A fairy tale come true planted on solid ground!
May I introduce my new beautiful family to you? Russell, my new husband; Alexia, my youngest daughter; Boe, my new step son; Lauren, my oldest daughter; and then the Bride – ME!!!
The day before my wedding, Oct. 24th, there was a…..shall I say….downpour in Savannah, GA. Normally, this would not be an issue. Unfortunately, this was my wedding destination! I remember looking out into our host’s backyard and seeing overturned busted tents and a swamp. No, I will call it a moat; because this is, after all, my fairytale to tell. Either way, it looked bad and any hopes of us having an outdoor wedding were shot. The locals kept saying, “Kim, don’t worry. It will dry up for tomorrow’s big day.” I hear them say that, and then I look out again and see standing water everywhere. “Keep breathing.” I tell myself, and then I said, “Lord, please make this beautiful!!”
The next morning, it was still cloudy and sprinkling. However, at about noon, the clouds broke and the sun started shining. All the guys, including my beautiful new husband, were working very hard to get the tents back up. It was a tight race for time, but by 4pm, God showed up! I had all the makings of a beautiful outdoor wedding.
The wedding started a little late, but not too many people noticed…OK, DOUG noticed, but does that surprise any of us? Ryan, my new brother-in-law, a youth pastor in GA, officiated the wedding. His wife, Russell’s younger sister and my lifetime best friend Shelle, was the Matron of Honor. Lauren and Alexia were bride’s maids, and my niece, Morgan, was our Jr. Brides Maid. On the guy’s side, my stepson Boe was the best man. Doug, or should I say “Douglas,” and my nephew Cobe, were groomsmen.
The ceremony was lovely…and, yes, both of us cried. For that matter, many people were crying, including my beautiful new mother-in-law Kay. Pass me a Kleenex – the thought of it makes me want to cry even now. My beautiful mother gave me away. Ryan did a super job with the service. My friend Amanda, who I consider more of a sister, sang beautifully. As a family, all five of us took our individual glasses of sand and poured the contents into a beautiful vase full of shells. The mixing of the sands into one vase symbolized the unification of our lives into one family. Everything about it was beautiful to me. And that Kiss, oh my! That first kiss after we exchanged our vows was “lovely.”
God reminded me during that ceremony that He is the One who can make the sun shine even when everything around us is grey and mucky. He gave Russell and me the wedding day we dreamed about. The final signature of His handy work was an extraordinary sunset!!! He holds us in the palm of His hand!!
May I introduce my new beautiful family to you? Russell, my new husband; Alexia, my youngest daughter; Boe, my new step son; Lauren, my oldest daughter; and then the Bride – ME!!!
The day before my wedding, Oct. 24th, there was a…..shall I say….downpour in Savannah, GA. Normally, this would not be an issue. Unfortunately, this was my wedding destination! I remember looking out into our host’s backyard and seeing overturned busted tents and a swamp. No, I will call it a moat; because this is, after all, my fairytale to tell. Either way, it looked bad and any hopes of us having an outdoor wedding were shot. The locals kept saying, “Kim, don’t worry. It will dry up for tomorrow’s big day.” I hear them say that, and then I look out again and see standing water everywhere. “Keep breathing.” I tell myself, and then I said, “Lord, please make this beautiful!!”
The next morning, it was still cloudy and sprinkling. However, at about noon, the clouds broke and the sun started shining. All the guys, including my beautiful new husband, were working very hard to get the tents back up. It was a tight race for time, but by 4pm, God showed up! I had all the makings of a beautiful outdoor wedding.
The wedding started a little late, but not too many people noticed…OK, DOUG noticed, but does that surprise any of us? Ryan, my new brother-in-law, a youth pastor in GA, officiated the wedding. His wife, Russell’s younger sister and my lifetime best friend Shelle, was the Matron of Honor. Lauren and Alexia were bride’s maids, and my niece, Morgan, was our Jr. Brides Maid. On the guy’s side, my stepson Boe was the best man. Doug, or should I say “Douglas,” and my nephew Cobe, were groomsmen.
The ceremony was lovely…and, yes, both of us cried. For that matter, many people were crying, including my beautiful new mother-in-law Kay. Pass me a Kleenex – the thought of it makes me want to cry even now. My beautiful mother gave me away. Ryan did a super job with the service. My friend Amanda, who I consider more of a sister, sang beautifully. As a family, all five of us took our individual glasses of sand and poured the contents into a beautiful vase full of shells. The mixing of the sands into one vase symbolized the unification of our lives into one family. Everything about it was beautiful to me. And that Kiss, oh my! That first kiss after we exchanged our vows was “lovely.”
God reminded me during that ceremony that He is the One who can make the sun shine even when everything around us is grey and mucky. He gave Russell and me the wedding day we dreamed about. The final signature of His handy work was an extraordinary sunset!!! He holds us in the palm of His hand!!
