Barn Dance

We had a major family event this summer, a wedding! My oldest son got married and we finally have another girl in the family! And as an added bonus, the newly weds moved from Birmingham, AL to Atlanta, GA as soon as they got home from their honeymoon. 

Here are some mosaics of the rehearsal made by the Mother of the Bride. She is much better at photography and social media than myself. She had these posted before we even got back to the hotel!

Father of the Bride / Parents of the Groom / Family of the Groom / L-Bride & R-Friend

Bride and Groom practicing the worship song for the wedding / Flower Girl & Ring Bearer / Hubs, nephew, my Big Sis and her her Hubs / Brother of the Bride & FOB / Bride & Maid of Honor / Bride, Groom & Groomsmen

The Rehearsal Dinner

That cake is from Edgar's Bakery and it was reminiscent of the cakes my Grandma Penny used to make when I was a little girl in the early 1960s. We had the food catered by the Urban Cookhouse and it was excellent. We also accommodated our gluten-free guests with Orange Rolls and Pies from the Funky Muffin. Their rolls may have been the meal favorite. These are all establishments that are based in Alabama and Birmingham.

The day of the rehearsal was oppressively hot but we were blessed with a significantly lower temperature and a mild breeze on the wedding day. We even had a refreshing sprinkle right at the beginning of the ceremony. So light it didn't affect hair or even dampen the chairs but it cooled the air.

Pre-Ceremony:

Bride and her Mother

Bride and Groom in prayer before the ceremony.

Ceremony:

 Waiting for the Bride (Son #1)

Mother & Father of the Groom (Pedal & Hubs)

Brides Maid & Groomsman (Son #2)

The Kiss

The ceremony was a beautiful worship service with personalized vows and the new couple leading the guests in worship as their first act as Husband and Wife. It was very powerful.

Post-Ceremony:

The Wedding Party.

Bride & Groom with the Flower Girl & Ring Bearer. (Big Sis' grands) 

You can see my Micro-Stamps pillow in action

Reception:

In lieu of the traditional wedding cake, the kids brought in a Steel City Pops cart with a variety of gourmet pop cycles. 

They are another Birmingham-born establishment and they were a big hit!

They also had a variety of games. The star of the show was a Corn Hole tournament. 

(Emir on far right)

The guest were invited to to sign up and they played single elimination while the post-ceremony photo shoot was happening in the background. The winning team got to duke it out with the Bride & Groom. Emir & Jeff (in photo) got that honor and in the end became the Grand Champs. 

There was never any guest-down-time because the games, BBQ dinner and Steel City Pops were available as soon as the ceremony ended while the wedding party was in photo mode. 

Then we moved inside for music and dancing.

We had the semi-traditional FOB & MOG dances. 

Groom and his Rapping Groomsman, Mike, provided some entertainment. 

Mike busted out a hilarious impromptu performance and Groom sang a goofy song he wrote that had apparently become a regular event with his college social circle. It was very special for me because I remember the day he called downstairs, "Hey Mom, come listen to this" and getting serenaded with his guitar and Garage Band backup for the premier performance of said song.

And then, bam, just like that, they were rushing off in Son #1s old Acura...Leave and Cleave.

Now, you must all be wondering about that fabulous barn and beautiful altar. The wedding was held at Ephesians Farm. Ken and Shari were the most gracious hosts, always ready to assist in any way possible to make the day special. If you are anywhere near Oneonta, AL or Birmingham, AL, and you need a venue, you really should give them a call. They catered the BBQ for the reception and it was over-the-top-good. And we know our BBQ here in the South!

The accommodations and settings are beautiful. They provide tables, chairs, table covers, lanterns and lovely vignettes around the property. The Bride and Groom areas are quaint and address the specific needs of each group. Huge mirrors and comfy seating for the Bride and Ping Pong, game tables and manly seating for the Groom. And that rustic iron work and stone altar is just beautiful.

On to sewing and quilting:

Just before we left for the wedding I finished a little house warming gift for the couple our construction firm is building a house for.

It's one of my dish drying mats. The home is on the Savannah river and it has a mountain rustic exterior and a modern country interior. Peggy and Jerry have been such a blessing to work with and we bonded as true friends during the build. I wish all jobs could end like this! But I guess that's not really possible since almost all of our projects are commercial. 

Todays WIP:

I am cutting into this stack of Alison Glass, plus some Robert Kaufman's Quilters Linen and finally getting started on my Pieceful Hearts Challenge Quilt for our show in November.

Now I'll leave you with a preview of my next post. Here's Cooper in my new sewing space. He loves it because it is like one big dog bed. Carpet! At least somebody like the plush floor.

Thanks for visiting!