A Love Story - Wedding Extravaganza

Apparently, Eddie didn’t get the memo about sleeping in today (up at 7 AM!)  I don’t mind though because while most of the Wogs are sleeping and he is watching Mickey Mouse, I can revel in the beauty of my nieces wedding last night.  It was perfect in every way. A years worth of planning went into making the most spectacular wedding, down to every tiny detail but in reality, it’s a lifetime of planning.  Countless hours of dreaming went into making it the most magical of days!  I can’t think of a more perfect wedding for such a true princess and YES I am weeping still!

I was so tremendously honored to have all FIVE Wogs in the wedding and to be asked to share!  The kids were beyond proud and ecstatic.  Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how it was going to be possible to make them all look perfect and for me to not keel over in the process!  The Lord has been telling me in my daily chats to trust Him!  If I could just rest in the fact that He has it covered and is faithful, that all would be well! Much of the time I believed that and the other times, it was sheer panic!!  I had very interesting nightmares of Bonnie’s dress blowing up over her head for all to see, Eddie knocking over all the decorations and me tripping up the aisle and such!  All I know is that God’s mercy and grace abounded and my kid’s made me proud!!  Granted a good bit of bribery went into coaxing Ed down the aisle but whatever works!!

Alexandra and I have a very unique, special bond!  It’s not a usual niece and aunt relationship.  It’s almost more like sisters in a way!  I definitely have mentored her but on so many occasions she has led me!  She has been very patient teaching me all about social networking and technology!  She has taught me how to Google any problem you have in life and to watch a tutorial to figure it out!!!  I told her I didn’t know what I was going to do without her, and she calmly said, “You are going to get very smart!”  (having to do things for myself!  But then she assured me that she will dropbox, whatever I need!!)

I loved Jordan before Alexandra did!!  He was a middle school student when I was a youth pastor!  We truly did have a bond and a special relationship that has never faded and now he is my nephew!  It’s such a tremendous blessing when family members marry in such precious people into our lives, who bless us all! 

I woke with a jolt, early on the wedding day!  I laid in the darkness, and prayed for my niece and Jordan!  I cried in thanksgiving to the Lord, for bringing them together!  I am so invested in prayer for both of them!  I am so very expectant about how God is going to use them to impact the world!  I let Bonnie stay home from school because we were out really late at the rehearsal and I knew it would be a late wedding night too. She got up at 9 and we started working!  We did some chores, did pedicures, manicures, hair and make-up!  I started realizing I wasn’t going to be able to physically manage the To Do List!  I emailed Dan several items off my list including shopping with Ed for his prize for being ring bearer and picking up the boy’s tuxes!  Miraculously by 3 p.m., Bonnie was beautiful and off to be with the Bride!  I thank the Lord for my niece Shelby, who came in with her calm, peaceful spirit and started curling away on the girl’s hair and also fit in manicures! When Annie saw herself in the mirror, after she was all dressed, she said, “I don’t even look like myself!!”  Finally, we were all coiffured and beautiful and out the door!  I got in the car, glanced at my fingernails and realized I forgot to paint one hand so I ran inside to grab my polish!

We got to the church and I walked into the room, where everyone was waiting.  I said hello to everyone and then I caught a glimpse of the bride.  I will never forget how she looked!  She was sitting in a chair, with the most beautiful wedding dress I have ever seen, fluffed out all around her and a face that radiated such beauty, that I gasped and my eyes flooded with tears!   I went in the chapel to get my microphone and when I opened the door, the most angelic music drifted out and I could already feel the presence of the Lord!  I knew it would be a blessed, anointed wedding! 

My boy, Bubba, who was thrilled to be “Usher”, walked me down the aisle to my seat and I waited in expectation!  The grandmothers and moms got seated and I loved the precious site, of Jordan walking his mom to her seat! Angle’s face was never so beautiful and content!  She has done a phenomenal job of raising such a fine son and I pray that she felt God’s pleasure with her, over her dedication and the amazing job that she did raising Jordan!

The gorgeous bridesmaids starting coming down the aisle and I was a little stunned at how my Bonnie looked 25 years old and so grown up!  Then Edward, with his halo on perfectly straight, came down slowly with his little flat hands holding the ring pillow!  Mags and Annie methodically dropped rose petals down the aisle and were angelic little beauties!   Then my brother starts down the aisle with his baby girl!  Pretty much everyone was crying, watching the tears drip down my brother’s face!  He kept looking at his girl with such love and pride!  The service was perfect, loving, intimate, personal and special!  I can’t think of one thing that could have made it any better! 

Poor Eddie conked out in Maw Maw’s lap, which was probably a blessing!! Carrying those rings was completely exhausting!  We finished taking pictures and headed to the reception.  I have NEVER seen such an incredible sight as I did walking into the empty reception ballroom! It was a work of art!  I learned that there were over 750 votive candles and I am pretty sure there was a serious fire hazard going on!!   

The bride and groom had their first dance, the groom and mom danced and then my brother cracked us all up!  He certainly made Mick Jagger proud, strutting around with the bride!!  It was wonderful to watch the love and fun!!  We ate a delicious dinner and the band was getting ready to play.  I asked the drummer if he knew he was getting ready to witness, “church people gone wild” and he cracked up and looked somewhat afraid!  From the moment the first note was played, the floor was packed out with somewhat disturbing, over-the-top, theatrical, unchained dancing to the likes that have never been attempted before.  You would think it was a crowd of plastered maniacs but on the contrary!  These people need no encouragement to let it fly!!  I am most bummed that my battery died before I capture William Smith’s end of the evening attire!  He had his tux pants hiked to his knees, sleeves pushed to his shoulders, unbuttoned and washed down in sweat!  It was the most joyous, exuberant celebration I have ever witnessed full of energy and complete insanity!  My kids danced the whole night and had the time of their life!  We won’t even mention Dan’s show stopping, bizarre stage dancing to Footloose!  I learned that Bubba definitely has his father's moves!  Maggie was most excited that she went to bed after midnight for the first time in her life!!   Annie was pretty pumped that the drummer called her up on stage and let her hit the cymbals!  Lord, I hope she isn't wanting to be a drummer now! That's all the Wog household needs! LOL

The night ended with the bride and groom running through sparklers and into their new life and wonderful future!  I will be waiting in expectation for all the greatness to come from these two extraordinary, gifted people!!