We did a ring ceremony before our reception and then we did speeches afterward so that our families could get to know each other a little better!
We had cute flower girls, Jake's nieces, and little sister, and they were so fun! I think they loved doing that. And then we had the cutest ring bearer ever, Max! And we were so shocked at how well he performed his duties.. seriously! That boy is a little tricky sometimes so we didn't know how he'd do, but he walked down slowly, smiling at everyone and when he got to us, he gave each of us a kiss and then went back and sat with his family... Oh we love him! We were so glad to make the kids such an integral part of the day, especially since they were probably wondering why we kept keeping them out in the cold all day! Honestly, people should hire Max to be their perfect little ring bearer.:)
The ceremony was great; our uncle Scott went above and beyond by preparing the sweetest eight-minute speech that included marriage advice, spiritual thoughts, and stories he thought we may want to hear. As we listened to him, I thought of all the blessings marriage can bring to Jake and me and all the fun we get to have over the years. I thought of how I get to hold his hand every day for the rest of my life. I thought of the sealing we had just hours before and how special the day was and was continuing to be. I thought of all the hard work and patience and planning it took to get to where we were and I was so grateful. So grateful that people had done so much just for the two of us.
After our ring ceremony, we had previously invited family and friends to give some speeches. I knew this was going to be a fun part, but also a part that made me cry like a baby... and it did not disappoint! The first to speak was our brother Brent and he had me AND Jake crying! His words were so sincere, genuine, and thoughtful... I love him. Lisette spoke after and could barely get her words out! Haha. Amanda, Carli, Beth, and then Ralph spoke. They all had us laughing, crying, and overall, so grateful for our friends and family! We especially love Jake's sweet dad Ralph -- such an amazing, inspiring, thoughtful, kind man and I am so lucky to have him as my father in law. Of course he got a huge hug from the both of us!
The reception was really so fun. I was the first one to get through the line of food, and it was SO GOOD. Our uncle Dennis did pork FROM the farm which was my favorite part! We also had mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, bread... What more could a girl (or 150+ people want?) We served apple cider, hot chocolate, and water... perfect for a cold day, probably. I snuck a Coke (and orange juice as seen in the picture below) in before the reception. Brian Busken also surprised us with cookies with our FACES ON IT! I didn't know who the culprit was, but when we were making our rounds saying hi to everyone he kind of snickered and said, "Do you like your cookies?" ... So sneaky. We have so many left over still. Luckily they taste so good, and we thought that was so nice!
We were honestly shocked at how many people came, especially since the day before it was freezing rain and the rest of the night showed it was going to be rainy... which on the farm, means so muddy. But people came and seemingly enjoyed their night (and especially the food) and it was so good to see them all. We are so grateful to Ralph and Grandpa Blackwelder for figuring out the tent situation - that baby was amazing! It had real doors on it and space heaters for those who were cold. We were able to fit everything perfectly in the tent -- the cake, the arch, the serving tables and even the drinks. Even though sometimes it felt like NOTHING was working out -- the few days before, everything just started coming together (and still is).
As much as I can say I'm so glad this day is over and done with, I can honestly say it went exactly how I would have wanted it to and I would maybe relive it once or twice. So many hands worked for us that week. They put all the florals together, built as an arch (that is AMAZING), prepared food, positioned and re-positioned tables and chairs, made us a cake, set up the lighting in the tent, built fires, decorated, and in the end... the same hands took all the stuff down and made it look there was never even a huge, crazy tent there! I love my husband and I look back on this day as such a great day with the most important people around the both of us. So much love to everyone.
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