Sand Ceremony

 

"As you join your separate containers of sand together, your lives also join together as one, as a family."

And little Mia said, "Kinda looks like salt and pepper!"

The sand on the bottom is from the beach where they were married. It was put there originally to keep the glass container from falling over in the strong wind.

Jaime's Wedding Collage

Even before we have the pictures from the photographer, I believe Stephanie has created the definitive collage for Jaime's wedding. The top picture is when she performed a song she wrote, "Thank God They All Messed Up" referring to the past lovers who didn't work out in everyone's past.

Jaime and Aaron - Wedding Day

It finally happened! On Saturday, Jaime and Aaron had their wedding day at a busy beach bar on the causeway in Tampa. The weather decided to be windy when it came time for the ceremony. Since Aaron's grandfather was unable to attend and perform the ceremony, the mother of the bride did the job in his stead (me). We are blessed with so many beautiful pictures and still more to come, but I am having trouble with Blogger uploading pictures. These are just a few samples. Check out my Facebook page for many more. I just had to share a few. The bride and groom are very happy and will be going on their honeymoon next week.

Double Birthday/Wedding Party Blowout

  

Weddings, Hats and History

My Uncle Joe and Aunt Marjory Vitale My Grandmother, Julia Marshall. She doesn't have a hat in this picture.

Somehow I have a copy of my aunt Margie and Uncle Joe's wedding photo. It was during the war years so she wore a suit for her wedding. I always thought I resembled my father's side of the family (not entirely in a good way). And I always thought Aunt Margie somewhat resembled Queen Elizabeth. Perhaps the wrong side of the blanket somewhere back in the family's history??? Anyway, the hats at the Royal Wedding yesterday made me think of this photo. My Aunt Margie met and married an Italian man and converted from Jehova's Witness to the Catholic religion.

This brings up questions in my mind since I never saw or even thought to ask about a picture of my parents' wedding. My mother lost a whole trunk of photos when I was a teenager. A rather wild kitten that I brought home from my Aunt Esther's farm decided to pee all over the garage including the trunk. I wonder what was in there? My mother turned out to be very mysterious person even though I always thought of her as open and friendly. My father never even knew that she and her sister lost their mother as young children and were raised in a children's home in North Carolina.

As far as my father's family, there were eight living children in an Oklahoma farm family. But I have heard that my great grandmother was a stiff English woman whom my grandmother did not like very much. I have a little glass dish that my Aunt Esther said came from my great grandfather's glass factory in England. She said they lost a child on the ship to America, but the little glass dish survived. I have seen only a few photos of my grandmother in her later years. Her short, dark hair needed washing and she wore heavy black glasses. In one picture she wore a pillbox hat. When I commented on the picture, my Aunt Esther related that my grandmother always said nobody noticed what you were wearing as long as you had a new hat.
(This post was copied from my other blog Simple Sunday Supper)

Dancing

Cory and Stephanie's dance at their wedding.

Jill and Cory share a dance at his and Stephanie's wedding in September of this year.

Jill and Jonah dancing while Jaime watches. Mia is onboard but not born yet.

Jill and Jonah at our wedding in 2006. They liked each other better back then, I think.

Shari and Roger dancing at our 2006 wedding. The song was "At Last" which some of my friends found funny because of our long courtship.

Wedding Collage

*!*Wedding*!*

I liked this picture of me and Roger the best.

Grandma and Jill

Minister and Cory

Tracy Hempstead, our hostess and Stephanie's stepmother.

The cake had a big silver "C" on it for Collier

I love this picture of Roger

I tried to restrain myself and just post a few pictures to share the general feel of Cory's and Stephanie's wedding. I'm sure there will be hundreds pictures out on facebook before we are through. It was a wonderful wedding. Roger, Cory, Jill and I drove up together to Williamsburg, VA where Stephanie grew up. Steph and her wedding dress went on a plane. Her father and stepmother have a beautiful country home in the woods surrounded by the York river, a state park, a private hunting preserve and a military installation. Stephanie's dad, David, put Cory to work as soon as we got there, building the platform, hauling food, hanging lights, etc. Cory and David worked right up until the wedding was about to start. Tracy was inside making mountains of food and preparing all the decor, flowers, etc. Stephanie's friends and extended family were there including her mom, her sister and brother, her aunt and both her grandmas. Jill was everywhere -- getting her hair and nails done, dancing down the grassy hill tossing her flower petals, participating in the wedding ceremony (she got a wedding ring, too) and the sand ceremony that followed, running on the lawn with the other kids, dancing with her daddy and even catching the bouquet! Cory and Steph headed for Virginia beach for their honeymoon and we drove home the scenic route through the mountains. Now we are home. Tired but happy.