The Joy of a Blessed Union

We are home at last from the wedding trip, and what a wonderful trip it was! I can still hardly believe all those wonderful moments actually happened.

Isn't her dress gorgeous? I love how it drapes over the steps. And her veil and hair were perfectly done.
These were the bridesmaids' flowers.

This was Kara's mother's wedding dress, so it had a very special part to play in the wedding. It was amended for Kara's wedding -- the poofy sleeves that were so popular back in the '80s were altered. Kara used the beads from those sleeves to make a beautiful necklace for her mother to wear that day -- so she was kind of wearing her dress again, which was just such a precious thing for Kara to do!

I captured a quick shot of her parents outside.

It was a bit windy, but some photos were taken out in the beautiful sunshine with the bridesmaids.

Anna was happy and giggly all day. I thought the dress looked so good on her.

And the groomsmen looked so handsome -- here are two of them with Philip.

Philip and Kara put special thought into their cake. The decorative patterns on the bottom two tiers imitate the designs on the Chattanooga River walking bridge where Philip first asked Kara to be his girlfriend, and then later to be his wife -- a very special location to them. And the topper is the bridge itself, with the couple on it.

Kara's family -- all smiles!

We had quite a bit of family at the wedding too, in spite of the distance. Cousins from West Virginia, cousins from Iowa (lots of 'em!), grandparents from Nebraska and West Virginia. It was wonderful!

Kara's cousins made homemade mints that were quite delicious.

The flowers were so beautiful. This was Adam's boutonniere.

The bride and groom did have a chance to nibble on some cake before the best man and maid of honor gave their little speeches.

Old college pals got one last friendly hug. It was so nice of these fellows to come so far!

The daddies enjoyed getting to know each other. Kara has such a nice family -- kind, friendly, helpful. We loved getting to know them.

My mother got to hold her great-grandsons for the first time. This little fella is only two months old, and he was such a dear.

Kara's flowers:

This was adorable. I have a similar photo from our wedding, and Kara wanted this one because her parents had the same :)

Groomsmen had fun with Philip's little car.

They bubble-wrapped the seats and stuff ...

... and put a random boy-band poster on the hood!

With a wave and a kiss, they were gone!

My niece Kyrie took this picture, and it may well be the best photo ever of us. Adam's expression shows his sheer joy in the entire day. I've never seen him so happy. Weddings thrill him, but this particular wedding was sheer, unsurpassed happiness. We have a new daughter! Kara's family has a new son! Our families are well-suited in various ways, but primarily because we have the same view of life: we are God's children, loved by him, called by him, drawn by him to eternity.

And so we send off our two children together into a unified life as they seek the same joys we have found in a marriage wrapped round and round with the gentle, tight bonds of God's love and claim on our lives.
Julia enjoyed her cousin time. I think she didn't want it to end.

Anna held the baby. When will we see him again? We have another family wedding coming up in a year. Maybe we'll all be together then too? Oh, I hope so!

Philip walked me down the aisle before he took his place in front to wait for his bride to come down the aisle. As we waited for our moment to process, I whispered to him that I felt I was stepping into a new stage of my life. He said he was too. It felt right, these changes, each generation there shifting one place over. When your child marries, you join a quiet club of parents who've aged out in some way.

Philip cried when he saw Kara come down the aisle. I don't know that he expected to; he's not usually a cryer. And I cried, and Adam cried, and my mother cried, and Anna of course, and even Peter cried a bit. We were all overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment, of what was happening. In some unspoken way, it was the final goal of all our married life, to propel our son into the same union. Now we have succeeded. Now his turn has come to try. Now we rest, just a bit, from our labors and pray for their years ahead.