Happy Anniversary Paul & Laurie
First off, the picture above melts me into a puddle every single time I see it. How special to get a good picture like this!
On October 8, 2016, Benny got a new brother. It was the day our daughter, Laurie, married a fine young man named Paul, and together they rode off into the sunset. It was a day that passed so quickly that I barely remember it! Thankfully we have pictures.
Paul & Laurie
All my beautiful daughters
Aren’t they gorgeous? Because of Benny, my girls all grew up at a young age. Caring for Benny has taught them a life of serving and giving. In return, they are blessed with the unconditional love of a little boy that has them all wrapped around his fingers.
The bridesmaid’s dresses were all purchased at Neesees Dresses. Neesees specializes in modest dresses and church clothing. We couldn’t have been more pleased with these dresses! The stretchy tops made a perfect fit for all the bridesmaids and the lined chiffon skirt flowed and looked absolutely elegant.
The Dress
Made by yours truly. I purchased all my fabric at JoAnn Fabrics. The belt was purchased on Etsy. Laurie found a picture of a dress she loved and we went from there, tweaking this and that to make it ours. I worked on the pattern and the dress over the course of about a month in my spare time. Just kidding, I don’t even know what spare time is! Let’s just say I worked on it between all the tasks a mother already does! I enjoyed it so much, and I was highly honored to do this for Laurie.
The Flowers
We decided in terrified anticipation to order the flowers from Sam’s Club. We absolutely loved it to have these all delivered to our door and they couldn’t have been prettier! We did all the flowers for the tables and any other vases we had setting around. The bridal bouquet and the bridesmaid’s bouquets were also made by Laurie and her bridesmaids from this shipment, all for under $1000.00. We purchased all the vases at garage sales for a few bucks each and sometimes less than that. At the end of the day, we sent all the bouquets and vases home with whoever we could force them on!
We used the following:
- 270 stems white hydrangeas
- 200 stems burgundy carnations
- 180 stems natural green spider mums
- 20 bunches gypsophila and leather leaf combos
That’s it! All for under a grand. We made 20 bouquets for the table centerpieces. We had 40 tables, and only put full-size vases on every other one and did a variety of other unique decors for the other half. See pics further down. We made many other bouquets, I’m guessing 8-10, just for setting around here and there and everywhere! And we still had flowers left, so on the morning of the wedding, I tracked down my two very talented nieces who happen to run a greenhouse. I showed them the two leftover 5-gallon buckets of hydrangeas, and a handful of the other flowers left, gave them two huge containers and said do something with these containers and the flowers. Whew! They were like cheerful elves of Santa, creating a stunning display of hydrangeas!
A few decor pics
FYI, my husband went out into the woods on the day before the wedding and scraped moss off of rocks until he had two large boxes filled to the top! It was free and it was stunning! Maynard also went out and grabbed different sized logs out of the forest, sawed them into all manner of thicknesses, and we used them all across the reception wherever they looked good. Our other centerpieces were all bought at garage sales or off of the 90% clearance racks at Hobby Lobby or TJ Max. We had a blast finding the deals! Some garage sales we almost wiped out whole tables because it was all so perfect for what we needed.
The Backdrops
Paul and Maynard designed and made the lighted backdrops. They were breathtaking! We found the string lights and the sheer curtains on Amazon. The greenery we got at Hobby Lobby when all their florals go on sale for 50% off. This happens once a month.
The Arches
The arches were made by Maynard. He went out into the woods about three months before the wedding and got branches, mostly dead ones. Then he bent them into shape with zip ties. Once we got to the day before the wedding, we took them to the church, stuck them into flower pots filled with sand, and added fairy lights we found on Amazon. Every wedding guest walked under these to get into the ceremony. The picture does not do them justice for the magical effect they had on the day.
The Sunset
This is the amazing sunset Paul & Laurie rode off into! How beautiful and thoughtful of God to add this majestic touch to a beautiful day!
A Wife is a Good Thing!
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22.