Friday, December 9, 2011

The Wedding Celebration

In the Bible, the book of John and the second chapter, Jesus and his mother were at a wedding. When Mary heard the wine had run out, (which would have been an embarrassment for the host), she approached Jesus with the problem. Jesus saw six stone water jars and told the servants to "fill the jars with water", so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from but exclaimed that it was the best wine of the night! It was a miracle! In fact, it was His first.

I've used this scripture before but I couldn't help but share it again because we, too, experienced a miracle at our wedding!

 After the ceremony, our guest took a short drive over to the Courtyard at St. James Place for the wedding reception. It was a beautiful night, 72 degree's and the guest enjoyed hors'devours on the courtyard, under trees laced with tiny white lights, while the harpist played love songs in the back ground. Upon our arrival everyone moved in to the banquet area and found their table. It was time to celebrate and was our joy to greet friends and family who had joined us for this most joyous occasion.

 Once I walked up the stairs into the banquet area, my eye's seemed to race across the room checking it all out as I continued to greet friends. The room was perfect!  Jimmy, the floral designer did a fantastic job at creating the look Lindsey had dreamed of. The room was filled with pink lighting which flashed softly up the walls onto the ceiling. The flowers were gorgeous (white,bright pink and orange with hints of green, accented with brown pods) and creatively designed. Some arrangements were tall, some lower but each one perched on a silver candelabra with candles lit around the sides. Beautiful! The band was playing and the room was buzzing. My feelings-surreal!

The night went too fast! I rarely sat down for longer than a minute because I'd rather talk and mingle of course! Our sweet server brought Bruce and I a plate of dinner but we only took a few bites. After watching The Father of the Bride (Steve Martin) and getting advice from a friends who have already had weddings, we knew there were a few things we especially didn't want to miss. Hedi, the wedding coordinator, did her best to keep up with me to assure I didn't miss any once in a life time moments. At one point however, she lost site of me and we missed Lindsey and Bryan cutting the cake. Thankfully we arrived to see them feed it to each other. Whew! And I must say the cake was delicious (Suzie's Cakes)!! We got in a few dances with each other and squeezed every ounce of time we could out of those 4 hours.

A few of my favorite moments:

Distracted by all the excitement, when I heard the band announce the first dance, I politely excused myself from a conversation. This was number one on my don't miss list. By the time I got to my seat Lindsey and Bryan were already on the dance floor. Funny but my table was empty. I think everyone had gone to fill their plates. So I sat there, un-distracted and watched my girl, all grown up, dance with a very handsome man, her prince charming, the answer to her prayers, Bryan Oler- her husband. The song was Michael Buble-Everything and the band sang it beautifully! Seeing the sparkle in Lindsey's eye and the sparkle in his...be still my heart. I loved seeing them dance, holding each other close, laughing, learning together and I prayed, "Lord, I pray this feeling never stops for the happy couple. Rain down your blessings on them. Shower them with your unconditional love so they can give it freely. May they find love goes deeper than they ever imagined. As they grow together may they grow closer to You-always. May they come to understand through the years the miracle of marriage, "becoming one". Thank You Lord, for the gift of marriage. Thank you for this miracle right in front of me."

As I looked around the room I saw our precious friends and family along with the Oler's and theirs; laughing, smiling, eating, and as in slow motion I saw a few of our dear friends hold their glasses up and make a toast to Lindsey and Bryan. In that very moment I couldn't help but think of Jesus at that wedding feast. I smiled to myself and thought, "And Jesus, You are hear with us now and You have provided everything we need." With a heart full of gratitude I was whisked away to the dance floor by my husband

Bruce, my wonderful husband/Father of the Bride, was responsible for 4 of the most important jobs needed to pull off a perfect wedding.
 1. Money!
 2. To walk his daughter down the aisle.
 3.To give her away and remember the words, "Her mother and I". ( He really didn't give her away,   he gained a son.)
 4. To give the toast to the Bride and Groom.

Bruce wasn't worried about the first three, but the toast? This was way out of his comfort zone. To give a speech in front of 250 of our dearest friends while his daughter stands in front of him in her beautiful wedding dress!! This was a huge task! He worked for months on that speech and he did it, and did it well! His words were beautiful and Lindsey and I were both so proud!

The moments of quick hugs and short visits with our guest was priceless. I don't remember much of the conversations but I do remember who was there. We are thankful to have been surrounded by so much genuine love. A blessing and such a sweet spot!

When the band played We are Family- I loved it! So many of my girlfriends came out and our smiles seemed to be painted on our faces as they were continuous. The Cherished Chicks were there, my mom and even Bernard were dancing, my sister and Danny, Teresa and Cortney, my fabulous aunts, cousins Tammy, Eddie, David and Karla AND my 91 year old GRAND MOTHER!!!!!

The last song for Lindsey and Bryan was romantic- "Fly Me To The Moon" followed by "Let's Get It On". It's okay...they're married now!!!! Then in a flash the dance floor was packed when the band played "Shout"! In that moment as though we had planned it, Lindsey and Bryan got in the middle, Caleb and Holly, Bruce and I were dancing with them and then the Oler's; Nancy and Jhan, Blake and Chelsea completed the family circle. It was a BLAST!

Bruce and I, with sparklers in hand  made our way to the front of the line. The Newlyweds ran through the tunnel of golden sparks as those who are dear to them cheered. Lindsey gave us a kiss and a hug and said, "Mom, Dad...it was more than I ever hoped for. Thank you! I love you!" They hoped into their get-a-way car and in a flash...they were gone!

The evening was fun! It was the best party we've ever thrown and we loved every minute of it!

The Miracle? Marriage!

"At last!" Adam exclaimed. "She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of man." This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. (Genesis 2: 23,24)

This brings us to the end of this wedding. I've enjoyed sharing the details and I pray some of my joy overflowed to you. Thank you for reading and for passing the story on. I pray it encourages, inspires, helps, or has put a twinkle in your eye. And now...we are DOING IT AGAIN!! Different daughter, different wedding but just as much JOY and Excitement! God is good! We give all the glory to Him and look forward to sharing more with you.

With a heart full of praise,
Chandra
The Mother of the Bride

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