Wedding Recap, Part 4: Pictures In The Park and the Reception

Daddy, Meagan, Michael, Becca, Courtney, Thomas, Lindsay, Josh, me and Jamie

everyone happy :)

I love this picture!

Thomas and Becca (love this one, too!)

going off on their own adventure! :)

All the pictures above are the amazing work of Carson, Lindsay's husband. He was continually snapping all weekend, and got some really amazing shots. You can check out some more of Carson's and Lindsay's pictures on their blog: Down by the Bays.

When the pictures with the bridal party were done, we headed to the reception, while Thomas and Becca stayed behind to take a few more pictures. 

Lindsay made this! :) Impressive, right?

When we got there, it looked somewhat like this:

lots of wonderful wedding guests!

I floated from table to table, seeing some people who I hadn't seen in a while, meeting people I had never met, and seeing some friends who had been at college or moved away! (It was really awesome, because I got to see one of my absolute best friends at the reception who had recently graduated and gone to the Citadel!)

We waited patiently for the bride and groom, and then they were finally there and announced amid great cheering. Literally, they got a standing ovation! =) 

Then it was time for their first dance. Classic is the only word to describe it. =) They danced to a Bob Dylan song (which I can no longer remember the title of!) and acted like little kids and were totally cute. =)

After the absolutely adorable first dance, everyone got started eating! I was starving, but waited to get in line (dumb move) and talked instead. When I finally did get in line, it was at the very end, and I was behind two of Thomas' roommates, so that was highly entertaining! =)

Michael and Josh (wonder what Thomas said to make them laugh?)

Becca and Thomas :)

Becca, Thomas, Michael, Josh and Jamie

Finally I got food and sat down and ate (as Lindsay put it about herself not me) like a barbarian. I was so hungry, much hungrier than I thought I was.The food was delicious. =) Or maybe it was just good because I was so hungry. =) 

those oranges were good!

I think this was the point where Daddy was accusing me of flirting with someone (hence the exasperation on my face! ;)

Becca cutting cake! :)

not exactly sure what that face means???

awwwww! :) (and she is so short!!)

the cake topper was made of sticks found in Becca's backyard!

Thomas and Becca talking to friends

some of Thomas' roommates/friends

The cake was extremely good, and I ate a piece. Or two. =) Actually only one. But I did eat some more the next day. 

Now, Fred (Thomas' roommate and friend) and I were talking and we decided that this reception was definitely going to turn into a dance party. Yep, we called it! People started dancing and really having a good time. Thomas and Becca didn't dance, but basically everyone else did. And let me tell ya, folks, it was awesome! I have no pictures of this, because I was dancing till my feet hurt. And then I danced some more!

Thomas and Becca both changed, and then it was time to say goodbye. I gave my big brother a huge hug, and told him I loved him and then hugged Becca for a long time. 

happiness

Mom and Becca...or...Mrs. Mole and Mrs. Mole :)

Then we all lined the doorway, birdseed in hand, ready to pelt and wish happiness to the newlyweds. =) Mom told me to forget any grudges, and I told Ricky, Thomas' roommate the same thing. But it didn't matter, because we all threw pretty hard anyway. =) Poor Thomas and Becca.

leaving for the honeymoon!!!

she was obviously happy amid the showers of birdseed

notice that Becca's pointing her fingers at Dad? it's a thing they have going on, they point fingers at each other and call each other troublemaker! :)

beautiful wedding guests: Ale' Grace, Lindsay, and Chloe

And then they were gone, and they lived happily ever after. =)

Thomas walking by a train on their honeymoon :)

Wedding Recap, Part 2: The Rehearsal Dinner

I was quiet on the ride to the church. I managed some smiles and a couple of laughs and tried to feel as excited and happy as Becca looked, but inside I was experiencing butterflies. They were sure to turn into alligators before too long.

We arrived and talked to my parents for awhile. Then I saw Josh in the hallway. That was nice. He asked me how I was and I said, "Great!" He saw right through me (he's just like a big brother) and said, "Really?" in a very skeptical tone. =) But, I was determined to just be "cool" and said, "yeah, I'm fine." (Liar that I am!)

I really love this picture of Becca

Michael and Zeke

my 7 younger siblings!

We rehearsed and rehearsed again. I was told to walk slower, 'enjoy the moment', they kept telling me. I just wanted to sit down with Thomas and talk and not worry about weddings. But I kept a nice smile on my face. =) Thankfully people were constantly laughing and cracking jokes, so it wasn't too hard.

Becca and Thomas =)

Becca and her dad

After all the rehearsing was done, we headed to the fellowship hall to eat. Papa made frog-more stew or low-country boil or whatever you want to call it and it smelled really good. I took Zeke from whoever had him at the moment and just held him. He made me feel better. 

Starting at the head of the table: Jamie, me and Zeke, Mom, Thomas, Becca, Meagan and Josh. Jessie was on the other side of Josh, but you can't really see her! =)

Everyone!

After everyone had eaten and eaten and eaten, we got down to business. There was a slideshow that Thomas had masterfully created and it was amazing. It showed pictures of Thomas growing up, to "I Am Still Running" by Jon Foreman; then pictures of Becca growing up, to "The Past and Pending" by The Shins. Then there were pictures of them together, to "Part One" by Band of Horses. The slideshow was perfect. I loved it. 

After that, Michael stood up and said that Josh, me, Meagan and himself were going to give speeches and that after we were done, if anyone wanted to say anything about Thomas or Becca, they were welcome to. So Josh stood up and gave his amazing speech.

Josh

Becca's face during Josh's speech

His speech was really good and so nice. He and Thomas have been best friends for quite a while, and it made me happy that Thomas has such a good friend. =) 

Then...Josh was done and it was my turn. I was feeling nervous and when I get nervous, I usually do one of three things: say "um" a lot, use my hands excessively while talking, or cry. That night, I did all three. 

See the hand in action??

I started out by telling a story about the first time Becca ever came to our house. It was funny and got everyone laughing, which was kind of my point, and then I figured I had to get serious. So I did. Big mistake. 

I thanked Thomas and Becca for the great example they had set over their relationship. They really showed us what a relationship looks like when it's all played out. I said that when I get into a relationship I want my guy to love me as much as Thomas loves Becca. And I said that I wanted to respect and worship my guy just like Becca does Thomas. I thanked her for being that girl for him. 

I love this picture so much! =)

Then...I said that I felt like I should say some stuff to Thomas. I said that Josh may have said that Thomas was his best friend but that was not true, because Thomas is my best friend. 

I thanked Thomas for just a few things. For memories that we share. For the times we went squirrel hunting, for all the music he's given me...just for being my best friend. I cried, but it was okay. I really hate crying in front of people, but for that moment, I was talking to Thomas and it didn't matter what other people were thinking. 

I finally finished and then this happened. Possibly my favorite picture from the whole weekend:

me and my best friend =)

After giving Becca a hug, I sat down. Josh said I did a good job, and in the middle of wiping away the tears, I think I said thanks. Oh well. Meagan was up next!

Sweet Meagan

She cried too, which made me feel somewhat better about myself. Her speech was really sweet, and she said some really amazing things about Becca, all of which were true. I loved her speech and it made me cry!

After Meagan finished, Michael stood up. Now, Michael had just gotten back from Alabama, literally seconds before the rehearsal started, and had to have had at least 6 Mountain Dews that day. Basically bouncing off the walls. =) 

He said his goal had been to make Becca laugh and Thomas cry, since everyone else had done the opposite, but since he was so sleepy, he changed his mind. Instead he made us laugh. =)

3 of Thomas' former roommates: Grant in the green, Fred in the bright plaid, and Ricky in the Bob Dylan shirt =)

Michael

His speech was really good. He talked to both Thomas and Becca, and gave them both really good advice. I can't remember exactly what he said...but it was meaningful. =) He is a really good speaker and I love hearing him talk. 

After his speech he played a song that Thomas wrote and recorded. I was so glad he did, and yet, it made me cry. But everything was making me cry...so that isn't surprising. Everyone applauded Thomas' song, and then Michael said that he was done and that if anyone else wanted to speak, they were welcome to.Papa stood up and talked, and then Grant, who is in a picture up above. They both said nice things, and it was good. 

After that Grant closed up in prayer, and things got picked up and the groom was taken away with his friends to go bowling and do whatever guys do on the night before a wedding. =) I know they prayed for him before they let him go to bed.

We dropped Becca and Meagan off at Becca's house, and then headed home. 

When we got home, everyone pretty much went straight to bed. I wasn't sleepy though. So I sat up and read some and wrote in my journal. I picked up my cell phone at one point and it said: 12:36, September 15th. I momentarily freaked out. IT WAS THE WEDDING DAY!!!!!

more tomorrow...

Wedding Recap, Part 1: Thursday (ironing, Heather and Zeke) and Friday (day with the girls)

It's time to start our little wedding recap! Excited?? Okay, well let's get started!

Uncle Sam and Baby Zeke :)

Thursday, September 13th, was Sam's 11th birthday. Heather and Zeke came over and hung out with us for most of the day. Sweet mama and baby were so fun to be with as always.

Michael was in Alabama at a church conference, so I was planning to spend the night with Heather that night and then hang out with Becca and the other bridesmaids on Friday. 

But...on Thursday I had some stuff I had to do. So here's what Thursday looked like in pictures:

packing my bags

ironing. had to iron all the guy's shirts and ties

brownies. need I say anything else?

Sam's birthday cake :)

After we ate birthday cake and everyone was happy, Heather and I headed back to the apartment. Poor Zeke was not too happy about being in the car, and may or may not have cried the whole way home. But once we got to the apartment he was happy as a lark. Heather fed him and he got to "talk" to his daddy on the phone, and then went to sleep. 

Heather and I stayed up late talking, and laughing and just enjoying each other's company. It was so nice to be able to hangout with her for a while. Definitely doing that again soon!

Friday morning came! Hung out with this cute guy!

seriously? is he not adorable?? :)

After coffee and breakfast, Heather took me into Savannah and dropped me off at Becca's house. Thomas was there, along with Meagan (Becca's former roommate) and Lindsay (Becca's sister). Oh yeah, and Becca. =) They were all lounging, laughing at Thomas' jokes, and showering. In that order. After everyone had lounged, laughed and showered, Becca began preparing to ice her wedding cake. Thomas left to do his own thing and we moved to the dining room, where this happened:

yummy cake

the icing was amazingly good

Becca and Meagan ran to CVS really quickly, and Lindsay and I sat around and chatted.  After they got back, and everyone was ready, we headed to eat lunch. We went to the Green Truck Pub, and boy, was it ever delicious!! 

Lindsay, Meag and Becca walking towards Green Truck

Becca's dad, her brother, Scott, and Carson, Lindsay's husband were in Savannah doing some wedding deliveries, so they stopped by while we were enduring our 45 minute wait and talked to us for a while. Carson took this picture of us girls.

Becca, Lindsay, Meagan and me

After what seemed like an everlasting wait, we went inside and ordered. The food...yeah...it was amazing!! =) Their french fries were delicious. I'll definitely be visiting there again soon! 

We ate until we were stuffed, and then ate some more (cough, cough, Meagan and Jen). Then we loaded into the car and headed to paint pottery! It was so much fun! 

We walked in and stood around indecisively trying to pick out our pieces. Then we stood around some more. Finally, I picked a leaf dish, Becca picked a plate, Meag picked a little vase and Lindsay picked a cool (and practical) spoon rest! =) Then we picked out our colours. This is what I started out with:

Painting pottery was a good way to spend time together, because we didn't really feel pressured to talk, but when we did it wasn't awkward because we were working at the same time. It was fun and I enjoyed it a lot. Becca was a little out of it though; at one point, Lindsay and Meagan were discussing the time and Becca said, "oh yeah, we have some wedding thing to go to tonight, don't we?" Um, yeah, Becca, as in your rehearsal dinner!! =)

The girls hard at work

Becca and Meagan

Once all our pieces were finished,  we headed to the church to "help set  up tables" and get the fellowship hall ready for the rehearsal dinner. When we got there, Thomas was laying on the couch in the fellowship hall and everything was already set up and ready. He and Becca sat on the couch and talked while I took their picture. 

Since there wasn't much we could do there, we went back to Becca's house to prepare for the rehearsal dinner. 

That's when I started getting nervous, excited and a little sad. All day I had managed to not think about it, but then it all of a sudden hit me, "oh my gosh, we are getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. Thomas is getting married!!!" Yeah. But I got myself all ready and around 6ish, we headed back to the church. But you'll hear all about that tomorrow.