I want to thank everyone who helped out with our wedding so far. Thank you for all of your time, support, hard work, and everything else. We have felt so loved and seriously, so blessed. :) We had friends, neighbors, and family cheering for us and I appreciate it so very much.
We especially enjoyed visiting with family who traveled great distances to support us. John, Meli, and Julia came from Texas. Amanda came from Washington. Alysa and Ray came from New Mexico. Everyone else drove from parts of Utah and Idaho.
Here’s a summary of the wedding week. It was a big week, not only for us, but also for my family because my grandma passed away on Sunday. Having my mom with her when she passed away has given me a great amount of comfort. I am also grateful to Jonathan for his sensitivity and being willing to whisk me up to Idaho Falls to say goodbye to Grandma Downey even while we were still returning home from a trip to Orem, a few weeks before she passed away. Her funeral was on the Tuesday before our wedding, and Jon and I drove up to Idaho Falls on Monday night. The service was beautiful and we got to play string music and sing. My wonderful friend Cari helped me write and print a cello part for our string number, O My Father. Cari is an amazing musician. After our family had successfully rehearsed the number, I sat and thought how grateful I was to have a friend and neighbor who was able to provide that unique service when it was so needed. I could not have thought up a part and printed it out and had time to practice it in time for the funeral and I thank her with all my heart.
The rest of the week gets a little blurry. I spent Wednesday decorating my wedding cake. It was a total blast! The cake looked (to me) better than the original design.
My most wonderful family decorated for the reception all day Friday. You would not believe the transformation from country-cabin looking Senior Center (which Jon and I assumed was the theme) to the most elegant, beautiful, sparkly dream reception ever. We were totally blown away. Wow, Mandy, Mommy, and anyone else who helped!
Meli and Katrina curled my hair before the pre-wedding pictures on Friday. Meli and I reminisced how I had been the one to curl her hair for her wedding.
The weather was pleasant enough for pictures. When I started feeling cold I’d put on the white satin cape that my mom got me and took pictures in it. We had taco salad at my house with some of my family before the exciting cake adventure began. We put the back seat down in Jon’s car and placed the cake on it. Mandy realizing that the cake was in great peril volunteered to lay down next to it in the trunk/backseat and keep it from sliding around. The cake made it safely to Smithfield thanks to Mandy’s willingness to sacrifice her comfort and Jon’s careful driving.
Jon and I stood in line and talked to guests for the two hour reception. I don’t know what everyone else did. Three of the young women from my ward and Chris helped serve bread and homemade jam. We cut the cake and served it. Jon stuffed a rather large bite of cake in my mouth, but other then that there was no face-cake-smashing to report. Jon’s brother was the sound man for the reception. He picked out a song for us to dance to. It was “Time After Time” sung by Cindy Lopper. Thanks Brian! It was perfect.
Saturday truly was a special day. Jon picked me up and we went to the temple together just a tad early (7:15am.) This meant that I was the only one in the bride’s room at the temple with my mom helping me get ready. Other brides followed soon after. Our sealing was wonderful. The sealer’s name (it took looking at the marriage certificate to get it right) was John Simmons. Afterward the sealing we enjoyed greeting everyone outside and we took group pictures. We had a special fly by from the photographer’s son who wiggled the wings of his small private plane right overhead. Cool!
Everyone met back up at the Logan Stake Center where my Relief Society was preparing for our wedding brunch. We helped them set up and had a wonderful brunch of soups, vegetables, fruits, rolls, and pies. Yummy... Thanks Kaylene, Susie, and everyone else! I really enjoyed socializing with all my family new and old at the brunch. Jon and I exchanged wedding rings and Jon’s dad talked about how we were married in the right place. Our siblings decorated our car with silly string and something like glue that stayed on the windows until we peeled it off in St. George. Jon and I enjoyed peeking out the kitchen door to see who the culprits were. We took names! After passing though a line of bubble blowers and driving away, we packed up our luggage and headed south to St. George. The End.
