Cake, Flowers & A Card

Annelize, here's what's left of the wedding cake.  Remember you had asked for a picture of a piece?  What we did was purchase a small decorative cake, but we fed the guests from two large sheet cakes purchased at our local grocery store, which were cut in the kitchen ahead of time.  The top of the cake is now in the freezer, and we're working on the bottom layer.  Yum.

Grace's bouquet and Anthony's boutonniere were the only flowers that were fresh; everything else was silk.  Phil's brother-in-law, a former florist, took care of the fresh flowers, and he did a wonderful job.  We have the bouquet in a vase; I hope it lasts for a while.

Finally, a picture of the card I made for the newlyweds.  I used several Nestablilties dies (sorry, I wasn't up to making a list), and each layer is attached with Pop Dots.  The bow is my first using my Bow Easy.

The Wedding

It's over.  The event we planned for so many months is now behind us.  The wedding was wonderful.  Grace was a beautiful bride, and Anthony a handsome groom.  Most things went as we wanted them to.  And those that didn't, well, most were not that important.

So now, life is supposed to get "back to normal".  Whatever that means.  But what was normal on Friday is no longer normal.  I have a married daughter, and a wonderful son (in-law).  Come Monday evening, there will be two married couples, one single woman, two neurotic cats, and an overly enthusiastic dog living under one roof.  There will be adjustments as Phil and I continue to learn our place in Grace and Anthony's lives, and as Sarah adapts to having another man in the house.  The animals will think it's great that there are two more hands to feed and pet them though.

God has been so gracious to us.  Not only that He "show[ed] his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"  (Romans 5:8, ESV), but that by accepting Christ's death on the cross as the only sufficient payment for our sin, and allowing Christ to assume His rightful headship in our lives, we are His children.  The journey we have been on with Anthony and Grace these past 15 months has been incredible.  It has brought Phil and I closer together as we walked through courtship and then betrothal with Anthony and Grace.  Anthony has been a blessing in our lives, and we have learned much from him, and will continue to do so.  We have also learned more about our daughter.  And Sarah has been challenged and is growing spiritually and emotionally.  We are in awe of all God is doing, and we look forward to the months and years ahead.

It was difficult as the mother-of-the-bride to take pictures, but I have uploaded the ones I was able to get to Facebook.  You can go here to see them - you do not have to have a Facebook account to see them.  Should you not want to do that, here are a few you can enjoy.

 Me with Anthony & Grace

 Phil & I with the happy couple

 Looking to the cross

 The dads with Anthony & Grace

 The entire bridal party

 With my parents

 With Phil's mom

 

 The bridesmaids

 At the beginning of the ceremony

 Grace with her cousin, Jamie Rae, who was one of the flower girls

Grace had to get her favorite monkeys in somewhere!

Happy Anniversary!

Today, May 26, is our 26th wedding anniversary.  Happy anniversary to the most wonderful man in the world!  Phil, I love you!!

Ring Attendant's Pillow

Traditionally, the ring bearer at a wedding is a young lad.  But in a departure from tradition - something Grace and Anthony like to do - they asked his niece, Alexis, to carry the ring pillow for them.  Grace chose a beautiful gown for her, reminiscent of her own bridal gown.  Unfortunately, I cannot find a picture of the dress; perhaps I'm not remembering it properly.  In any case, Alexis will look like a princess in her lovely gown.

I finally finished the ring pillow (which will not have the actual wedding rings affixed to it), and just tonight, managed to snap some pictures of it.  The final design is a result of looking at many ready-made pillows, a bit of my imagination, and much of Grace's.  It is a lovely pillow, and will make a wonderful keepsake. 

Grace found the pin in the jewelry section at JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts.

For the initials, Grace and Anthony found a font they liked, and my embroidery software (3-D Embroidery for my Viking Rose) digitized it.  I've not used that feature often, but I'm pleased with the result.

We are now one week away from the wedding.  I am still working on a few small projects, but hope to finish those up soon.  On Sunday night during Lost, I plan to do some hand sewing, a task I despise.  Then it's on to packing boxes to take to the church, and labeling 30 bottles of ginger ale, and 16 gallons of fruit punch with "DO NOT USE" signs, since they will be put into the church 'frig on Thursday.  There won't be a dull moment between now and Saturday night, that's for sure!

Grace's Bridal Shower Card

When I was putting away all the gift bags from Grace's last bridal shower, I found the card I made for her in the bottom of one.  I thought I had taken pictures of it before the shower, but apparently, I didn't, because I can't find any.  I guess I am becoming scatterbrained.  (No comments from my family, please!)  Here's the card:

I was inspired by Sophia's card, which she showcased on her blog. 

Here is the recipe for my card:

Stamp:  Whimsical Words - Stampin' Up! (Sale-a-Bration)
Paper:  Lovebirds  12" x 12" Paper Pad (s.e.i.), The Luxury Stack (DCWV)
Accessories:  Stampin' Up! Filigree Brad, Nestabilities Classic Ovals Large #3, Classic Scalloped Ovals Large #3, Pearls by Recollections, Satin Chocolate Chip ribbon by Stampin' Up! (clearance item)


11 days until the wedding! 

Wedding Preparations 3

It's been a long time since I've done anything with silk flowers, so making the corsages and boutonnieres has been time-consuming.  But the corsages are finished, and I am relatively pleased with them.

This is the corsage for Anthony's mom.  It is a wrist corsage.

My corsage is also a wrist corsage.  It was difficult to get a picture with the thing on my own wrist!  The flowers coordinate nicely with my dress.

Did you notice that both corsages have the white rose?  I thought that would tie them together nicely.

Wedding Preparations 2

Three more weeks before the wedding!  I am trying to use every minute of my days to their best advantage in order to get everything on my to-do list completed.  In the next few posts, I'll share some of my projects.

We have two women who will be servers at the reception, making sure the punch bowls stay full, as well as the munchie bowls.  They will also be in charge of the cake.  I thought it would be nice if they had aprons to distinguish themselves and keep their clothes clean.  I found a free patten on the Internet (sorry, I don't have the URL handy).  I did make a few changes in the way the front band/ties were attached.  Sarah beautifully modeled one of the aprons for me so I could snap some pictures.