I attended my best friend’s wedding last weekend. No big deal, right? Well it kinda was. My friend Mary (from True You Living) and I have been friends for more years than I care to remember. Hint: it was before either of us had kids. As you may have guessed, this is her second marriage. It’s a rare thing, in my world anyway, to be able to attend the wedding of a dear friend whom I have known for many years.
My husband traveled with me and we stopped to spend the night at Days Inn on Jekyll Island to break up the drive. I’ll save that story for later. Let’s skip ahead to the wedding!
The theme for the wedding was “I love you to the moon and back”. Check out the bride’s shirt, and the crescent moon on the cake. No, that’s not a C. We had crescent moon cookies as a wedding favor, baked lovingly by the bride herself. I ate mine before I snapped a pic! They were so cute, and delish too!
the hubs and I left Jekyll Island and went directly to the Cultural Center in Ponte Vedra where the wedding and reception were being held, to assist in any way we could with the setting up. When we arrived the bride was just unloading her car. We helped with that and then got down to business. While my husband assisted in setting up tables, I proceeded to iron 20 very large tablecloths for the reception. Not by myself, mind you, this job was a team effort. I personally ironed for over three hours. I was a little burned out afterwards. Pun intended!
The tables were quite lovely with the color scheme that Mary had chosen, well worth the soreness in my right shoulder for a couple of days. The food and cake were done by The Savory Market located in Fernandina, Florida. Check out their Facebook page. The Savory Market is owned and operated (in part) by the bride’s daughter and son-in-law.
It’s always about the shoes with me. I had to snap a pic! I was able to get a few photos of the bride getting ready, as we were staying in her home. Kara, the woman who did my make-up for the photo shoot in October while visiting Mary, did a wonderful job on the bride and wedding party. The photographer was Erin, the girl behind the camera at our photo shoot More Than a Friend! Check her Facebook page here: EEDY Photography.
I loved watching Mary before leaving for the church. She was calm, cool, collected and excited, something that escapes first-time brides in my opinion. There was a certainness about her that just gave you the impression that she knows what her future looks like. Having been married before, learning from past mistakes and growing because of them, all aided in her positive outlook for this marriage to Tim.
The ceremony was touching, the wedding was simple and elegant. The weather was a little chilly for an outdoor event but beautiful nonetheless.
I’m not a huge fan of weddings, but one of my favorite sights of all is watching the groom watch his bride walking down the isle toward him; toward their future together.
Mary’s daughters were a part of the bridal party, as was the groom’s daughter. The wedding itself was full of symbolism. The wedding date was the bride’s deceased mother’s birthday.
The Ponte Vedra Cultural Center is where Mary’s youngest daughter works.
Her oldest daughter is the one involved with The Savory Market.
Her oldest brother gave her away, in place of their deceased dad, and his wife was a bride’s maid.
Her other brother’s band played at the reception, and her son-in-law played the prelude. Mary’s future son-in-law did a reading during the ceremony.
There was dancing, old friends, far-away family attendees and just a lot of joy.
As I was capturing a shot of the bride at the table, this guy, Tim’s son, also a member of the wedding party, did a bit of a photo bomb. I noticed after the picture was taken. That’s okay though. This kid could dance like nobody’s business and kept us all entertained at the reception.
Before I end this tale of My Best Friend’s Wedding, I wanted to share this photo. Mary had her friend Char and I escorted down the isle at the beginning of the ceremony. We sat where her parents would have been. It was an honor to have been given that special place. This statute? I almost knocked it off the pedestal at the rehearsal the night before. I do believe I would have purchased a $350 crumbled mess had I not caught it just in time. The down side of a ceremony among priceless treasures!
Although this is the end of the story of my best friend’s wedding, it’s just the beginning of theirs. I wish them all the happiness in the world and love to the moon and back.
Your friend is a blessed woman, I am sure that they are still thinking about this special day.
It was a pleasure and so much fun to watch the story unfold! <3
So special to have you apart of every detail, from before the start until after the finish. You are an amazing friend, a true treasure, and I’m blessed to know you. Thank you for this additional gift!! Love you bunches, sister!!