I know I said I wouldn’t blog Mary and Courtney’s wedding until tomorrow, but I just couldn’t wait to see their pictures. I haven’t even downloaded all my flash cards yet, but found a few pictures I really wanted to share. I’m an immediate gratification kind of person – so even though I’m tired, I couldn’t resist looking at pictures.
First, let me say that Mary and Courtney’s wedding was perfect. I truly can’t imagine what they could have done to make it better. The reception was under a tent in Mary’s parent’s yard. When Pam first told me the plans, I sincerely thought she had lost her mind. But, she explained to me that her philosophy is that if you want something, you have to try for it. It doesn’t always work, but if you don’t try – you can’t possibly have it. And Mary and Courtney wanted the reception in her parents’ beautifully landscaped yard, so they tried for it. I’m so glad they did. It was a gorgeous fall day with clear blue skies. Pam is such a positive person, she never worried that things wouldn’t go as planned. She is truly an inspiration to me.
Mary and Courtney are fun. I never saw either of them today that they didn’t have a huge smile on their face. I found myself smiling just watching them. This is Courtney with Hiram, his new father-in-law, just before the ceremony.
I really like a lot of color in weddings. Mary’s selections for bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers, and decorations made me very happy. There was color everywhere! Forget-Me-Not provided exquisite flowers for the bouquets and arrangements at the church.
I don’t photograph weddings often these days, but when I do I like to play with rings. Sometimes when I (or my trusty sidekick, Karen) ask the bride and groom for their rings, I get a very funny look. But Mary and Courtney gave theirs up without a qualm. And I had a great time with them today.
In my opinion, it’s the details – the little things – that make or break a wedding. There were details galore at Courtney and Mary’s wedding. There was a huge white tent with round tables covered with white cloths and accented with hot pink and orange. The linens alone were gorgeous, but Val Darner went a step further and created a different arrangement for each table. Now, if I had taken a glass vase, added a pumpkin or two and some grape vine and put it on a table – it would have looked like something the cat drug in. But the table arrangements today were amazing. I’m still in awe. I wish I could show every single one, but I’m going to stick with just three.
As always, I have to show the wedding cake. This is another Kathy Canby cake – and it was just as gorgeous and tasty as usual. This time Kathy used a fall theme with mushrooms made of fondant and sugar paste leaves and berries. It almost looked too pretty to cut. Almost. But then, I heard that one of the layers was my favorite – almond – so I was quite happy to see it dismantled and demolished. Today, there was not just one cake – there were two. You see, today was Courtney’s birthday so Mary surprised him with a birthday cake shaped like a guitar. And all of the guests sang Happy Birthday to him.
The reception was great fun. There was lots of dancing – beginning with the traditional first dance for the bride and groom. Then, when Courtney was dancing with his mother and Mary was dancing with her father, her brother David cut in – which brought tears to my eyes. Later in the evening, the dance floor got crowded with men and women alike. The DJ was great and kept the party hopping. Then he called David to the front and told us that he had heard that David and Mary could swing dance. So we were all treated to a demonstration that boggled my mind. For a minute, I thought I was watching Dancing with the Stars!
Best wishes to Courtney and Mary. And thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day.
