Apples and Sunshine for the Win!

This was a really fun wedding to have in the backyard!

I love both of the families and the mother of the bride is a very dear friend so it was a pleasure to see everything come together so beautifully after months of planning. 

I've watched this couple grow from teenaged high-schoolers (when they began dating) into wonderful, mature, kind adults who honoured God throughout the entire process.   

These lovely ladies had lots of fun getting ready and since I live here I got to be a first hand witness of the festivities and beautifying.

Once all the make up was applied and dresses were donned the girls toasted with Mimosa's.

The weather was a huge concern as we moved towards the date as there were forecasts of rain and cold, but God surprised us all with beautiful sunshine for the ceremony and we only got a few sprinkles of rain after the reception.

The day was absolutely lovely and my yard was filled with beautiful people.

My sweet Patrice was home for the occasion and we got to sit with Joey and Christine which was a bonus. 

I just love having parties in my yard where I don't have to feed anyone or mow the lawn or send out invites.

It just "happens" and I get to enjoy a spectacular event with my bed and bathroom at ready access should I need them.

The bride was stunning and she only noticed after the reception that she had forgotten to wear her veil. Clearly, when you are that gorgeous no veil is necessary!

Thankfully, despite the apples having ripened very early this year, they were still on the tree for the wedding and made such an amazing backdrop for this sacred occasion.

Kinda reminiscent of the Song of Songs...

The ceremony was just perfect with a good message, meaningful vows, shared communion and a lovely hymn sung under the hot September sun.

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Here is Hailey taking a peek at the guest book.  There were polaroid cameras available so you could post a photo with your greeting.

Since I couldn't find Patrice, Joey was happy to pose with me for the polaroid shot.  When did he turn into such a fine, kind, handsome man?!  I remember being down by the plum trees with him on this very property about 14 years ago or so when he was just a little boy and we were pledging to be good friends forever.  

So far so good.

The meal was over the top delicious...

With scrumptious donuts for dessert instead of wedding cake.

I got to sit with this fun bunch!  Sadly I missed getting Deborah in the picture who was sitting next to me. It was taking a long time for every table to go through the buffet as we had to answer some tricky questions to win that honour.  I had mentioned that perhaps we should use my "condition" as an excuse to go more quickly and before I knew it, the guy across from me had arranged for this to happen.  He stood up almost before the question was asked, knew the answer immediately and off we went to the buffet table to get our dinner. I didn't realize he would take me seriously (being a pastor and all).

I snuck this photo below from the mother of the groom because I can't run around getting the good shots due to the bumpy grass and wheelchair situation, but thankfully there are plenty of others who can get them.

Introducing Hailey & Zander Lamb.

Now Mr. and Mrs. 

The head table was so lovely with the hills and trees as the backdrop.  

The weather turned cool around supper time so I missed out on most of the speeches but I popped back out to enjoy the dancing after laying down and warming up.

And the two became one and disappeared while the rest of them danced the night away...