I had the privelege of going to a wedding a week ago of some dear friend's we have met through Steven's preaching. Unfortunately Steven had a prior speaking engagement and wasn't able to go with us, but I was determined not to miss it. The bride and groom made a point to tell us it was a kid friendly wedding, so I decided to take all 4. Thankfully my sweet Mom was willing to go with me and we made a fun weekend out of it. I had talked about my Virginia friends so much that she was excited to meet them and put faces to all the names.
The day was beautiful, a little on the warm side, but exactly the kind of sky and day you pray for with an outside wedding. The setting was gorgeous, as well. Even though the kids are young I was excited for them to see what a wedding is like, other than Sadie being in a wedding as a not quite 2 year old none of them had ever attended one. It was pretty cute to see their responses.
One of the musicians in the wedding got lost so the ceremony was a little late getting started. The wise planners had passed out water bottles and made the programs into fans to accomadate for the warm sunshine.
The bride had 3 little sisters that were Jr. Bridesmaids and they came walking in arm and arm with the nephews of the groom. David, my 4 year old, asked me with an incredulous tone, "Are they getting married?"
And Eli, oh Eli. Such a sweetheart, but still a 6 year old little boy. As we're watching the beautiful processional I knew he was playing with the string that ties in the back of my dress, but I wasn't paying great attention, I was mainly trying to keep Mary Jo quiet. As the beautiful bride walked in everyone rose to their feet.....except for me. I could only move about 6 inches and then realized with horror that Eli had TIED ME TO THE CHAIR! I calmly turned around and tried to untie the knot to no avail, so I had to sit there smiling, pretending that it was because I was holding my 2 year old that I wasn't standing. He did seem a little embarrased, at least....and maybe a little proud of himself.
Mary Jo really did pretty well during the ceremony since she's just now starting her "church training" to sit still and quiet during meetings. I let her play in my purse and the diaper bag to keep her occupied and at one of the more sweet, poignant moments I looked down to see my feminine products laying in my lap. Once again a reality check that I had my kids with me!
Here is the beautiful bride and groom. Such a sweet, sweet young couple that truly love and honor the Lord with their lives. It was an honor to be there for their special day!!
At the reception the pressure of keeping them quiet and within social norms was off, the bride and her helpers had an awesome lay out for the kids - bubbles, games, a coloring tablecloth, candy, you name it. It was great to let them play so I could visit with everyone. The boys were happy to sit on the ground and eat their chips and salsa in the shade.
It was a fun and interesting combination to bring the kids to the wedding. Usually weddings are places you dress up, try to look nice and put your best foot forward. You smile and greet everyone, use your silverware correctly, and practice your best manners. We actually took our kids to another wedding tonight, a very casual but sweet backyard wedding near here. Bringing kids made me realize that part of my job as a parent is to somehow teach them these societal norms. You don't stand in the middle of a party and cry "I want to go home!" or smear the cupcake frosting on your head on purpose (2 things David did tonight at the wedding we went to). It can be a humbling thing to raise these kids the Lord has blessed us with but it's fun, too. It helps me not take things so seriously and just laugh at the funny things they do. All too soon they'll be adults and I'll miss these embarrasing days!
