Ariel and Gregory's Wedding Day, and some Thoughts on Marriage

Saturday was a wonderful day.  Blake's brother Gregory got married, making Ariel my new "sister!!"  It was such a beautiful wedding!  This was the first time I was actually in a wedding, and it was SO much fun!  I got to get my hair and nails done, and get in my pretty bridesmaid dress and hang out with Ariel while she got ready!  Since Blake was in the wedding too (he was the BEST man), we dropped Isabelle off with two of our very good friends, Rhiannon and Grant (thank you guys for taking good care of my little munchkin!).

Ariel was stunning.  Her dress was gorgeous, but it was nothing compared to the beauty that just radiates from a bride on her wedding day!  Everyone looked so beautiful and handsome, and I was really happy with the way our dresses turned out.  They were made to fit us, so mine fit perfectly - baby bump and all!


The wedding itself was in the Traditional Latin Rite.  Though I've been to many Masses in this rite, this was the first wedding I had been to.  The bride and groom actually exchange their vows before the Mass even starts.  It was so special being up there watching Ariel and Gregory pledge their love to one another, and I felt so honored to to be close to them on their wedding day! 

Father Brown's homily was SO beautiful.  I love wedding homilies because their messages not only apply to the bride and groom, but to all married couples as well.  It reminded me of the vows that I made to Blake, and things we've lost focus of in our marriage and need to work on. 

That's the thing about marriage.  It's a work in progress, constantly changing as life changes and sends you new blessings as well as struggles.  The purpose of marriage is to bring you closer to each other and to God.  Fr. Brown said that if you do not love one another and God more today than you did yesterday, you haven't been upholding your vows.  So often we get caught up in day-to-day life that we lose focus of the big picture and what's important - getting one another to Heaven.  And you MUST love God more than you love your spouse.  One of my favorite quotes is this (coincidentally, it was on Ariel and Gregory's wedding invitation):  "A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."  It's so easy to put off spending time with God so you can spend time with your spouse, but we must remember that Christ is our eternal spouse, and it's even more important to nurture our relationship with Him!

So I'm setting two goals for myself:
     1.  Every day I will set aside some time to pray for Blake.  I will pray that God will help him to be the best husband and father that he can be, and that God will use me to help him get to Heaven.
     2.  Every day I will set aside time to nurture my relationship with God.  How am I to love God more than Blake if I don't spend some time with Him every day?  I've been really struggling with my daily prayer life, and that's something I really need to work on.  Now that I have a vehicle, I'm going to try to make at least one visit to the adoration chapel every week to spend time with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

Anyway, I kinda got off topic there.  The wedding.  Right. 

So after the wedding we drove to Arnaudville for the reception, and it was very nice!  Ariel's family constantly amazes me with their creativity and do-it-yourself thriftiness!  They rented the reception hall for the weekend, and decorated the backdrop and tables themselves!  The food was wonderful too, and all of it was made by family and friends!  I have to admit, when Ariel told me they weren't going to hire a caterer, I didn't know if that would work out well - but it turned out great!  I was really impressed!  Here are some pictures that Blake's Aunt Julie took:

The happy couple!  Ariel's dress was amazing!

I hooked up with the Best Man after the wedding...shh don't tell...  ;o) 

Isabelle, Mr. Russell, Blake, and Mrs. Michelle (she was SO beautiful!)

The Bridal Party Toast!

The hardest thing for me was juggling bridesmaid duties (pictures, dances, toasts, etc.) with Isabelle's needs.  When we got to the reception, my poor munchkin was hungry.  I had to get some friends to come with me to the bathroom and help me out of my dress so I could nurse for a few minutes in the bathroom stall before having to run back out again.  LOL it was hectic.  But we survived thanks to the help of my wonderful family and friends.  I even got to dance with my hubby a couple of times, and he didn't step on my toes at all!  YAY for Blake!!  :o)

All of the bridesmaids and hostesses for the shower got Ariel and Gregory a room at a TOP SECRET WEDDING NIGHT LOCATION, as well as a basket of goodies for their honeymoon (wine, candles, massage oils, bubble bath, etc.)  We presented that to them, put the address in their GPS and sent them on their way! 

After the wedding we went over to Grant and Rhiannon's house for a barbecue - I didn't eat anything, I was still stuffed from the wedding.  We had a great time, but it was SO nice to finally get in bed that night with my husband!