My sister’s wedding

Now that six months have passed, it’s finally time to share the beautiful details from my sister’s wedding back in July. Even though this post feels belated, it might be helpful to those who got engaged over the holidays and are now planning a summer wedding.

Chris and Katie got married at a gorgeous new venue called Prospect House in Dripping Springs, Texas outside of Austin. Prospect House looks like an industrial building in the middle of the rolling meadows of Texas Hill Country. It’s the perfect blend of modern in a rustic setting.

Knowing her venue would be gorgeous on its own, Katie went for a simple color palette of cream and gold with lots of natural greenery. I guess she was ahead of the trend, since “greenery” is the Pantone color of 2017. Then Chris threw her for a loop when he insisted on having a bit of maroon in the color scheme to represent his beloved fighting Texas Aggies. Being the patient and sweet natured middle-child that she is, Katie acquiesced to his wish and added pops of maroon into her décor. I was skeptical as she was planning it out, but on the day of the wedding I was overwhelmed by how well the flowers and clothing turned out… maroon ties and socks for the groomsmen and a few crimson blooms sprinkled in the white and green floral arrangements. It was perfect, and represented a mature level of compromise I wasn’t capable of so early in my marriage.

The hardest thing about my sister’s wedding was being so far away during the planning process. Although I was the maid of honor, I didn’t get to help very much in the months leading up to the big day. However, when Katie was struggling to find a wedding dress she liked, I stepped in from afar. She went to a couple shops to look at dresses and left feeling disgruntled by the styles and the exorbitant prices and the pushy sales ladies that make you rank dresses that you don’t ever intend on purchasing. One morning, I jumped online, determined to find a simple, affordable, flattering dress that my sister would love. I headed to J.Crew because they are known for having well-designed, no-frills dresses for good prices. Within a couple minutes, I sent my sister the link to the Gigi gown, just as example of a silhouette she might like (at a decent price). Within a few minutes, she texted me back, “I bought one.” “Bought what?” I replied, thinking she might have already found a dress in the few days since we had last spoke. “The Gigi dress from J.Crew. I just ordered it in two different sizes. We’ll see which one fits.” She ended up loving the gown, and it fit her personality and her wedding perfectly. So although I failed to help with many MOH duties before the wedding, I did get to pick out her dress with a few clicks on my iPhone.

I can’t really tell the story of Katie’s wedding without talking about the one inevitable mishap on the weekend of the event. The vision for the reception hall was long banquet tables with a runner made of fresh eucalyptus branches and candles of varying heights. Simple and elegant. Katie found an amazing deal for 200 stems of live eucalyptus at Sam’s Club and had it shipped to her house the Friday before the wedding. Long story short, the retailer entered her address incorrectly when they processed her order and the package was not delivered to her house. We were told she could pick it up from a UPS distribution center on Saturday morning (the day before her wedding), but after we drove all the way across Austin to get there, we found that her package was locked in a huge trailer and would be delivered to her house on Tuesday, two days after her wedding. She handled it well (better than I would have), and I stepped into big sister problem-solving mode right away. I decided we would buy all the eucalyptus we could find in Austin city limits and the bridesmaids would re-create the look for the tables as best we could with limited supplies. We re-visited her kind florist, where we bought ALL the eucalyptus they had in stock, as well as any greenery that looked remotely like eucalyptus stems. We then visited Trader Joe’s where a compassionate cashier heard our plight and gifted us extra bunches of eucalyptus for FREE. Basically, everyone was a doll to us except the lady who worked for UPS… but we made it work, Katie got a refund from Sam’s Club, and the wedding was beautiful.

During wedding planning, I pinned the most gorgeous wedding welcome sign, and Katie surprised me by asking me to hand-letter a duplicate for the big day. Although I love penmanship and lettering, this particular task (paint marker on glass surface) was WAY above my pay-grade (of volunteer calligrapher). I sucked it up, and while Katie and her friend put together ALL the bouquets the day before the wedding, I labored on the floor trying to paint a sign that looked semi-professional. It was so stressful, but I like the way it turned out. The glass was perched on a gold easel by the entrance to the venue and, due to wind, crashed to the (cement) ground not once but twice during the wedding. Miraculously, it never shattered.

Of course, the most beautiful part of the wedding was celebrating on earth as it is in heaven…. two amazing people joining in a holy union that reflects the way Christ loves his church. Chris and Katie’s dear pastor proclaimed the gospel during their 100 degree ceremony while sweat dripped off his face. He never stopped smiling and didn’t pause to wipe his brow until the bride and groom were taking communion. There was feasting, dancing, laughing, kissing… all symbols of joy bringing glory to God.