They Do!

What a perfect day of celebration!

It began for many around 5:00 a.m. as the girls got up and started getting dressed and ready for the big day.  Mama and Daddy had moved to their camper in the backyard so that their house could be fully utilized by the wedding party and various family.  It was a family affair as Rachel and Hannah did Anna, Megan and Melina's hair.  There was still a flurry of last minute activity in the yard.  Even Brianna came out about 6:45 a.m. to help out.

a beautiful bride

sweet photo

photo by Kelly Rogers

Mama and Daddy's home for the weekend.   :)

Jackson and Brianna

Arayna draping the cross

By 8:00 a.m. everyone was gathered in the front yard to begin taking family photos.  We had a wonderful photographer, family friend, Kelly Rogers.  He did a terrific job and surely did have his hands full trying to organize our crew of folks!!

Kelly hard at work!

a quiet moment in the house

Mama made Megan's dress and Betty M. (Matthew's grandmother) made Melina's dress.  :)

Mama and Megan

Matt and Anna

Matthew and Julie

Marvin, Jonathan and Daddy

Laura, Jonathan, Marvin, Jackson and Brianna

James, Max and Daddy

me with my boys!

Mama fixing Daddy's corsage

Matthew with his uncle, Dad, cousin and grandfather

Jackson and Brianna

James and Anna

Alyssa, Arayna and Anna

Melina, Megan and Hannah

photo by Kelly Rogers

And remember that rain that had been predicted?  When we awoke it was to a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze.  No rain in sight and mild temperatures.  :)  An absolutely perfect day for a wedding!!

At 10:00 a.m. the wedding processional began.  Anna had a lovely idea to have all children in attendance precede her down the aisle carrying pinwheels.  There were also haybales set up alongside the chairs for them to sit on if they liked.  I know this came from all the years she attended weddings as a child and yearned to have a part in them.  I thought it was a wonderfully inclusive idea!

photo by Kelly Rogers

I can tell you that there wasn't a dry (female) eye in the audience after Anna was escorted down the aisle by her brother and her grandfather.  What a beautiful visual representation of love.  Those two wonderful and important men in her life escorting her down the aisle to her beloved.  Makes me tear up again just thinking about it.

photo by Kelly Rogers

photo by Kelly Rogers

Michael and Elizabeth did a wonderful job officiating.  Anna and Matthew had been attending pre-marital counseling with the two of them since February and developed such a strong bond with both of them.  It was quite fitting that they both participated in the ceremony.  Matt read scripture from the Psalms, Candace and the girls sang For the Beauty of the Earth, and the congregational hymn was I to the Hills Will Lift My Eyes - which harkened back to my maternal grandmother and the verses that she clung to during their homesteading years in Wyoming.

photo by Kelly Rogers

photo by Kelly Rogers

After the wedding the bride and groom had a receiving line to greet everyone.  Then the reception was ready to go with food set up under the tent (on the eventual dance floor).   :)  Alyssa's Mama made the cakes and they were AWESOME!!  Anna even surprised Matthew with his own Batman groom's cake - a masterpiece!

photo by Kelly Rogers

A couple more meaningful snippets from the reception - Mama brought out goblets for Anna and Matthew to use that had belonged to her grandmother and were used for her grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.  Then dear family friend Mary loaned a ladle to the festivities that had belonged to her aunt, for whom Mary was named.

After the reception the food was cleared away, the Busted String Band set up and the dancing began!  What a fun afternoon!

photo by Kelly Rogers

photo by Kelly Rogers

photo by Kelly Rogers

Thankfully, there was a small group that thought to decorate the car for Anna and Matthew.  Tenea, Jennifer, Jonathan (and Hannah, although not pictured below) did a wonderful job!   :)

A few more photos were taken then we all saw the couple off.  I can tell you that it was truly a joyful celebration of love & the joining of two precious people (and their families!) and that everyone there was filled with happiness.  :)  We are all so blessed!

photo by Kelly Rogers

photo by Kelly Rogers

photo by Kelly Rogers

It was killing me to choose which photos to use for this blog post.  We have SO many wonderful photos!!  Our family alone took over 1400.  I have narrowed those down to an album of 572 (ha!) that you can see by clicking this link.  :D

Then you can go take a look at the album of professional photos by our wonderful photographer, Kelly Rogers.  Here is a direct link to his photos of Anna and Matthew's wedding.


I truly do highly recommend at least scanning through both albums if you are so inclined.  They are lovely and give you a good representation of a fantastic day.  :)