Mia and Jadon had like a 5-month engagement in which we brainstormed our hearts out.
Because I already felt too busy I was thrilled that Jadon proposed right before a huge snowstorm. While, they were upset that they couldn't be together that Monday, Mia and I knocked out a lot of details. We would call the caterer, etc. and they would answer because they were all snowed in just like us.
After suggesting that Mia read a blog post that Clarita did on her sister Claudia's wedding, Mia latched onto a few fun ideas, mainly the jumbo invites.
We drove around and hand-delivered as many as we could.
Mia wanted to do a reception in a tent right at the church location, which made me think of Claudia's fun tent reception that I had read about years ago.
The piles of wedding things grew larger and larger. I knew it was sticking out too far if Nate stubbed his toes on his way to bed at night.
Ribbons for bunting. A perfect project to take along to the cabin.
After school let out, Mia, Ellie, and I, who were all teachers, had time to knock some stuff out.
Olive and Henry were not having the summer of their dreams.
One day I asked Ellie to please take Henry to his Grandma's house. She understood the assignment.
Practicing a table set up. Buying some bunches of grocery store flowers gave me an idea of how many flowers to order for bud vases.
One week before the wedding, Mia suddenly had what seemed to be a kidney stone attack.
Jadon sat on the floor beside her and thought to myself, this is not great, but it's probably good if he sees this side of her before he says his vows.
What happened to my little girls?
Ellie was invaluable
Henry had an explosive moment with the three-wheeler and some starting fluid the Monday before the wedding. His hair was singed. His ear was burned rather badly.
I was thankful this happened before his haircut and not after.
Ellie's eye had a stye in it, and we were worried she wouldn't be able to wear her contacts for the wedding.
Setting up the tent at church. Cutting tablecloths to size.
I attached everything that I thought might blow away. Nametags and table runners.
While we were setting up, there were some very special guests making their way here.
Mapsons on the loose!
Saturday morning the humidity had done a number to the table numbers.
Nate took them all down and ran them to JDM and got them laminated and put them back.
Photographer showed up.
My favorite Tawanda Faye.
Lucky for Mia, the videographer was her Uncle Geryll and sons (her cousins of course).
Right as we got to family pictures, Henry wanted me to take a picture of his ear so that he could see what it was looking like. Sadly, this had him picking the scab off, and bright red blood started dripping. I managed to keep it from his clothing, and we put a band-aid on it for the time being.
It was threatening to drizzle all day. When I was telling Nate about the furniture needing to be set up and whether we put it under a little pop-up tent. He was full of questions about who the furniture was for. "The Children will play on it; I guess that would be nice," he said. Then I mentioned the bridal party, and he said, "So, it's for the groomsmen!"
I don't know who it's for! Just set it out. (takes a deep breath)
Mia was the first one to thrift a specialized plate. She got one for her boss at school that had a picture of the Myerstown Church of the Brethren where the school is located. She said, "We will put this at Zac's place." This started a very fun job of trying to thrift more plates with particular people in mind. Mia's cousin Leo was obsessed at the time with a family vacation they were taking to the Smoky Mountains. His mother said he kept calling it, "The Great Smokey Mountains." Which made this plate perfect for him.
Months of planning and it was over in a flash
Nate found the perfect spot to pile all the things after. Mia's parking space, now vacant.
