Phragements from Phyllis: Wedded bliss
The wedding was absolutely wonderful.
My youngest child married the love of her life on Saturday. And true to form, all those things that she had worried about faded away into oblivion as the ceremony began.
All week she was distressed about the prospect of rain on her wedding day. On Tuesday the prediction was 50 percent chance. She checked the long-range prediction every five minutes. I suggested we didn't have to decide about a tent in case of rain until Thursday, so there was no need to keep checking until then. By Thursday afternoon, the forecast was rain late in the afternoon or evening -- The wedding was at 4 p.m. Even Saturday morning the tent folks were talking about sides on the tent we had already rented to cover the patio at Rye Patch for dancing, but we decided to take a chance without. (By the way, if you ever need a tent, talk to Melody at Ranco. She was unbelievably helpful and cheerful and on the lookout for cutting costs when it was reasonable.)
The wedding in Hopelands was beautiful. The sun came out for the ceremony. The gardens were beautiful with gorgeous flowers, pumpkins by each row of chairs, rose petals on the reflecting pool. The music, performed by Liz's friend from Greenville, soloist Ashley Bailey and guitarist Lindsay Ford from right here, was beautiful. Even Cade was so cute as the "ring bear," with his bear hat. He was dressed up and we decided not to ask him to walk down the aisle, but he was an integral part of all the festivities. The bridesmaids were lovely and Liz was, well, exquisite. She was so obviously happy to be marrying Vince and he, in turn, was equally happy to be marrying Liz.
Tom's dad, two sisters and their husbands came. And along with them was Liz's cousin Sarah and her boyfriend Adam. Also my mother's niece and her son came. Best of all, Liz's godmother (and my college roommate) came down from Bluefield for the occasion. It was so good to see her. I just wish we had more time before she had to go back.
And with that all the frets and frustrations faded away. (Maybe someday I'll share some of the unnecessary frets that occurred, but not now.)
The reception was a great party -- delicious food by Nancy Payne Catering, a signature drink dubbed "Appley Ever After" (an Apple Crumble) created by Missie Boivert at Palmetto Package, a terrific wedding cake by Kyndra's Cakes and marvelous music by DJ Steve Waack. (It was a great follow-up to the rehearsal dinner, which was done by the BBQ Barn -- also delicious.) The photographer did some very interesting photos -- Liz wanted unusual, not so much traditional, so she chose Joelle Susan of Charleston. (Check her out at socialitestudiosblog.com.) And one of Liz's friends, Christine McMakin, was an unbelievable help -- She set up for the rehearsal dinner, set up for the reception, directed the wedding (when the person we had engaged to do those duties decided not to -- two weeks before the wedding) and generally tried to make sure we didn't have to worry about anything.
Liz's friends are serious dancers and even the rain that did come later in the evening did not dampen their spirits.
Liz's matrons of honor, her best friend Tara and her sister Cat, did a great job with the toasts. Cat truly impressed me with her advice, which she admitted the Britts are quick to give but not always quick to follow: "May you always have the last word, but if you're smart you won't take it ..."
And Vince added to his endearing qualities by serenading Liz during the evening. He admitted Liz is quick to be embarrassed but he was compelled to sing along with the Eric Church song, "I Love Your Love." It was very sweet.
I love sleeping in on Saturdays
And I love college football games ...
Yeah I'm a fan of Faulkner books
And anything my mama cooks ...
I love a good loud Honky Tonk
That rocks on Friday night ...
But I want you to know
Honey I love your love the most
The newlyweds traveled Sunday to Charlotte to start their trek to Greece and are now enjoying their 10-day stay (with an upgrade thanks to the hotel management) to the fullest.
They even thought to text me birthday wishes right after midnight. Vince was the first to say, "Happy Birthday." I replied, "Thank you, son," and he, in turn, texted, "You're welcome, mom."
Welcome to the family, Vince. We're proud to have you.