At a shower I attended for the bride about a month ago, I heard her mother, Lynn, tell someone that to plan a wedding of that magnitude, it really took a year. In this case, I’m sure a year’s worth of planning was mandatory. Everything was perfect from pre-wedding stationary to the gifts bag that awaited each guest from out of town as we checked in to the hotel. It took an awful lot of planning and leg work to carry out such a successful event.
The celebrations had begun months ago at the time of the actual engagement. There have been parties, showers, teas, bridal fittings, tux rentals and on and on ever since. Many week-ends for the happy couple were filled with wedding preparations.
The actual wedding weekend was a three-day event. The rehearsal and dinner were on Friday evening. The restaurant was closed to the public as the wedding party and family members filled the place. The chef had prepared an amazing meal and the service was excellent. The detail that had gone into setting the atmosphere and decorating for the occasion were amazing.
The next day, the wedding was at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Evansville. The historic building, which has stood in that spot since the mid 1800s with its beautiful stained glass and gorgeous hardwoods, set the perfect atmosphere for a religious ceremony that was full of rich traditions and yet was very personalized to fit the desires of the bride and groom.
When the doors opened for the entrance of the bride on her father’s arm, one look at my son’s face told me all I needed to know. There is just no way to fake the kind of love that was glowing in his eyes. The tenderness that passed between them during the ceremony and in the exchange of wedding vows, rings and kiss was a testimony to the hope that true love does exist and that some people are blessed enough to find it in this lifetime.
After the wedding and photos, a limousine whisked them away to do more private photos around town. The rest of us made our way to the Cambridge Golf Club for the reception. Again, it was one of the most elegantly and tastefully done events I can remember.
Our small party of relatives and friends from Harlan County was dwarfed in the midst of Emily’s family and their friends, but we had a lovely time. The chef had done an amazing job with the buffet. Flower arrangements and table settings were worthy of any bridal magazine. Most importantly, the good wishes of all present and the atmosphere of sincere congratulations and happiness abounded.
There seemed to be no glitches from beginning to end of this special day weekend. Lynn and Rich Scheessele had held nothing back in making this memorable day perfect for their daughter and my son. If wedding memories have the power to bind two people together in a greater way, these two will surely be bound until death shall part them.
The morning after the wedding, Emily’s family hosted a brunch to greet the newlyweds and send them on their way to the honeymoon.
It was a casual, friendly gathering with a sigh of relief that two people who belonged together were well on their way.
In the eyes of God, all of our respective families and friends, the journey for this couple has begun. Of course, there will be tough times somewhere along the way, but I believe we are all confident that they will face what comes together, weather whatever storms or disappointments life brings, and celebrate their growing love and blessings through many, many years.
The celebrating still isn’t over. We have wedding photos to enjoy, honeymoon stories to hear and a reception to greet the newlyweds here in Harlan on Dec. 13 for all of the friends and family who were not able to make the long trip to Evansville, and for anyone who wants to stop by and say hello. I invite anyone who might want to be part of this happy, hopeful union to stop in and meet the couple.
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