I knew I loved Tiffany right away when she was not afraid to hug me when we met. I’m a hugger, so for me, that was a great sign! But what I didn’t know at the time was how much I would fall in love with both her and Cody’s whole families. Ed and I are big on family (four kids. duh.), so when we saw how close these two are with their families, that sealed the deal. By the end of the day, we considered ourselves honorary family members, and you can never have too much family!
Kanesha and Bates really do live a fairy tale life. They are deeply in love, they are both insanely musically talented, and they have the cutest little boy ever. They were officially married some time ago, in a small private ceremony, with Bates’ dad as the officiant. They are content and spend their days chasing their dreams, and their son. The only thing that was missing was the fairy-tale wedding that Kanesha had been dreaming about since she was a little girl.
We love Mary and Stuart so much – mostly because they are so much like us! They prefer laughs and goofiness over serious, they are not afraid of color, and their love story starts with cocktail hour (and lots of rum)! They live in Florida now, and we are quite jealous. It is our lifelong goal to one day be closer to the water. But mostly, we miss the heck out of them. We know they are headed for wonderful things, but it’s hard not seeing their smiling faces on a regular basis. That’s one of the reasons we are so thrilled to see their wedding featured on Westchester Wedding Planner!
Danielle and Will planned their wedding so that they could be married only a few short weeks after suffering through the Bar Exam. We all joked that if they could endure that test of will together, then marriage would be a breeze! In all seriousness, though, these two have nothing to worry about. Their hearts are already so giving, and their arms already so open, that taking this next step is just the natural course of their adventure together.
I know I don’t need to say (again!) how much we love elopements! Remember this amazingly fun yellow and grew courthouse wedding? Michelle and Terrence are a great couple, and we had such a good time with them! Their courthouse ceremony was short, but oh so sweet! They were such great sports wandering around downtown Memphis with us afterward for their portraits. We got to know them better, shared quite a few laughs, and grabbed some awesome photos!
He bounced on the balls of his feet while he waited to see her. His eyes sparkled with excitement and, already knowing the answer, I asked if he was ready for his wedding day. “SO ready!” he replied with a huge grin. We could feel the anticipation pouring off him in waves. He didn’t have any of the usual groom nerves, and cold feet were certainly not in the equation. This man was simply ready to be married to the love of his life! George loves Taylor with a fierceness we rarely see. It was obvious to everyone who shared the day with them that Taylor makes George insanely happy, and she would do anything to make him happy.
I read something once that has managed to stick with me for a long time. Wedding rings are beautiful things – they are shiny and sparkle when new. Diamonds catch the light and play it across nearby surfaces. They are, I think it’s safe to say, the most coveted piece of jewelry there is. But an old, worn wedding ring is even more beautiful. Each scratch represents the time you’ve spent with your soulmate. Each ding tells a story. The more flaws the ring has, the more beautiful it is. Because it stands for something bigger than us. Kanesha and Bates know from experience just how true that is. They may be having a wedding coming up soon, but they already wear their rings, because they’re already married.
I’m going to be straight-up honest in today’s post. This beautiful little civil service is one of our very favorite weddings ever, but it didn’t start out that way. It was the hottest day of the year so far, over 100 degrees! The bride’s hair was nearly ruined the day before. The groom really wanted a ceremony in the courthouse, but no judges were available. Instead, we would be at a law office, with no idea what the location or light would be like. My heart sank. I was beginning to wonder if we should reschedule. Things just weren’t going our way. Then we arrived at the location.
Instead of flowers, he brought her a gold star. Everyone does flowers. Cody wanted to impress Tiffany, and give her something that would last and that she would remember. And, okay, maybe he was trying to get a laugh out of her too. Cody is a funny guy, laid-back and lighthearted, and girls love a guy who can make them laugh. It worked, as Tiffany has been charmed by him since the beginning!
Emily had been waiting for this summer break for a long time. She’s a high school teacher (she taught our daughter, Helen!), and every year, she gets even more excited about the end of the school year than the kids! But this year, she packed her last bag a little more quickly than usual, and hurried out the door with a bit more hustle than the year before. This year, she had even more to look forward to. As soon as school was out, she was marrying her best friend! When she returns to school in the Fall, she will be a Mrs. instead of a Miss. Nothing could dampen her end-of-year spirits! Not even a little rain.