots" in my back while standing in a long reception line.  It started hurting so much I could not sleep, even though I was so exhausted from the wedding. 

We had a lovely meal on the deck, the only thing I had to make was the potato salad.  Between the busy-ness of wedding week and no sleep the night before, it was a good thing I've made the same potato salad recipe since the 80's so I could (almost literally) do it in my sleep.  :)

Stephanie said I could serve potato chips but my potato salad was the only food I make she'd asked for before arriving.  I use the original Holoise's recipe and I think the real secret is mixing in most of the mayo "sauce" when the potatoes are still hot.

The next day, her hubby took the kids to a park in our town so Stephanie and I could have a longer visit.  She treated me to a buffet lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant near the campus and then to a chai latte' at our favorite coffee shop just down the street.

I do have the world's best son-in-law!  It was so good to have more time together before they left in the early morning hours the next morning.

Both Steph and I are still very tired but it was worth all the work...