Wedding Day

I'm torn.
I still feel horribly inadequate to start describing what was the beautiful sequence of events that culminated in my daughter's wedding. The words are stuck in my throat--soul. Every once in a while my heart loosens it's grip on a couple of thoughts, they make their way up to my head and rattle around like tiny steelies in a can of spray paint. At first, when you shake the can the metal beads flail around and bounce from side to side making all kinds of racket.
And moments of the last few days do the same. The young bride and groom's voices bounce off of the stately 90-year-old barn. Then, the longer the can is shaken the harder it gets to hear the separate beads. The guests blur together; family, friends, and even the caterer. Images that start out crystal clear, become out of focus, and then fade away almost as if they're taunting me. Even though I'm positive they wouldn't want me to feel this way, the host of people that have already learned the ways of servant hood must have an appropriate thank you space. And I definitely don't want to minimize the hard work put in by the bride and groom in preparation for a God inspired marriage. I promise I will get to that, but I first must speak to the wedding day that was completely and totally unique in a way that can only be described by two words: Jen & Tony.

Unique, one of a kind, intimate, personal, different, out of the ordinary, all words that would creep in and drive wedding plans.

Grandma & Grandpa's Farm was the only venue ever mentioned, and so right out of the gates we were planning a destination wedding.
Not very long after the engagement was announced, they decided to theme their ceremony around serving God and each other. Uncle Paul would give the message culminated by washing each other's feet.
When we first went shopping for her bridal gown was when I came to realize that this would be no ordinary bride. "Formal or informal" the lady asked. "I'm not sure what you mean, Jen replied and then questioned, "Do you have anything with sleeves?" The lady stared blankly at Jennifer and said, "I'm not sure what you mean."

The flowers were cut on the wedding day from seed packets that had been prayed over, cultivated, and watered with the utmost of tender care. A handful of daisies and black-eyed Susan's for the bride, a single sunflower for the bridesmaids' and boutonnières of soybean leaves for the guys.

There were other little things that completed the "look and feel" At first, I thought "no ushers", was a big mistake, but the comments since have proven me dead wrong. Jen wanted people to feel like they were walking into a worship service. In a barnyard. Programs that seemed a tad oversized at the beginning served as miniature umbrellas. The cicadas were deafening during the rehearsal, but the dash of rain quieted them and saw to it that she got to the church on time.

After Grandpa prayed over the dinner…I thought he might break into "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow" instead we got the National Anthem after his to-the-point sermonette.

Something borrowed, something blue, yadda, yadda, unity candle, blah, blah, blah.

Who gets married on a Hoosier Family Farm, with a host of guests that drove for hours, carrying a bouquet of wild flowers, walks up the isle to "Amelie" and back down to "The Final Countdown" serenaded by a Wynonna song AND a professional fireworks display, then dances under the stars at the edge of their field of dreams?

Apparently Jen and Tony.

You can check out more stories and photos from this special day on my sidebar at
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