Over the last two nights, I’ve sat down to write this post three different times, five different ways, and I continue to be overwhelmed. We were so busy and took so many pictures this past weekend that I just cannot crunch it down into one manageable, flowing post. So I’m not going to try. Instead, I am going to put up a few of my favorites and see if I can narrate my way through them. Settle on in… it’s gonna be a long one.
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This is me, Maggie and Jennifer about to leave for the bridesmaid luncheon. We grew up in three separate parts of the country (Alabama, Texas and Georgia respectively) and were brought together by our husbands, who all grew up together. Although they are our common thread, I love these girls as though we have been friends all our lives.
And these are the girls who know Maggie best, including her two sisters, Holland and Molly.
After the luncheon, Jennifer and I tagged along as Maggie picked up her wedding dress. Jennifer had the pleasure of holding the gigantic pink bag in her lap for the ride to the hotel. She is such a hoot and has the funniest expressions. I always get the best pictures of her!
The rehearsal dinner was at a great little restaurant in downtown Dallas. Hel-lo fried shrimp and cheesecake — not at the same time of course! Below is the lucky groom Luke (middle) with four of his eight groomsmen. These boys go way back…
I’m not really keen up on flying, but I’ll take an hour-45 flight over the 10-hour drive any day. Jeremy and Paige drove out for the wedding, stopping along the way to visit family in Mississippi. They were with us on our trip to Mexico last year when Luke and Maggie got engaged. They are expecting their first baby in June, and Paige is sporting the cutest little baby bump.
I love this picture of Maggie. She is talking to my mother-in-law during the rehearsal dinner. Maggie is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I think this picture captures her genuine interest in those around her.
The ceremony was held at Perkins Chapel at SMU. I likened it to Reid Chapel here in Birmingham for those of you who are familiar with Samford University’s popular wedding chapel. The inside was recently remodeled, and it was the perfect location for Luke and Maggie’s ceremony. I wish so much that I had taken my camera with me the next day while we took bridal party portraits because the light around the chapel was absolutely beautiful. (My lack of camera is also the reason I don’t have any shots to share of the happy couple on their wedding day. Sad.) This night shot is pretty cool though and so will have to do. Thanks to Ryan and Jennifer for being such willing subjects.
Ooooh… the wedding day. So much fun. We met in Maggie’s suite early in the morning for hair and makeup. We spent most of our day in and out of the stylists’ chairs and lounging around. Maggie has two beautiful younger sisters who were so attentive and helpful. Having grown up with a brother, I think I took special notice of their relationship.
They had these super cute shirts made to wear while we got ready. I know my brother loves me, but I don’t think I could have talked him into wearing a “brother of the bride” t-shirt the day I got married. Just a hunch.
We snuck down into the reception hall to see the set up. You could smell the flowers before you even walked into the room. The arrangements were absolutely beautiful. They had every kind of flower that you can imagine. Including some beautiful tulips and lilies. Our bridesmaid bouquets looked very similar, only much smaller of course.
This is Eleanor. She is the daughter of Maggie’s matron of honor, Meredith. She was one of the precious little flower girls in the wedding. She spent the day with us in the suite. Maggie told me ahead of time that she was very shy, but I thought she warmed up quickly.
She had on these rockin’ cowboy boots.
The multi-tasking bride!
I love the expression on her face.
Now skip ahead several hours… I asked my mother-in-law to watch over my camera while we went to the chapel for the ceremony. I wished later that I had taken it with me, but what do you do? After the ceremony, we came back to the hotel for the reception. Paige and I dragged our husbands outside for a couple of quick shots. I won’t go into the painful details here, but Allen and I have almost no pictures together. At least none that we like. That’s one bad side effect to being on my side of the camera. Thanks to Paige for this nice shot of me and the hubby all gussied up.
Since my few photos of Luke and Maggie are in the previous post, I’ll end this one with a sweet shot of the other man in her life — her dad. Maggie’s dad is from The Netherlands, but has lived in the United States for many, many years. That really has nothing to do with this picture, but I think it is interesting. He and Maggie’s mom were such gracious hosts. They really went above and beyond to make sure the wedding was perfect. And it was.
by Amanda
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