Aunt Denise Gets Married, Part 1

This is not going to be a comprehensive telling of Aunt Denise's wedding weekend. We don't have time for that. Surely you have been a part of a wedding or two yourself and know the little ins and outs that make a wedding and so I can count on you to round out the edges with your imagination.

Denise is Bill's sister. In July she became engaged to a fella named Roy. Four-ish months later they got married. The end.

See how your imagination filled the rest in?

Okay, okay.

The wedding was November 16. Our family flew out to North Carolina to celebrate with them. 

We started out the Thursday night before at Roy's house (soon to be Roy and Denise's) with pizza. Friday morning us ladies met for a pedicure and then lunch.

 Not pictured is Tia's mom, who is the furthest chair over.

"More pedi's, please."

My thoughts on pedicures. I like them but I'm not very good with them. The massage chair that you sit in is weird to me. Then, while it's their job and my feet did look better afterwards, they scrubbed away a bit of my hard work from this summer, i.e. my callouses. Then there's the polish. I always smudge it. I think it won't be a big deal to touch up but they get down and pull out all sorts of things to make my polish right again. Sigh. But I had very good company to chat away the time so the fact that I'm not good with pedicures is all my own. 

There was little to be done to prep because the church ladies did such a wonderful job.

The rehearsal is typical of most rehearsals. A bunch of people stand around until someone takes charge and says perhaps we should figure out who, what, when, where and why.

"And we will be closing the curtain to cover the river painting over the baptistry."

Tip of the hat to all wedding coordinators. Us wedding participants can be a wily bunch, asking questions out of order and doing all manner of things.

"They can only kiss at the end? Okay, got it."

Need a little spice to your Scripture recitations? Adding a flamboyant hat does the trick.

What are these seats called again? Pews?

"You can hold hands as long as you like but you can only kiss after I say so." 

Without their disguises.

Luke was the ring bearer, which he really didn't understand and first but his sister and brother made him say yes when his aunt asked him. Should he stand, sit, have the rings, not have the rings, hold her hand, take her arm? It's a lot for a guy. 

We finished rehearsal and went to dinner. It was BBQ chicken, beans, mac and cheese and potatoes cooked in a type of red hot sauce. I have never heard nor tasted of such thing but I should have asked for the recipe because it was mighty tasty.

I should let you know that between two days with North Carolinans and listening to a favorite podcast of two women, also from the South, I cannot help but slip into a southern accent. I'm typing this right now a-hearin' it in an accent. I accidentally slipped a Y'all in when talking with a couple people at the rehearsal dinner. Audrey is dreadfully mortified of any kind of accent I attempt: Southern, British, Australian. I can't do a Boston or New York accent. My apologies if this comes across with a twang. (P.S. I wish there was accent font.)

After some toasting and roasting, it was time for bed. The big day was just about here. 

 ADGM,Part 2  ADGM, Part 3