Memphis Part 2

The Wedding

So now we come to the pictures of Jackie's wedding. This is the reason we took this trip when we did. I think they had been dating three years before they got married. Jackie is my first cousin, my Dad's sister's daughter. She's the first child of my aunt's to get married, and their only daughter. Jackie is 23, I think!




This is the only good picture I got of the bridesmaids dresses. The color was similar to the dresses my cousin Dan had in his wedding last summer. It must be the "in" color. But beautiful! The chapel was a former church, but now is exclusively for a wedding chapel. That is my aunt and uncle sitting on the front row. Bess got to sit by the guest book---like Jackie did at my wedding 15 years ago next month-----and like I think I did at my aunt's wedding, too. This next picture is of my grandparents. I was trying not to mess up the photographer, so this is right after her good shot. Everyone is already moving around. These are my dad's parents. This is my grandmother who send me funny stories and other encouraging stories via e-mail. Technology is wonderful!! I feel lots more in touch with the Memphis family, and especially Granny because I can send something so quickly and share pictures and stuff.

I hadn't said who the groom was! His name is Jonathan Martin, and he's from Memphis, too. I guess technically Whitehaven, if you really want to know. They met through Jackie's friend who married Johnnie's brother.

They are honeymooning in Jamaica this week, but they got to go to The Peabody for the first night (you know, with the famous ducks?). Jackie called back to her parents' house 3 times that evening to tell us all about the room and the snacks they had for them and that they were going to see Cars that night at the movies. They apparently got a really good room, but Johnnie was disappointed that there was not a Memphis Redbirds baseball game going on that night, since he could see right into the field from the hotel.

Back to the wedding itself, we went right to the reception in the same building, and here's a picture of me and the kids. It was a 2:00pm service, and we were in the reception hall at about 2:45. There were heavy snacks. Or you could call it a meal if you got as much meat as Jamie did. Chicken fingers and meatballs and cheese and fruit and the cakes. Jamie did have about 30 Little Smokies cocktail weiners. Oink, oink! But there was plenty to go around, and leftovers that ended up at Aunt Ronda's house afterwards. All the tables had purple tablecloths, and my Dad's shirt matched exactly. Larry said he could have tucked the tablecloth in the neck of his shirt.


Here we are outside the building, and Bess and I made sure we got the bubbles outside to blow at the couple as they departed. No rice in the hair or birdseed in the eyes! Jackie's friend Brandi (a high school friend) caught the bouquet.

Granny always says the only thing that makes weddings different from each other is the little things that go wrong! The first thing was that the Unity candles would not light before the service began. These are the two candles that Jackie and Jonathan were supposed to hold as they together lit the one symbolizing their two lives becoming one. The minister gave his little spiel about the symbolism, and then they turned towards the candles, and all 3 were surprised to see them still unlit. Jackie and Johnnie tried to light them, to no avail, and Jackie turned around to us in the audience and said, "Is this really necessary?" It was funny! Johnnie took a lit candle from the candelabra in the center and stuck it in the place where their lit one was supposed to be. The other thing was that the ring bearer wouldn't come down the aisle. But it was all very short and sweet, and I was touched when Jackie cried coming down the aisle with her Dad.

So, one last picture of Jackie and Bess. It was a good time!