A Wedding Day

We went to a wedding yesterday.

It was a beautiful day.

Sunny. Warm. Bright.

And we watched as Auntie Rosanna and "Uncle" James were married.

The boys were dressed in their matching Sunday best.

And Keziah was all dolled up for this very special day.

The nieces and nephews were so excited. Evident in the way they crowded around to stare at Auntie Rosanna through the glass doors as if she was some breakable treasure :)

They got married in a lovely big Anglican church in Vancouver - big enough to seat their 500 or so guests.

And the dress?

Gorgeous!

Afterwards we headed outside, accompanied by church bells, to the sunny courtyard for some family pictures.

The littlest nieces all wore matching dresses - Keziah and Emerson included.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of our pretty little princess yesterday...

An amazing and rare shot of Grandpa & Grandma with the 5 grandkids!

An equally amazing shot of all the Toews kids with the wedding couple - they all did so well yesterday despite the disruption to their ordinary schedules.

We didn't have great success with our own family picture, but with 3 kids, we'll take what we can get.

The "Toews" sisters.

Then it was off to the reception in the Sherbrook Church parking lot. Elissa, among others, was responsible for some beautiful decorations.

Crayons and craft paper to keep the kids busy.

Here come the newly married couple!

This was a 5-point harness that was "gifted" to James to keep him from mingling too much with his guests and abandoning his bride :)

The reception was very kid-friendly, complete with sidewalk chalk to keep them entertained during the program.

And ice cream sandwiches for dessert :)

It was such a beautiful day - full of joy and the evidence of God's faithfulness.

Yet, there was sadness mixed in with the sweetness.

Because we still wish for what used to be...

We wish it was Nathan filling this role.

But for Rosanna... we couldn't be happier.

James & Rosanna, we're so SO happy for you and we look forward to walking this next season of life with the both of you!

Chris & Jessica

So many pictures to post, so little time...

I will start with the biggest event of recent days: the wedding of Chris & Jessica. Chris & Erik are cousins and, being only a year apart in age, have been quite close over the years. I actually knew Chris before I knew Erik, since we were freshman together at Bethany Bible School back in the day. It was awesome to get the chance to attend his wedding in Braselton, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta) and it was especially nice to go away without the kids :)

They got married in a beautiful little church in the woods...

Erik's Uncle Gary, Auntie Doreen, and cousins Mark & Chris.

Waiting in line to sign the guest book with Erik's Aunt Sharon & Aunt Shirley.

The many groomsmen waiting for the many bridesmaids to arrive.

I love this video of Chris watching his bride walk down the aisle.

At the golf course, waiting for the reception to begin.

All of the tables were named with locations that have significance for the couple - from Ontario to Nairobi. Our table was aptly named "Vancouver".

We love Jon Hamm.

Brothers.

After some dinner and dancing the couple had the grandest wedding exit we've ever witnessed - a helicopter landed on the green right outside of the reception hall, ready to whisk Chris & Jessica away to their hotel. All the pictures I had of the helicopter departure were much too dark and not worth posting - but definitely a fun moment for us guests!