Little Girl, Remember This

I remember taking this picture like it was yesterday.  If you stay with Aunt Teresa,
there will be wildflowers picked, placed in your hair, and pictures taken.

But it wasn’t yesterday.  So much time has passed that Chelsea has graduated from
college, taught at a school in India, and found the man of her dreams.

Yesterday, she was child no more.  Yesterday she was a beautiful bride.

The other little girl, Erin who had been more like a sister than a cousin, stood by her side.

Chelsea is my brother’s only daughter.  For their father daughter dance,  He recorded
himself playing the guitar and singing “My Little Girl”. The night was still as we all were
witness to this very tender tribute to her.

She is so excited for her new life with Brad, but he didn’t want to give her away.

Chelsea met these talented musicians while going to school.

Their music was so beautiful. They sang 2 hymns and asked the guests to sing along with them.

Chelsea and Brad wrote their own vows and they put so much emotion and thought
into the promises made under this beautiful old oak tree.

Chelsea asked me if I would make these globes to hang from the trees.  So, her grandma,
papa and I did them.

For the guest benches, Chelsea asked her Uncle Jay to make these out of logs.

When you are as cute as Chelsea, you can ask the downtown Antiques dealer to loan
some of his treasures, and he says yes. 

Chelsea put so much thought into how she wanted her wedding to look.  The signs
she hand painted.

Chelsea’s Uncle Bill provided the use of his beautiful tree covered property on Country Club Road for the ceremony and reception. My Mom is a wedding planner, and worked with Chelsea to arrange the lighting, the food, ceremony, rehearsal, and the linens.  Her Dad had the dance floor and bridal party stage built and wrote checks.  Brad’s dad built the entry arbors and cut the log pedestals, Grandma made the burlap signage and banana puddings (which went so fast, there was no time to photograph), Miss Paige and Tutu cut the circles and worked on the photo booth and painted all the flower vases.  Chesna did the chalkboard signage, Aunt Leslie and Anna folded napkins and planted the aisle flowers, her Mom brought in the piano, shopped, and saw to the details.  Boy scouts even came in their uniforms to serve the cobblers. There was a whole team working to make sure that Chelsea and Brad and all of us had a day to remember. 

Chelsea showed me a picture of the cake topping and I made one using her fabrics.

This was one of the cutest items at the wedding.  Chelsea took an old window and placed
some of their letters written while Brad was in seminary, their vows, and engagement photos
in the panes of glass.


The bridal party table.  Chelsea made the B & C initials and covered them in book paper.


As the sun went down and the lights came on, the setting was magical thanks to our
lighting specialist Wayne.

The food was prepared by Terrie Lobb Catering and she didn’t disappoint.


Brad’s parents made the dutch oven cobblers.  The next wedding that I go to, I
will be looking for cobblers, for sure.

Paige helped everyone place their thumbprint on the guest registry.

Joseph, Tanner, Dillon, and Conor ready to use the photo booth.


The stars of the show took the stage in their photo booth.



How beautiful can anyone be?  There are so many pictures that I didn’t get, but I was there to be there.  The lovely and talented Danielle Clark from Back Alley Photography will have beautifully captured it all and I will be anxiously awaiting her photos.

Chelsea asked me if I was going to blog about her wedding, and I told her I would.  Of course! I want you to remember this night and I will remember this night.  But, I will also remember you, the little girl I held up to see an owl, picked up from school, soaked with a water hose, and fixed blueberry pancakes.  Little girl, remember this.

One of the hymns chosen by Brad and Chelsea for their wedding.