Wedding Recap

The girls during the ceremony

I gave them advice from 3rd graders :)

Grandma Snyder

Grandpa Keimig

Chairs the night of the rehearsal before the storm

Bridal Party at the Park

Mother and Daughter having a moment

Dad, Jon, and Mom over at Grandma's house

The Groomsmen with Grandma

Bridal party in front of the barn

Posing with Brian

Wait a second...I need to go grab some kleenex.... (leaves for 2 minutes then returns with a big box) :) I am still floating on Cloud 9 after this weekend. It is official, Jon and Tiffany are married! I tried to hold back the tears, but knew when I cried on the way to Tiffany's parents that it was going to be an emotional day. Let me warn you now, this post is going to be filled to the max with words and pictures! :)

Thursday- I finished the school year at 11:00 and was out the door at 11:05! I headed straight to Mom and Dad's and started helping with decorations. Everyone worked so hard all week long to make it extra special for Jon and Tiff. Mom, Aunt Kris, and I took Bob over to Grandma's and then headed to the nail salon for manicures and pedicures. We finally crashed about midnight or so...

Friday morning- The weather forecast wasn't great. 40-50% chance of rain for the day and even higher chances for Saturday. We said some prayers that it would hold out until Sunday, but no such luck... :( We finished decorating, making trail mix, finishing up last minute things, and then relaxed before we had to get ready for the rehearsal.

Friday evening- Everyone started arriving around 5:00 and shortly after the rain started pouring down. We had to rush to the garage to avoid getting soaked. Dad and Jon weren't that lucky, because their dress clothes were drenched! Oh well, the show must go on. After the rain passed, the guys went out to set the chairs back up and we lined up for the rehearsal. The skies weren't looking too hot, so we hurried through. :)

Mom, Dad, Brian and I all rode over to the dinner togther. Mom read through her prayer and started choking up. It was precious. So then I asked Dad if he wanted to practice his speech and he said he wasn't planning on crying...hahahaha....he is a true Keimig after all... so fast forward twenty minutes...Mom said the prayer and didn't cry. Dad was next, and the tears flowed. It was so sweet. I gave a little "advice" talk that my third graders had put together. Everyone laughed and the things I was saying. :)

Saturday morning- 1:30- I woke up because I couldn't sleep and I was very thirsty. Dad was up cleaning or something. I let him go, little did I know that he only slept three hours that night and never went to his room. :( I think he probably slept a total of 13 hours in three days time...

I was up for good by 6:00 as I watched the rain. I was so sad. It rained most of the morning, so the guys started moving all the chairs inside the tent. All I could do was pray that the rain would stop, at least for the ceremony so it could be outside. I headed over to Tiffany's parents after Jeanie did my hair and makeup (it was gorgeous) and guess what!!! The rain decided to stop for the time being.

Saturday afternoon-We hung out for a little bit, got our dresses on, and then the limo came to pick us up. We met Jon and Tiffany at one of the local parks and had pictures taken. It sprinkled a little, but for the most part the sun was shining. The limo drove us over to Mom and Dad's and we had outdoor pictures. It was hot and muggy and I was a little stressed because people were in the house that weren't supposed to be. I had a few moments of tears because I wanted everything to be perfect for Jon and Tiffany's big day. I got over it (especially after Jon told me to) and the ceremony went on...

Saturday evening- The chairs were moved BACK outside and set up for the ceremony. It was looking a little hazy, but the rain held out until after the ceremony. It was absolutely amazing and one of the best moments of my life. I cried and cried! Of course they were happy tears. Tiffany had mentioned a little surprise she was planning for Jon. He loves the song Amazing Grace and bagpipes as well....so Tiffany got ahold of Tim Tibbetts from Monmouth College (Go Scots!). We hid him in Mom and Dad's room and no one knew about it except me, Mom, Dad, Tiffany's Mom, and Brian. Tiffany asked Brian to be the point man to let Tim know when to play. Jon instantly started crying, and I mean real tears! It was so precious and of course I cried. Shoot I'm tearing up just thinking about it. The tears were streaming down his face. Several of us girls were sobbing. So sweet. Mom mentioned later that it was a special tribute to my late Grandma Snyder. He and Jon were very close. He passed away when I was in Second Grade and Jon was in Fourth. The song Amazing Grace was played at his funeral and everytime Jon hear's it he thinks about Grandpa. Special memory.

The rain started again right after the ceremony. Jon and Tiff were greeting people and so they ran into the house and we all headed out to be announced. It continued to rain/storm throughout the night. The power held for the most part though. I guess tornado like clouds were in the local area...which scared a few of the bridesmaids. We had a blast though.

Sunday morning- We had a brunch with several family and friends. Everyone stayed and helped tear down the decorations. Jon and Tiffany opened up gifts and then we surprised Mom and Dad for their 30th Anniversary. We had a special cake made with a picture from their wedding. Tiffany had a frame made for them, and we gave them a gift card to use when they went out for dinner. They were surprised. :) Secret #2 I was able to keep! I am impressed.

Sunday evening- My relatives from Florida came over and are staying with Mom and Dad until Wednesday. Peg and Cindy are Mom's first cousins and their Momma, Aunt Doris, are a lot of fun! I love their southern accents! I'm catching myself talking with an accent! :)

Vacation update: We are no longer going to Navarre Beach because of the oil spill....plans are in the process right now...hmmm....I think we might try to go to the Atlantic Ocean somewhere...maybe South Carolina.

I am heading down to Brian's area on Saturday and spending some time with his family and my friends for the week. We leave a week from this Friday (I think).