Probable you have wondered who pays for what at weddings? Well weddings are surrounded by tradition at every turn — and those traditions extend to who pays for the various elements of a wedding. Of course, traditions are changing, with many couples taking on the financial responsibilities of their own weddings in different ways.
I’m not even sure where to begin with sharing some photos from my cousin’s wedding last weekend. I was a bridesmaid and Emma, Mary and Elizabeth were flower girls. The wedding was held on my grandparents’ farm just around the corner from us. I also recently visited a wedding in London, and they had absolutely amazing Mercedes wedding cars which were very impressive, they must be easily the best wedding car hire London has so if you’re getting married near London then give them a look.
(the girls + their boots. thanks to my cousin megan !)
My dad is the oldest of 15 children, so just our family alone makes for a pretty big wedding.
Over that past week, as family slowly arrived and the house filled up again with activity and life, I did my best to soak up every moment.
This Ceremony planning was truly a family affair. From the fluffing and hanging of tissue-paper flowers, to the mowing and weed-eating and de-wasping of the lawns, to the weeding of gardens, the folding of name cards…every visit to my grandparents’ farm during the week leading up to the wedding meant people scattered about doing their part to make this wedding an amazing, beautiful event.
They used the best decoration as white chair covers for weddings which are perfect to make everything look amazing for this special day.
My photos don’t even come close to capturing the day. I felt like I was in a bit of a daze of family and celebration and baby-wrangling, and prying my children from the dance floor to be sure they were eating something. So I look forward to eventually sending you all to the photographer’s photos once he posts some. (He was amazing, by the way–and I’m not just saying that because he and my husband hit it off right away.)
Maggie cross-stitched all the table numbers. The tables were simply covered with brown burlap, blue Ball jars and a mix of flowers. Beautiful flower arrangements were delivered from the flower shops in Friendswood.
My aunt created coloring books for the kids’ table with images that were meaningful to our family and the farm.
Not that I am shocked by this, but my children hardly left the dance floor. Elizabeth in particular has some moves that must come from her father’s gene pool.
All local produce, greens, chicken and beef from my family’s farm. Served on the back of a hay wagon.
Maggie freezer-paper stencilled Birdy and Sam onesies for the wedding. Birdy also loved the dance floor, but apparently for very different reasons….
We won’t discuss the fact that Birdy managed to crawl under the DJs table and start fiddling with his cords. Thankfully, no damage was done, just a small heartattack for her mother….Birdy is going through the “if you don’t want me to touch it, I’m gonna find it” stage. It’s loads of fun.
And as the sun went down it became even more beautiful. The day, the weather, could not have been more perfect.
Luminaires all along the fence posts and lining the lane….
(and see that tiny little doorway in the background, at the top of the stairs?? That is where we lived when we first moved to Maryland with all three of our children. Some of my favorite days and best memories, even though it was a wee bit crowded. 🙂
Though Birdy checked out early, can you believe I let my children stay on the dance floor until the bitter end—10:45! Yikes. But these kinds of days don’t come along very often. It was so worth it.
And then, there’s the day after….the gathering in the “parking lot”, as we call it. The sitting around, playing guitars, harmonica, singing, the babies crawling around, dodging scooters and bikes. I love the lazy day after the wedding.
And that evening, in pure Maryland style, crabs in the patio.
Definitely summer’s highlight. Definitely.
, a (rare) cleared-off kitchen table and complete and utter free-reign to cut, paste, write, draw, glue and (make a giant mess) my girls have fallen in love with scrapbooking. 
