Well, I was on the wedding circuit again the week-end of the 19th. The daughter of one of my closest friends got married here in Inverness. Along with bride, the ceremony was beautiful, a true worship experience uniting two wonderful young people, Emily Harris and Philip Soen.
If you read my earlier post about the wedding I directed at the end of June, you will remember that I was quite surprised at the recessional music as the wedding party departed the ceremony. There were no surprises this time, thank goodness. I didn't have my camera again, but I doubt I would have had a chance to take pictures anyway.
This wedding was special for several reasons. I have known Emily and her parents Jack and Sara Ann for over 25 years, and Laura and Emily have remained friends over all these years. As we were discussing the wedding later in the evening, we reminisced about the time they were in the 3rd grade and Laura actually saved Emily's front tooth that was knocked out by a fall from a see-saw. You know the kind--the one were the person on the down side decides to get off the see-saw while you are on the up side in the air only to plummet to the ground with a vicious bump on the hard ground. Emily's mouth hit the handlebar, and one of her front teeth went flying. Laura was able to find it in the sand and the dentist was able to reattach the tooth. Emily has a beautiful smile today.
Another reason this wedding was so special was that several friends of Sara Ann's had a hand in helping her get a wedding together in 5 months. Yes, you read right 5 months! As a matter of fact, a new business may had been born from this experience, P&K Creations or P&K Flowers or The Crazy Ladies or Call Us Crazy. We are not sure just yet! Lanny Kennedy and Allison Poindexter took on the flower duties, along with Becky Maxwell. Now, this wouldn't be anything extraordinary for someone who has done this for a living and with experience working under a deadline, but these ladies volunteered for this job with no wedding experience under their belts. Becky has done this type of work before, and she made two beautiful sanctuary arrangements along with the bridesmaids and bridal bouquets. Let me say, Allison and Lanny rose to the occasion beautifully, and I have no doubt their services will be required for future weddings. I went with them to scout out flowers, and I had no idea there were so many varieties of pink or that two women could change their minds so much about what they wanted. Too many choices for me. I am sticking to the directing!
Miss Hospitality herself, Cindy Baird, coordinated the hospitality suite for the out of town guests at the hotel. I understand from all the Chicagoans (Is that correct?) that her work was not in vain, even if Preston did give her a hard time for stealing the coffee pots from the church and not getting them back for Sunday morning coffee before Sunday school! Pray, Cindy, Pray.
As always Brenda Yant was her stalwart self in taking care of the of the errands and behind the scenes work. I even understand that she drove the streets of Inverness at 70 miles and hour on some of those errands. No one will ever accuse her of not being a focused woman with a mission.
Pam Walker and Sylvia Spivey kept the wedding party fed and pampered through the pre-ceremony pictures and the waiting time before the ceremony. I heard the guys thought the food was excellent for what was suppose to be a snack. As a wedding director, these ladies were a god-send since I didn't have to worry about a wedding party with empty stomachs, prompting a fainting spell.
The hardest worker through all this was Jack, Emily's dad. Early on, it was decided that the reception would be at the family home in Inverness known as Oakhurst, a.k.a The Big House. The house was built in 1904 and is a beautiful 3 story home. The house has not been lived in for a while, except for renters who have needed a home for a special reason. For example, Jack let a family rent the house for several months after their home burned and they were in the process of deciding what to do. The house needed some work, and Jack took on the challenge of getting the place up to reception specifications. With a lot of Jack's sweat and help from some of the Inverness men and Robert, Jack's help, the home was transformed into a beautiful home again and the perfect place for a reception. Here again another business may have been spawned from this wedding. I understand there have already been inquiries about the possibility of renting the home for another wedding reception.
More memories were made for a group of people who have been friends for a long time, some for almost 40 years. The links that make us all friends range from growing up together, attending high school and college together, working together, going to church together, raising children together, and supporting each other through both sad and joyous times. I feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group of friends, and it is my recommendation that we go somewhere for a long week-end and make another memory!
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