Luckily, I did not sleep through it all, and though I was definitely tired, it turned out to be the perfect break. There was nothing obligatory to do, nothing to unpack, and hardly any errands to run. My sister's wedding weekend was perfect for her and (her now husband) Garrett--they rented a huge cabin in the mountains, invited 20 or so family and close friends to stay for a few days, and had a simple, beautiful ceremony right there in front of the fireplace surrounded by people they love.
Getting to the wedding destination was a bit challenging. I caught a cab at 6:15 in the morning to get me to the airport in Philly, took a flight to Charlotte, and from there, I took a rickety little plane to Asheville. Due to clouds and fog, the turbulence was truly awful; it was, by far, the rockiest flight I've ever experienced. As if my motion sickness weren't already nicely settled in by the time I landed, my parents picked me up at the airport and we made the two-hour drive from Asheville to our destination. Mountains are beautiful unless you are motion sick and have to ride in the backseat of a car for two hours. Actually, make that three, as my stepdad's GPS led him astray (thank you, Garmin). By the time we arrived at our destination, I was shocked I still had lunch in my stomach.
The lodge (you can see it here) was the perfect little place for us all to get together. We read, played board games, talked, slept, played pool and air hockey, and ate an obscene amount of food. Some folks went hiking, relaxed in the hot tub, and checked out nearby Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Garrett's boss, who owns a farm, gave him two huge coolers filled with breakfast meats and 30 dozen eggs as a wedding gift, so there was never a shortage of breakfast (or jokes about the surplus eggs). A Krispy Kreme was just a couple of miles away, and naturally Dan and I couldn't resist bringing donuts back for everyone. Our families had a chance to get to know one another; in fact, my grandmother and Garrett's grandmother even exchanged addresses, which was such a sweet moment to witness. On the last night, we all ventured out for an evening of miniature golf, then played "the paper game" (kind of like telephone) until we laughed so hard we could barely breathe.
The highlight, of course, was the wedding itself. It was just as a wedding should be, where everyone chips in to help and where all that really matters is that everyone is together and the bride and groom are married at the end. :) A friend of the bride and groom, who works for a florist, took care of the flowers and took the photos. Other friends, who are ministers, officiated the ceremony. My mom made the cake, which is one of my sister's (and Dan's!) favorites. Garrett and his mom made breakfast for everyone the morning of the wedding. A friend helped out with heating and serving the catered food. Missy and Garrett handmade their invitations. I was in charge of decorations, which were entirely recycled: candles left over from my wedding, some of which were placed in about 20 recycled jars on the fireplace mantel, and white lights that my mom already owned. I helped my sister create a wish tree that served in place of a guest book. My mom and aunt put everything together on the big day. There was something very special about the team effort that went into creating such a lovely event.
My sister was just radiant. . . so beautiful and glowing, I could just cry. I love the beautiful dress she picked out, and the fact that she paired it with no shoes!
And, most importantly, the ceremony was lovely. Simple and beautiful, and so "them." Missy and Garrett were married in front of the fireplace, surrounded by the glow of candlelight and the soft white glow of Christmas lights. The simplicity of it was perfect, and so beautifully romantic.
After the ceremony, we had delicious catered food (including some killer spinach lasagna) and dove into mom's cake, which was wonderfully familiar and tasty. It's actually an ice cream cake that my mom has made for years, and an ice cream cake is exactly what Missy wanted! I love the topper that my mom picked out. . . so sweet.
To me, every wedding is special and beautiful. . . no matter how different they are, no matter how simple or decadent, I always feel honored to witness people I love joining their lives together. This wedding, in particular, was all about that. Two people, happy in love, committed to each other and surrounded by family and friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Exactly as it should be.
Congratulations, Seester! I love you!
1 comment:
Beautiful!
I think that your sister's dress was one of the options my bridesmaids had (and that Rachel picked). Such a dramatic and beautiful dress!
Here's hoping Missy and Garrett have a marvelous life together. :D
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