Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Nolan and Rachel

Friday night - the rehearsal and dinner for about 30 people.
I made four lasagnas, three salads and Sarah made cookie bars.


The wedding and reception were held at the New Hope Bible Church which is a fairly new building with one large room that serves as both the sanctuary and multi-purpose room.
So we had 220 chairs set up for the ceremony and then after moved 120 of them to the tables and lined the walls with the remaining to make room for a dance floor.

Emmy was so excited to wear her "fancy dress and fancy shoes".
I bought both at an online consignment shop thredup.com, the dress was $7.00 and the shoes about the same.

The big day.

Thomas was Nolan's best man and here he is with his girlfriend, Sam.  Sam was an amazing help on both Friday and Saturday with all of the preparations and then helping to serve at the wedding.


Mike made the arbor and birch "trees".


Abraham was the ring bearer.


Here comes the bride.


They may only be 18, but they can grow up together and be each other's one and only love for the rest of their lives.  

Our already large family is expanding even more!  

All went so beautifully beginning with perfect weather - blue sky with big puffy clouds and about 73 degrees.
It was in a modern church sanctuary but the decorations all came together with a rustic, elegant, simple theme of wood, lace and pink.

It was truly a  wonderful time filled with love.  I know it sounds trite, but the atmosphere was amazing - supportive, loving and happy - filled with family and friends.  Nolan and Rachel wrote their own wedding vows which brought the tears.  Thomas gave a toast that brought tears once again, and I danced the mother/son dance with Nolan to What a Wonderful World, the same song my Dad and I danced too on my wedding day.

Nolan and Rachel changed and left by the early evening on their way to their honeymoon in northern New Hampshire for a few days in their car decorated with window crayons, cans and filled in the inside with balloons.

That night we had my family over and we played, gave the city folk a crash course in country living, and had smores by the camp fire.  

All is good.

26 comments:

  1. So happy for your family!
    CathyT

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  2. Congratulations to your son and now daughter-in-law!!
    They look so beautiful and really the wedding sounds just like
    it ought to....supportive, loving and happy.....family
    and friends.....that's what it really should be all about!
    What a memorable day!
    Corinne

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  3. Many congratulations to the newlywed couple - wishing them years of blessings ahead. What a lovely day you all shared!

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  4. Glad everything went so well It all looks lovely Thank you for sharing such a very special day

    Fiona

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  5. Hello!
    I always enjoy your blog posts, but rarely take the time to express it.
    My husband and I were engaged three days after I turned 19 and there were so many that questioned our decision to move ahead with marriage seeing as we were so young. Looking back (it's been 12 years and four children ago!), we smile at our naivety that was (and continues to be) met with God's abundant mercy and grace.

    Thank you for always sharing candidly and openly, teaching others by example, how to wear their own skin and wear it well.
    Blessings from one blogger to another.
    Peace.
    Tiffany

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  6. Oh Tonya, how lovely! Congratulations to you all! Andy and I married very young too, and we have been so happy together. :)

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  7. Congratulations to Nolan & Rachel! It looks and sounds like a beautiful day - so filled with love and goodness - what a wonderful way to start a new journey. Blessings to all of you! ~Annie

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  8. Oh Tonya...what a wonderful day, right down to the puffy white clouds! I am very happy to hear how supportive you are of your son and his wife! What a lucky woman she is to have you as her MIL. Many many many happy celebrations on this day for decades to come! (and I think I would be a big puddle myself at hearing those vows!)
    xoxoxo Jules

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  9. all the decor was so beautiful and rustic and the bride and groom beaming....all ended well it seems.

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  10. I was 19 when we were married..it was young, but we are still here 13 years later, and 4 kids. There were some rough years, but even young love can last! Congrats!

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  11. Congradulations! Everyone looks beautiful

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  12. Beautiful - many blessings to them xx

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  13. The ceremony must have been beautiful! Congratulations!

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  14. Verry happy for you and your family Tonya. Looks like it was a beautiful celebration. Best wishes to the newly weds! Sarah xx

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  15. As I read this, I had tears in my eyes. The joy and love is palpable from the pictures! May they have many wonderful years together, growing, learning, and becoming what God plans for them. Beautiful day! How did the Mother of the Groom hold up? :)

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  16. Congratulations mama! So very awesome! Xx

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  17. Beautiful! Congratulations to them and you!

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  18. Congratulations! It looks like it was a lovely wedding.

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  19. Looks like it was a simple and beautiful and happy event. Love the arbour and the "trees". Congratulations to your whole family!

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  20. I don't think anyone knows the right age to marry - 18, 20, 40? There are pluses and minuses, no matter what stage of life you enter the marriage ceremony. It certainly looked like a happy occasion though and the decorations/food looked brilliant. A wonderful day I'm sure. To the bride and groom. :)

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  21. How delightful! Congratulations all around. What a beautiful wedding.

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  22. Lovely! Eighteen is a great age to get married. I was 18 and we were married 36 years this week. It is good to grow up together.

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  23. Congratulations to your growing family!

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  24. congratulations...I think you threw a beautiful wedding! I have 3 out of 6 of my children married. They were older (23 and up). Life goes on whether we moms are ready or not! I had a bit of time to "ready" myself, but sometimes it comes earlier. And sometimes for some, we moms have to wait and pray the right one comes around for one of ours!
    Andrea

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  25. Oh my goodness, this made my whole week to read. So beautiful, and congrats to your beautiful and expanding family.

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  26. Sounds lovely...being from the UK...please tell me...what are smores? Sound fascinating and something maybe I'd love...but I haven't a clue what they are!

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