It Was A Perfect Day For A Wedding...

We didn't take our cell phones into the church, so this is the only photo we have from the ceremony (so far). The photographer shot this one from the balcony. We're looking forward to seeing all the results. 

The reception was held in a wedding venue barn at a local county park. It was a beautiful setting, and you could feel the love. Family and friends gathered to celebrate two people who had been friends and dated since junior high school.

We had great seats for dinner. I could see these two as they shared private conversations through dinner. They're so sweet. Aaahhh. Young love. We sat with our elder son, his wife, and our grandson, so that was great, too.

Then, there's us. One of our son's friends took this picture. I think it will be part of this year's Christmas card. 

We had a wonderful time watching as our elder granddaughter promised her future to a young man who has already felt like family. 

Watching her parents and sister, as well as his parents and family, it's no wonder these two chose each other. We know they'll work hard to make their marriage last. It's who they are.

 

Time To Celebrate...

The rehearsal and dinner are tonight. Our granddaughter and her fiancé met in school years ago. They became friends first and have been together ever since. This weekend they seal the deal, promising their futures to each other.

They bought a house months ago, but each stayed living with their parents, choosing to wait until they're married to move in together. This weekend, their house will become their home.

They're going to honeymoon in the Caribbean before beginning this next stage of their lives, but this weekend is a new milestone for our family. These two beautiful souls are at the center of our celebration.

I'll share photos from tonight tomorrow, and next week you'll see photos of the newlyweds. We're so blessed! 

Wedding Attire Acquired...

This is the dress I chose for our granddaughter's wedding. I decided I'd rather wear tea length than more formal floor length.

I did order a floor length dress in navy blue, but wasn't happy with it once it arrived. Thankfully, I'd also ordered this one just in case. I'm really glad I did. I love the way it feels (a little stretchy and the lace is soft), and it fits and suits my body type.

It's supposed to be in the 80° range Saturday, but I have a beautiful shawl in earth tones I can wear, in the event it gets chilly in the evening.

If the kids aren't wearing cowboy boots under their formal attire, I'll be shocked. As for me, I didn't want to wear "granny flats", but needed something comfortable (and suitable). I found these. They fit like a glove, and feel like they were made just for me. Cushioned insoles, suede exterior, and not too tall a heel.

I've already worn them around the house, so I know they'll be great not only for the wedding and reception, but also for the rehearsal dinner the night before. Plus, I'll get lots of use out of them after this weekend.

I've chosen an ankle length, flowy skirt with a cowl neck top, these shoes, and a wide belt for the barbecue they're having after the rehearsal.

I'm sure I'll have photos to share of me wearing these new duds that I'll be able to post next week.

Oh, and in case you're interested, everything came from Amazon sellers. I was prepared to go to the bridal shops in the area if I had to, but I wasn't looking forward to what everything might cost. As it turns out, I got everything for what one dress might have cost in the store. I'm really happy not to have had to spend that much...even though our girl is worth it.

So, now I can relax the rest of today and tomorrow knowing I'm good to go for this celebration weekend. We're really looking forward to our family time. More pictures next week!

 

Everything But The Acorn...

Our granddaughter's brooch is finished, save for adding Grandma's signature acorn to the back.

I used silver-finished kid leather for the backing, and a pin back to secure it to her gown or bouquet.

Grandpa and I will give this to her at the upcoming couples' shower. I'm also working on a large lap quilt for them. I'll be shooting for their shower date of September 25th. Once again, I'm going to be busy. sigh

We actually had a cool wedding gift planned, but found out that it's not going to work. The kid's bought a duplex as their starter home, which we think is smart and practical. So was our idea.

We wanted to gift them a quarter beef share, which necessitated a freezer for storage. We asked their dad to slyly find out if that would work. He contacted us yesterday to inform us that, not only is there no freezer (which could easily be rectified), but having no basement, there's no space in the house to accommodate one either.

So now we have to rethink our plan and come up with a new one. Any ideas from my wise and creative readers? Let me know.

 

Remember, I told you the wedding reception was casual last Saturday? Well, this photo should give you a little hint at just how relaxed the bride and groom were. They're pretty darned fun, too!

Joe is Linda K's son, and I've known him since he was a little boy. (Linda and I have been friends for fifty years this year.) He and Misty are crazy about each other. They were gracious hosts, taking time to visit with every guest. There was a lot of food, and they had two flavors of cake...a little something for everyone.

The party began at 2:00, and guests were free to come and go. It was like an open house that ended at 7:00 pm. I left around 3:30, as I had a drive ahead of me. While alcohol was served, I don't usually partake, especially when I'm driving.

Misty made sure I came home with cake for Handsome and me, I said goodbye to Linda and family, signed the guest book, grabbed two coozies, and hugged the newlyweds before leaving for my trip home. 

An hour and a half later, I was enjoying a cuppa in my favorite chair. A perfect end to a fun day.

Time for another work day already. It's finally cooled off a bit, so I'm looking ahead to a comfortable day. (It's been awful since the A/C in the store doesn't keep up on hot days.) Today should be a breeze.

I'd like to think I'll accomplish a lot when I get home later, but you know me. I'll probably sit down and end up taking a nap. heehee I'll see you tomorrow!

 

The Newlyweds...

Saturday was so wonderful. Handsome and I were invited to witness my great-nephew, Ethan marry his sweetheart, Brianna. They've been together long enough to have three beautiful children together and recently purchased their first home. I know. I'm old-fashioned, but I've been pulling for these kids for a long time! Ethan is my sister, Diana's grandson. His mom is my niece, Stephanie.

I'm so proud of the young man he's become, and I told him so shortly before I took this photograph of them in their receiving line after the ceremony. These smiles were just for me, and I'm honored to share them with you. I have a few more to share, too...

The officiant moved out of position as he pronounced them man and wife, so the photographers could capture their first kiss as newlyweds. By the way, isn't her gown beautiful, and doesn't he look handsome?

 

 

Their first kiss. 

 

I want you to notice the next two photos in particular. If you look at Brianna's waist, you'll see that's where she pinned her "Something Blue" brooch I created for her. She made a point of showing me she had it on when we spoke in the receiving line.

 

Ethan smiled for my picture here. They had two professional photographers, so I know there will be many more much better pictures than these, but these smiles of Ethan's were for me, and they'll forever be special.

 

I've written about time spent with him in the past on my blog. If you want to see pictures of him growing up, just go to the "Search this blog" area over there in my sidebar -----> and type in "Ethan" to see how he's grown into this handsome husband and dad. You may get an understanding of how much he means to me.

 

I wasn't at their gift opening Sunday afternoon (they didn't have a big get-together. Just his and her immediate family), but I'm sure I'll hear from them when they open their gift from us.

Their family and friends were so happy to witness these two as they begin a long, happy life together. I can't wait to see where the future takes them. All I'm sure of is that they'll be together.

Monogram Embroidery Complete...

I worked on this all day Sunday and finally completed it. There are no fewer than 24 hours of embroidery time into this monogram, and I did make adjustments along the way. (That means there was some frogging involved in the process.)

MA - I had the same issues with that green, as it did seem out of place for the rest of the colors, so I took your advice. Even though it has a larger roll in the actual bouquet, I only used the yellow/green for French knots (seen here in the curve on the lower right side) for the upper right and lower left curves.

I'm going to frame it today, and then I'll be in the kitchen baking bread. I'll share the photograph of the actual bouquet and the framed wedding monogram on Saturday (their wedding day), so I don't spill the entire surprise before their big day.

I'll be adding listings for "Something Blue" brooches to my Etsy shop this week, and I'm hoping to begin embroidery on a new goldwork piece. I've designed two different Corgi brooches, and am anxious to see if my needlework measures up to my vision.

As I said, it's baking day today, but I'll begin work on something new while Handsome is at rehearsal. Yes, it's Monday, so I know I've got that right this week. lol

Here's What's Next...

I see flowers in my future. Lots of flowers, for a wedding monogram I'm going to start today. If you've been to my Etsy shop, you've seen the "B" framed piece used as an example of wedding pieces that you can commission me to stitch. This is going to be similar to that. 

The flowers in this first photograph are not my work. They're from the book that I use for the monogram shapes. Aren't they pretty, though?

This is a portion of the piece I'll be doing. It's actually the letter "N", and most of the flowers on the pattern are irrelevant to me, as I'll mostly use my own flowers to coordinate with the bride's bouquet. That's a bit tricky in this case, as I have no idea what the bride intends to carry. 

When I'm not sure exactly what flowers to use, I default to the wedding invitation for an idea of the bride's taste. As this is for my great-nephew's wedding, I'm going to contact his mom today to see if she can at least advise me of what colors will be in the bouquet. Once I know that, this piece could be anything from tones of white and cream, to wintry or spring colors. 

Today I'll begin by preparing the fabric (linen), and transferring the basics of the design onto it. Once I have the conversation about colors, I'll pull silk threads for this piece, and begin stitching by lunchtime.

I enjoy doing these monograms, so I know it's going to be fun, especially since it's for a couple I know and love. I'll share more information about it tomorrow. I intend to add a few symbolic touches to this piece, too, which I'll explain later.

I guess I'd better make that phone call so I can get started on this. See you tomorrow!

More Wedding Memories...

The bride, coming across the lawn escorted by her dad and stepdad

As requested, I'm sharing a few more photos from my nephew's wedding last weekend.

Most of them are photos of my family members. You'll notice lots of smiles and laughter.

I wish Dad would have physically been with us. He would have loved to see us all together again.

Rather than write a lot between the photos, I'm just going to caption them. Thanks for looking.

My niece entering with one of the groomsmen.

My youngest sister and her husband

My mum, stepfather and my eldest niece

Teaching my great-nephew how to hang a spoon. Thrilled to finally get it!

Handsome and I changed into jeans for the party

Each of my brother's sons and their wives. One brother's son couldn't attend.

Me with my youngest sister and my youngest brother.

My niece, enjoying a laugh with her son.

Eldest niece, Nephew Dan (Groom), niece-in-law, nephew, nephew and niece-in-law.
Missing other nieces and nephews who didn't attend.

The bride's sister and now future brother-in-law

The surprise of the evening. The bride tossed her bouquet to her only sister. When her sister turned around, her boyfriend dropped to one knee to propose. She said "yes", and a new celebration commenced. Congratulations to the newly engaged. 

Not all these photographs were mine, so I want to thank all the photographers who made this post possible. Spouses of some of my family members and their children were in attendance. I apologize that I couldn't find photographs of them among the myriad pictures I combed through. I want to mention them, too.

We'll all remember this celebration for a long time to come, and wish the newlyweds a long and happy marriage.

A Beautiful Day To Say

…I do!

I promised photographs, and I always try to keep my word.

Here are just a few to whet your appetite. 

I have loads of them, and will be happy to show you more of the splendid day we shared.

Uncle Handsome and I stopped to greet the groom pre-ceremony to try to calm his nerves.

He was so darn cute, and couldn't wait to marry his love.

 

The ceremony began with my nephew, Dan walking his mama - my sister, Di - down to her seat.

Her husband is right behind her on the walk. 

The ceremony was held on the deck of this lovely farm estate.

I missed a photo of their sons before the ceremony, but each of them wore badges that said

"Ring Security"

In addition to their badges, they also wore mock Secret Service-type ear buds. 

They went all-in on the assignment. Elder carried his dad's ring, and Younger carried the bride's.

The ceremony was quite touching, and I have lots of photos before and after this moment…

The moment they sealed their vows with a kiss.

So much going on, but the bride asked me if I could "install" the bustle after the ceremony.

The old workhorse quickly answered the bell. 

With my prepared kit, I set to adding a bustle fastener to her gown.

I placed circles of stabilizer in front of and under the gown where I'd determined it should go.

My thinking was that if someone stepped on her gown, the stabilizer would protect the gown.

One circle - for the outside - had the seam binding machine sewn to it.

My process was to hold one circle under the gown, and then sew the top circle 

and ribbon would be sewn together. I did that step by hand.

The dress train was quite heavy and cumbersome. Another man named Andy, who 

came to my rescue offered to hold onto the gown while I made the installation. 

He's a good friend of Dan's, and he was so chivalrous. 

Once the sewing was complete, I brought the seam binding up to tie behind the antique brooch.

The bustle did its job until someone stepped on the back of her gown. By that, I mean that it 

didn't tear the gown. The ribbon stayed attached to the brooch, breaking away from the 

stabilizer and keeping the gown from being torn. I'm so happy my concept actually worked!

The cupcakes were delicious, by the way.

I have lots more photos of this perfect day. I snapped away during the ceremony, 

and reception. So many smiling faces! If you'd like me to share more photos, 

just leave a comment below. I wish you could have been all around me.

Remember to let me know if you'd like to see more photos.

Sunday Scripture…

 

Love each other with genuine affection, 

And take delight in honoring each other.

- Romans 12:10

Today's The Day...

By mid-afternoon, they'll be happily married. 

Together for over five years, with a beautiful, blended family.

Those of us who love them both think it's about time!

His boys said they'll call her "Mom" after her last name changes.

All the kids will be in their wedding ceremony, as they exchange their vows in 

front of family and friends. The day will end with a party to celebrate the happy couple.

I'll be back with photographs on Monday.