Have A Little Faith in We

As you all know weddings have sorta been our hobby of late! Between lucky in love family and friends, our wedding dance card has been FULL – and with a cousin’s wedding in November and my sister just getting engaged this past weekend, no signs of slowing down for our wedding guest attire!

The truth is Danny and I really enjoy weddings – and so this spring and summer has been a lot of fun. As I get older and watch my own years of wedded bliss pass along, I can appreciate even more the special journey this gentleman and his lady are embarking on! There is so much they will experience that can’t dare to be explained ahead of time and there will also be experiences they face that I could never begin to understand, making their life’s journey unique. Here they stand on this once in a lifetime day, with their most cherished family and friends to witness their vows. It really is such an honor to be invited in to this most precious moment, created for two – but shared by many. And, as a wise friend pointed out to me this year – when we all sit in the rows and hear the couple dedicate their love, you are joining in their story to pray for them, support them, and love them on this incredible journey.

In addition to the true reason for the day and the ceremonious moments, it is also really fun to see how a couple chooses to present their love in the form of a celebration. Danny and I are rather traditional people, with a deep respect for the faith and the families that we came from, so a wedding that was classic: Catholic mass and a reception hosted by my parents made sense. It was rather different than our other friends – who planned their own – but in funny way it has very much foreshadowed our life to come: with a lot of family support surrounding. Other couples choose to be more trendy, or perhaps more culturally focused. Some make it very personal and some are happy to follow a more cookie cutter approach of what works based on their season or budget. The first day of the rest of your lives can look and feel a variety of ways and I have really come to enjoy seeing what creative liberties are taken, and what that may be telling us about their future.

The three weddings we have had the honor to attend this year were all very different. Today I am sharing the experience we had while dancing the night away at each event, and a few pictures that we now have as mementoes.

Our first wedding of the year was Randi and Trevor! Randi is one of my closest friends from college and was a roommate. Since Dan and I started dating while I was in college (even though, yes we met in high school)- we have all known each other for quite a few years. Then Randi brought Trevor to the group and it was a perfect match. He is very laid back, an avid sports fan and one of those just kind hearted people. They are one of those couples that just make you smile – fun, great compliments to one another, and puppy parents to a very spirited doggy…. we were so excited for this special day and for the opportunity to join them!

Sadly I don’t have as many pictures as I would like…. I am going to blame it on the awesome dance floor shenanigans and lovely drink bar menu! But the thing that stuck out to me the most about this wedding – it was just so reflective of them as a couple! Randi’s brother married them and I can honestly say I have never laughed or cried so much during wedding vows! It was so very personal and such a special touch. Then throughout the day you saw little details about their life sprinkled throughout – with our favorite being the gift: Snacks, modeled after their dog, cookies!

Finally one of the really special things about this wedding was that it was at an old Silk Mill turned inn and we were able to stay on property. Not only did we enjoy ourselves with tasty cocktails, yummy eats, and a happening dance floor …. but it was a whole weekend away! This ended up being the timeframe when Danny really turned a corner. We found him feeling energetic, wanting to get out of the house and have some fun, and suddenly remembered that between all the health junk, we still have a lot of fun together. This weekend and wedding will always hold such a special place in our hearts… we got to see two special folks start their lives and we felt like we got to join back into ours!

Next up was our fist family wedding of the year – Aaron and Kelly’s. Kelly is my cousin who I grew up always playing house and dolls with so it is really special to be there the day she becomes someone’s wife!

This wedding was especially fun with the reception in a piano bar! Growing up our extended family – the Flaherty’s- had a dance floor in my grandparents’ basement, so we grew up with dance parties as a part of most family gatherings. And not just Christmas Carols or kiddo songs – no we rocked out to many a chicken dance and electric slide well into the evening. We are a dance floor loving gang and this wedding was perfect for our crowd!

Our last wedding of the season I was little more of the photographer and all but 1 Flaherty was present….lots to document…. so those pictures will be shared tomorrow…..stay tuned!

Thanks so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!
Jackie