AnnaGrace and Zachary

Sheila and I drove over to Leesburg, Alabama this Super Bowl afternoon to Dry Creek Chapel wedding venue, near the mouth of Little River Canyon for an unusual and beautiful wedding.

I knew the chapel was open-air, so I wore my long-johns. And no one was gonna take my cap; I like to keep my noggin warm!

Before things got started Sheila and I posed with my sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Jim Turrentine, grandparents of the bride.

Next to the table that held the printed programs at the entrance were tubs of blankets to help folks keep warm. Still Sheila sent me back to the car to get the warmer poncho/throw that Mother gave us years ago. That helped. It was physically a chilly wedding. But emotionally it was quite warm and very beautiful and downright playful at times
 
I am not usually a fan of recorded music at weddings and funerals, but there was obviously a lot of thought put into the songs played as each group of folks entered. As the flower girls and (a new form of wedding attendant in my book) bubblebearer entered they played "Kiss he Girl" from The Little Mermaid.

As little brother, uncle, great-uncle, or great-great-uncle to some of the folks who came down that aisle, my thoughts drifted to years ago. 

The bride is the little girl who accompanied me and Sheila and her grandparents, on a gorgeous March day in 2008, on Georgia's most beautiful spring wildflower walk. Click this picture from that day to see more. 

*The bride and groom with his father. 

*This little guy is my first great-great-nephew.  He was the BubbleBearer or perhaps he should be dubbed the BubbleGunner. As the flower girls strew petals about he followed in his miniature tux wreaking havoc with his BubbleGun. 

One of the playful moments came at the time for the couple's kiss. I noticed my nephew Ricky pull something from under the bench and pass it to Steve, the father of the bride. Something was up. The groom's father, Rev. Daniel,  was the officiant and told the story of how Anna Grace had dreamed as a child of a seaside wedding. She had made up a romantic scenario of sharing her first kiss with her groom as two dolphins would leap from the sea to kiss simultaneously over their heads. At that point Steve walked up with a beautiful glass sculpture of a pair of dolphins leaping toward one another, and Daniel held it over the heads of AnnaGrace and Zachary as he proclaimed that Zachary could kiss his bride. I'll have to wait for the pro photos to add that picture.!

The program asked that we not take pictures during the service so I managed to withstand the temptation. Here is the big wedding party posing for photos afterwards. It includes four lovely great-nieces, two great-nephews, three great-nephews-in-law, one great-niece-in-law, and one soon-to-be-great-nephew-in-law.

The bride and groom enjoy a first dance as husband and wife.

AnnaGrace dances with her Dad, my nephew Steve.

*AnnaGrace's cousin attendants.

Elijah the BubbleBearer daces with his Mom and GrandMom.

An added treat was seeing Kelly Osborn, my little McHenry fifth-grader from the 1970s, now mom to one of my great-nieces-in-law. We are practically kin!  As you can see over my shoulder, the Super Bowl was just incorporated right into the celebration.

Thanks, AnnaGrace and Zachary, for allowing us to be there for your lovely wedding. We wish you many many  happy years together.

*The photos marked with asterisks were taken by my sister Joan.