The Ceremony

Sorry to get your hopes up, but I don't have any pictures of the ceremony. Duh. I was a bridesmaid, so I wasn't exactly snapping away.

The ceremony was great--and it flew! It seemed to go by so fast.

One of the funny things that happened was that I was asked to sing at the wedding at the rehearsal the night before. Eek! That is a singer's nightmare--to have to sing without having prepared for it, and especially without having your voice in shape. But it really turned out okay. They simply needed someone to lead the congregational hymns, not really to sing a solo, so that took a lot of pressure off. I gladly lead a couple of hymns . . . but they owe me. :)

Getting Ready

fluffing the petticoat

So Ken and some of the groomsmen drove up to the church as Meredith was having some photos taken of her outside. The other guys in the car saw her, but Ken didn't, so Eric held his hand over Ken's eyes as he backed out and drove to another area of the parking lot. Not sure it occurred to Eric that holding your hand over the driver's eyes might not be the best idea. Oh well, Ken did NOT see the bride!

Bridesmaids' Luncheon

Some Story family friends threw a bridesmaids' luncheon for us the morning of the wedding, which was very nice. I only took a couple of pictures, though:




Nathan and I commented that it is much easier to be a groomsman than a bridesmaid! The day of the wedding, my schedule was to be at the luncheon at 10:30, then go have my hair done and get ready at Meredith's house, then go to the church for pictures. The guys' schedule was to sleep late, go to a Chinese buffet for lunch, watch TV, get ready, then show up for pictures. :)

The Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner, which Mom planned, was great. Everyone kept talking about what a good time they had. Dad welcomed everyone and gave the blessing, we ate, then the real fun began. We roasted and toasted Meredith and Ken, which means that we said nice things and also told some really funny (and some embarrassing) stories. Kristen, Meredith's sister, and I blubbered our way through our speeches. All in all, it was very heartfelt and sweet . . . and hilarious.

Jill, helping Michael make a really complicated paper airplane. She looks a lot like my Grandma, especially her eyes.

The Williams/Stute/Snyder side of the family (from left to right):
Jill, Dad's cousin
Dad
Uncle Bill, Grandma Marge's brother
Ken
Me
Michael, Jill's youngest son

It was so neat to spend some time with Jill and Uncle Bill. Grandma died when I was 10, and although I have a lot of memories of her, I don't know a lot about what she was like when she was growing up. I also don't know a lot about Grandpa Ken, who died before I was born. Grandpa Ken played the trumpet professionally, and Jill told me about how the players in swing bands were celebrities of their day, with groupies and everything. I didn't know Grandpa Ken had such a life! Jill told a story about how she planned an event that involved a swing band, and it turned out that they all knew Grandma Marge and Grandpa Ken. They knew them and loved them, talked about them fondly, and talked about what a fine musician Grandpa Ken was. One of the men even reverently said, "This is Kenny Williams' trumpet." It was so good to hear what good people they were and how much they were loved. Later, Jill told Mom how struck Uncle Bill was at how I resemble Grandma--not in looks, but in grace, he said, and I thought that was really special. Mom tells me I am like her, but it's neat to hear it from someone else.

A couple of funny stories told:

Matt Davis told a story from camp one summer after 6th grade. Well, Ken neglected to use sunscreen, and one day he got really, really burnt. Matt said, "Ken, you are so RED!" And Ken turned around and said, "I'm not red, I'm 1/16 Choctaw." Okay, that is hilarious. Mostly because we ARE 1/16 Choctaw Indian.

Jonathan also told the story about how one day he and Ken were misbehaving, and Papa, because they always had too much fun when he punished them, put them in the dark garage and told them they couldn't turn the light on. Well, they just opened the car and sat inside where that light was, and he was so mad.

Eric Weitzel told a story from 6th or 7th grade about how when his mom was driving him, Matt, and Ken home from school one day, Ken announced, "I know what I want to be when I grow up." "Oh really? What?" they all asked. "I want to be a monogrammer." All the boys started to giggle and say, "Ken, oh my gosh, you're dirty." Of course, Mrs. Weitzel was thinking, "My, this is weird. What is he talking about?" Ken went on to say he thought that'd be the best job in the world, and the guys continued to giggle. This went on for a little while until Mrs. Weitzel said, "Oh, Ken, I think you mean you want to be a mammogrammer." Oh my gosh, we all died laughing. I think the funniest part was that Eric and Matt knew exactly what Ken was talking about.

There were a lot of other funny stories that I will have to post later as I remember them.

The Rehearsal

Nerves!

The Groom

My cousin, Jonathan, who was like a brother to Ken growing up.

Matt Davis, one of Ken's best friends since 6th grade.

Nathan and Eric Weitzel, the other of Ken's best friends from 6th grade.

One of Ken's trademarks: he tells the people around him, "Hey, pretend I'm saying something funny," then he poses and they all laugh. I have a picture like this from one of our wedding showers, too. :)

The arrival of the bride.

Dad and Ken

Dad looking debonnaire, Ken looking, well, not.

Ken doing his awkward smile. He does this on purpose in pictures.

Ken doing his real smile. :)

Ho hum, waiting on everything to start....

The Couple

Decorating for the Rehearsal Dinner

Almost as soon as we were picked up from the airport, we (or I) were whisked into the tumult of all the last-minute things you do to plan a wedding. Mom, Jill, Michael, and I went to the rehearsal dinner site to decorate on Thursday afternoon.

Jill is Dad's cousin from Ohio, who brought her youngest son, Michael, and her father, Uncle Bill, to the wedding. Uncle Bill was Grandma Marge's brother, and one of the highlights of my trip was hearing more about her and Grandpa Ken.

Mom teaching Michael how to dance.

Ken's Wedding!

So we just arrived home after a quick trip to Atlanta for Ken and Meredith's wedding! It was so awesome. Everyone in attendance had such a great time. Of course, how can you not have a good time at a Ken event?

The best two aspects of the whole weekend, in my opinion, were all the funny memories that surfaced at the rehearsal dinner and seeing some family who we hadn't seen in a while.

I'll attach pictures for each event in a different post. Enjoy!