Bryant and my mom decided they wanted to have a small wedding. But they had a LOT of friends who they wanted to celebrate with, and plenty of people who have been supportive and rooting for them all along the way. At the same time, they wanted to keep things casual and not too elaborate. For this reason, they compromised on a small wedding and a big party afterwards. Invitations were sent out for two separate affairs: family received wedding invitations, and friends received engagement party invitations.
My mom planned the whole thing like a champ, but we were SO thankful to have all hands on deck that Friday and Saturday to help set everything up. Don’t let the fact that it was a small wedding fool you, there was plenty to do. A big shout out to the families that helped set everything up the day before and the day of (esp. the impromptu day-of wedding planners…The Dobish family, the Resch family, Aunt Cindy, etc). That Friday was a busy day. My sister, Maddy, picked up my husband and I from the airport and we arrived to the Crazy 8 Farm by about one o’clock to find everyone already outside, and things in full motion. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, siblings were there… it was quite the gathering. My first priority (after saying hello to everyone) was finding food… we had been up since 4AM with hardly anything in our bellies. It was a beautiful day in North Carolina—it was in the mid-80s and the sun was shining bright. After lunch there were all sorts of projects—loading borrowed decorations from the neighbor into the old pickup truck, using tractors as ladders to string up a chandelier into the big oak tree, securing old doors to posts in the ground, etc. We were outside all day. Bryant’s parents made dinner for all of us. We had some great southern barbeque ribs, beans, mac n cheese, potato salad—the works. As always, it was delicious and much appreciated. We worked, and talked, and hung out until well after the sun went down and then I had to go fight off an allergy attack INSIDE.
I was too exhausted to sleep that night. Or too allergic. Not sure which. By 8am I was fully medicated and moving to stay awake. I began bringing decorations outside while praying the change of weather wouldn’t affect the ceremony. Somehow the beautiful warm weather had disappeared and was replaced with clouds and mist. That is tricky when you have a bunch of weather sensitive décor. But despite the mist, we had lots of work to do that day. Tents and rentals were delivered, tables and chairs needed to be set out and dressed, the flowers and cake were picked up by friends (goodness, the cake pick up was a story of its own!) and I’m not quite sure where the next four hours went but they flew by.
With my husband being the wedding photographer we knew to set a strict schedule for everyone to be ready. For the first time in our lives, my sisters were ready on time, and we were ahead of schedule the whole day. My mom looked beautiful in her ivory, lace dress paired with cowboy boots, and Bryant was very handsome in his jeans, white button down shirt complete with a vest, boots and his cowboy hat. We were able to get photos with the bride and groom with all the kids, and kept them from seeing each other before the ceremony. The ceremony itself was very sweet and emotional. It was evident that they both had been looking forward to this moment for quite a while. All of my siblings stood up front with the couple and witnessed their marriage. Even our Chihuahua, T-bone, and his buddy, Boomer, were a part of the ceremony, by accident of course. They walked up and down the aisles, loving the attention and not wanting to miss out on whatever action was going on without them. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of Mr. and Mrs. Clark, and to our surprise (but not shock), my mom drove Bryant away on the tractor that was waiting nearby. That’s country romance for ya, folks. Delyn and I followed them on the four-wheeler to take some couples photos in the field by the house. The photos turned out beautiful. There’s a really special moment following wedding ceremonies where the couples can escape for a few minutes alone and really soak in all the emotions and reality of what just happened. I think the photos capture that perfectly.
Following the ceremony we had a catered meal with family and the close friends who attended the ceremony. More guests began arriving just after dinner. The band set up on the deck, and there was plenty to keep everyone entertained. The radar showed a storm was about to blow in, but luckily it held off for the couple to enjoy their first dance together. And shortly afterward, the bottom fell out of the sky and we all had to run and take cover underneath the tents. Fortunately, some of the men set up extra tents earlier that day in case of rain, and it was nice to have that extra space. When we realized that the rain wasn’t going away any time soon, the band joined us under the tents and played acoustically while the guests sang along. The cake was cut, drinks were poured, toasts were given, and the party ensued. It was a great night!
I was wiped out by 10pm when most guests were heading out, but my husband and my sister, Meredith, had other plans. They set up a playlist and an amp and kept the party going beneath the carport. The remaining guests transitioned over from the tents to the new dance floor, and we were out there another two hours dancing and laughing. In fact, I think the party would have kept going but we had to put on a few transition songs… starting with “Closing Time” and ending with “Bye Bye Bye”. As soon as everyone left we called it a night and headed to our rooms. We were all exhausted; I had zero trouble sleeping that night. But I did have a bit of trouble waking up the next day. We all chatted over coffee and breakfast, and by noon Delyn and I had to say our goodbyes and head back to Arkansas. It was a short trip, but we packed a lot of time with the family. All in all it was a wonderful weekend, and we know there will LOTS of great family times ahead with this crazy bunch! Congrats, Mom and Bryant!!!