Oh dear . . . a good portion of the photos from my son's wedding are yet to be released, but I'll share these for now. What? You want to see more later? Oh, hahaha. How dear of you! I'll see what I can do!
First of all, let me introduce you to the bride's mother, Jackie. you can see why Abbie is so beautiful. Jackie organized this gorgeous day and I learned she and I share more than just two children in love. Here we are before the wedding in the (somewhat chaotic) bride's room. I thought we were both pretty calm — considering. I wore blue velvet, and Jackie was stunning in this shimmering champagne colored dress.
This photo is from my camera, but the others are all from Danielle Hickman Photography.
My longtime readers know I'm not perfect, and I'll confess. The only time I wasn't happy was when the young couple decided to take photos outside in a muddy 40 degree windy field. My joints were killing me and I had to redo my crazy windy hair. I wore furry boots beneath the dress until I got into position then slipped into the pretty shoes. Only my Bob knew my thoughts and he reminded me to "suck it up, buttercup." But look how the cold doesn't bother young people! Our son Joe was his brother's Best Man. And yes, some of you will receive this as a Christmas card next year!
Abbie and Harrison will live in Birmingham, but were married in Perimeter Church, in John's Creek, Georgia. It is very close to where Harrison was born in Marietta, so in a way, we felt like we had returned home.
Their reception in Roswell was walking distance from where Bob and I ate dinner the night we were engaged.
The size and beauty of this church took my breath away. Our church in Fairhope is the same denomination, but has about 4,500 fewer members. There is a huge main worship center in addition to this smaller "chapel," which seats more than our entire church back home. Although large, it still felt warm and intimate. Love filled the space, and what a gorgeous space it was.
The parents were seated to a violin, guitar and piano trio of, "Great is thy Faithfulness," which just about made me drop to my knees and crawl to my seat with emotional overload. I love that song so much. Abbie and her mother did a wonderful job of personalizing the ceremony.
Abbie's dad is on staff at the church and had a small part in the ceremony, which reflected the closeness of family and perfectly represented the couple. Harrison's friend Caleb Jones performed the ceremony. It was his first wedding to officiate, and he did a great job.
And then, I danced with this newly married man to, "You are the sunshine of my life." Ahh . . . perfection. The reception was beautiful and so much fun. The dinner was delicious, cake decadent, decorations classic and romantic.
The music was loud-louder-louder . . . testing how old we really are. The groomsmen and bridesmaids accented the "party" in "wedding party." It was great fun and a true celebration with 5 year olds to 95 year olds all on the dance floor.
Bob and I couldn't love the new Mrs. Tarabella more. She's a brilliant nurse, who will surely hear about my aches and pains for the rest of my life (" . . . and it all started out on a freezing cold field in 2022!" - baa-ha-ha!). Abbie has dedicated her life to helping others, serving God and now loving our son. She's funny and charming and has a smile that dazzles the world. What more could we want in a daughter-in-law?
And then, it was all over in the blink of an eye. I immediately wanted to go back and do it all over again. We couldn't be happier.
Danielle's web site can be found here - Danielle Hickman Photography.
To read the previous post about the rehearsal dinner click HERE.
