Wedding Celebration - Sarah and John

What an amazing weekend we had down in Alabama to celebrate the love between Sarah and John. They were married in December in a small family ceremony before they moved to California, where John would begin his assignment at Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms but we all gathered in Alabama in early August for the ceremony and reception with family and friends.

Back in June, Adrianne, Emily and I consulted with Sarah during a quick trip home for her and then spent the rest of the summer planning and crafting the weekend. We turned the dining room into a planning room and after a trip to the store for poster boards and color coordinated post-it notes, we were in our element.

party planning central!

emily scrubbing labels off bottles (for water and lemonade)

adrianne printing tags for bottles

bailey helping from under the dining room table :)

We all met in Alabama in August (Elliott flew here and he and Adrianne drove one car, Dan and Emily drove in another, Danny and I went in mine, and Sarah, John, Dylan and Alynna drove cross country from California to Alabama). We rented and stayed in several lake houses at Chesnut Bay on Weiss Lake.



When Sarah and John arrived on Wednesday, they decided to change the celebration from the farm to the lake property in order to enjoy the slight breeze from the water and take advantage of the facilities. We contacted vendors and guests to inform them of the change (it was only about 20 minutes difference in location). We now had more free time than we planned so it was a relaxing 3 days. We were so fortunate to have some Indy friends there with us (Debbie, Mike, Meghan, Neil) and they truly went above and beyond in helping with any and all tasks. Plus I couldn't imagine celebrating such an important family event without them!

debbie and meg

neil and i

We got unpacked on Thursday night and Danny and I went to Walmart for groceries for the weekend. We made a list (of course) of all the things that needed to be done leading up to Saturday afternoon and then we relaxed for the weekend. I took Bailey on lots of walks and it was quite a workout - lots of hills and beautiful views. We rented jet skis on Friday afternoon and it was a blast! The lake is huge and once I was challenged to go full speed, it was a thrilling ride!

danny, me, elliott, neil

Friday afternoon there was a brief thunderstorm and we worked on arranging the flowers (delivered the day before), washed and dried the tablecloths, and organized all the reception stuff. The house had an unfinished lower level and we stored all the boxes and drinks and decorations there. It was convenient being able to leave it all down there and not clutter up the house. We all got cleaned up and went to Rhonda and Larry's (John's parents) home for a cookout. So much fun (and delicious potato salad!)

rob (john's best man) and i

adrianne and maia (rhonda and larry's youngest daughter)

carl (officiant) and wife michelle

danny, john, neil

danny, sarah, and pup (with emily crashing the picture)

mike and pup

we also celebrated two september birthdays!

The next morning we had the rehearsal at 9 in the morning. We met at the lake and got a plan together with chairs and music and people. We basically had the next few hours to relax and get ready.

getting everyone organized

decorating the aisle

Sarah's bridesmaids helped her get ready and then she and John drove to the farm with the photographers and took some couples pictures there. Then we all met back at the lake for family and group pictures and soon it was time for the ceremony!

It was a beautiful ceremony and I especially loved the "hands" message that was read:

“These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”


We had such a great time at the reception - lots of friends, old and new, a great barbecue feast, dancing, speeches, photographs, and celebrating. Lots of hands made light work when it was time to clean up! We walked the hill back up to the lake house and visited for a while longer with the White's, got a start on packing up for the morning, warmed up some reception food and dished about the day. It was a wonderful weekend and I'm so happy that Sarah and John had the celebration they desired.


Lots more pictures on facebook, here is a link to the public view (don't have to be member)