We're Starting Ladies!

The guest are arriving...from far and wide. Bek and James are fortunate to have friends all over the place and many of them have travelled great distances and at great expense to be with us for this celebration. For this we thank them. They made the day so much more wonderful!
James has old friends from when his family was stationed in Cuba who are here, as well as family from NC, GA and across FL. There are brides maids and groomsmen from as far as TX (the VA and CA ones had their leaves denied so they didn't make it :( though they tried very hard) Bek has family and friends from AL, NC, SC and PA arriving. Its a melting pot of all our favorite people...what a grand time we are going to have!

Here's a peek at 3 of the most adorable guests present.

From L-R James's cousin, Beks' cousin, and Jada, Beks' neice(eating a strawberry, one of about 14 she ate that night...haha). Hopefully I'll have pics of these three tearing up the dance floor tomorrow. :)

The fly away chairs are filled, (a server is holding the arch upright.. lol) the harpist is in place. Lovely ethereal music is wafting across the lawn....miracle of miracles, the temp is a nice 80 ish with the wind blowing, a little more than gently. :) I'm not melting in my dress and its a bit hazy so the guests aren't sweating either.... the ceremony is beginning!!

The minister is an old family member and friend who, get this, also married my hubby and me 30 years ago. (I know, I'm too young to have been married 30 yrs but I do have 3 grown kids so it must have happened, right?) He was very gracious to travel several hundreds of miles to bless this union and of course my mother and my mother-in-law loved it. :) My brother-in-law is reading and sharing from Song of Songs 8:6&7, (His sharing was so powerful, people are talking about it still.) We are so grateful to have such dear believers in our family! There is a blessing of "Hands" to be shared and the unity candle will be lit (in spite of the wind, it stayed lit, ya'll :)) ......and the moment we have all been waiting for!

ALL RISE!

Here comes the bride! She looks incredible on her father's arm, he is holding his composure rather well but the groom is very blown away and I don't mean by the wind...LOL. He is seeing his bride for the first time in all her glory and she is radiant. He looks about as excited as a kid on Christmas morning and is grinning from ear to ear. Only formality kept him from jumping up and down. lol
I think this must be a little like how the Lord looks at His Bride each day anew...as if She is the most amazing woman He has ever seen and He can't believe He is so fortunate as to be spending all of eternity with Her. Joy shines out from His face, just like the joy that was on James' face this happy day!