The Wedding

Well now that my internet is up and running again (for now, it was down for about a week, as well as our phones) I figured I'd write about Jared and Heather's wedding. Before I do though, I just have to say that Germany seems to be the land where electronics never work! In my mother's own words "It's like it's a third world country or something!" Hehe I love my mom! :-)

Alright so the long awaited wedding! It took place on Saturday April 22nd. I flew into Atlanta on the 17th. I found out a few days before I left that the other bridesmaids had planned a trip to Savannah, Ga as Heather's bachelorette party. It was to be an over night stay. They would leave on the morning of the 17th and come home the evening of the 18th and I was going to miss it 'cause my flight didn't get in until 2pm on the 17th. They were very sweet and upon finding that out said they'd see if they could push it back a day so I could go along with them but they then found out that a couple of the other girls wouldn't have been able to take more time off work to do that so I told them not to worry and just have a great time! It did make me kind of sad though that I didn't get to spend that time with Heather in the last days of her single life, on the up side however I'll have all the time in the world to spend with her since she's married to my bro! :-D

So on with the story! The Wednesday before the wedding my mom and I went over to Heather's parents house to help with decorating stuff. My mom helped with cookies and I helped Heather by holding a wreathe and embossing some little flags. I didn't feel like I was very helpful but at least I got to spend a little time with Heather which was nice. :-) Btw embossing is quite fun as long as you're not burning things, like the paper or your fingers!

The next event was the rehearsal dinner. It was so much fun to watch Jared and Heather together during the rehearsal, they were so cute! When it came time to practice "the kiss" out of respect for Heather (she was kinda shy about kissing him in front of her family, too cute!) Jared would only kiss her forehead! It was darling and of course we all teased them which I'm sure didn't help the situation. Sorry guys! We got through the rehearsal without any major problems, though we all seemed to walk in and out too fast but I think we got it down in time for the actual wedding.

The rehearsal dinner then of course followed, which was pretty yummy. We had BBQ chicken and pork (I think). The chicken was great and I heard the pork wasn't to shabby either, I wouldn't know I don't eat much pork these days. Anyways, during the dinner Jared and Heather gave out their gifts to the bridal party. It was a lot of fun for me to watch Jared give the groomsmen their presents 'cause James and I had a hand in getting them. Jared gave them all authentic (and limited addition) beer steins from Germany. It suited the guys well 'cause they all like to drink! Jared gave a little speech about each person before handing off the gift which I thought was nice. They all seemed pretty jazzed about what they got. Then it was Heather's turn and like a good soon to be wife she had her soon to be husband hand out the gifts! Classic! The gifts came in a small Whitman's Chocolate sampler but it wasn't chocolate they were pearl necklaces that matched our bridesmaid dresses, very sneaky. Heather, from what I understand, made them herself and they were/are very beautiful and a great keepsake! Jared also gave a little speech about each girl and was at a loss for words when he got to me, which I thought was funny and sweet in a weird kind of way! It was a great time of fun and fellowship as two family's were about to be joined as one!

And then the wedding. Heather was probably the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. And no I'm not just saying that to get in her good graces, I truly mean it! Of course that's not to say that the other brides I've seen were ugly, by no means they were beautiful also, but Heather, wow! Words can't describe! Anyways, on with the festivities. That morning I was picked up by one of the other bridesmaids, also a good friend of mine, to go with her and another bridesmaid and mutual friend as well, to get their toes and nails done. It was fun getting to spend some time with them 'cause it had been awhile since I'd seen either of them. Afterwards we went to the church where everyone started getting ready. Heather's gown was stunning as was she in it. I can't believe she got it off of ebay for like a hundred and fifty bucks, or there about! Gorgeous! After we got ready lunch was provided for us and then it was picture time, woot! Pictures can be a painful thing sometimes, I mean with all the smiling and such but I think we all had fun with it. Jared and Heather didn't take pictures together until after the ceremony.

The ceremony started around 2pm that afternoon. The church was pretty much packed. The decorations were absolutely beautiful. She had candles with bows every where, greenery and flowers to match, and two gorgeous banners that she and her mother made to hang on the walls in the front of the sanctuary. It made me sad that I wasn't more creative with my wedding and also made me wish we'd been married in my parents church, oh well! It was beautiful! They picked out some great music for the whole ceremony. We sang two hymns, Be Thou My Vision and I wasn't familiar with the other one we sang but it was beautiful too. There was a prayer said over them which I thought was great. I think every wedding ceremony should have a prayer said over the couple. Heather, like myself, for the longest time had wanted bagpipes played at her wedding and it just so happens that her brother is like a master player of the bagpipes! I don't remember the name of the song she walked down the isle to but it was awesome 'cause it was played on the pipes! They walked out of the ceremony to one of my favorite songs to hear played on the pipes, Clumsy Lover! If you've not heard this song before google it and listen to it, it's so awesome! Again I wish I had known about this song for my own wedding, it's very powerful. All in all it was a wonderful celebration to be a part of, I was very blessed by it. Though I will say it's much more nerve racking to be a bridesmaid (or matron, I'm not sure what I'd be classified as) than it is to be the bride. Weird, I know. Maybe it's just me but when I got married I wasn't near as nervous as I was standing up there watching them get married.

There were more pictures of course after the ceremony of the two newly weds and then the other festivities. Their cake was the most unusual cake, it was French and not really a cake at all. It was a bunch of puff pastries filled with custard, I believe, all stacked in the shape of a cake topped with caramel and some sort of brittle. Very different and not bad. They actually had to cut the cake with scissors instead of a knife because of the way it was designed, very cool! And then there was the flower and garter tossing. It was weird to stand by and not participate, but still fun to watch the scrambling! After all that there was still more fun to come...

That evening, at Heather's parent's house a select few were invited over for dinner and dancing. It was great fun! It kind of made me sad too though when the dancing started 'cause most everyone was paired up with their husband or wife and James wasn't able to be there for any of it which made me miss him all the more. I still had fun dancing with Heahter's sister Greta, even though I ending up being the boy of the pair! Hehehe. We did traditional folk dancing, it probably has another name but the closest thing I could compare it to is if you've ever seen Pride & Prejudice (the new one, 'cause I don't remember much about the old one) it's like the dancing they do in that movie. It was really fun and made for good memories! After a while, as most couples do, they decided it was time for the honeymoon to start and they whisked themselves away with lots of hugs and goodbyes to start their new life together!

And what a life it will be. Marriage is a wonderful journey especially if you're on it with your best friend! It will be the most disappointing and the most rewarding relationship you'll encounter. As long as you keep Christ at the head your sorrows will never out way your joys! I love you guys and wish you nothing but the best!