My Brother's Wedding

I have a sister now. Taylor and Jenny's wedding day had perfect weather, a gorgeous bride, a handsome groom, tear-jerking vows, and a wonderful, marvelous celebration. Is that enough adjectives for you? :smile:

Speaking from as little a bias as possible, the simple elegance, the romance, the fellowship, the holiness all made the day one of --if not the--best wedding celebrations I have ever attended.

- Photos in order taken by Natalie Klein, Erin Hutchins, and Carol Lee Olson

My brother is getting married!

Taylor and his sweetheart Jenny will be married Saturday. Needless to say, we have been anticipating and counting down to this day ever since their engagement last November. Tomorrow (which also happens to be my parent's 27th wedding anniversary! They will never have difficulty remembering Taylor and Jenny's.) we head south to Arkansas and we will not return until late next week. Though Blogger's wonderful new scheduling feature will make sure that the YLCF stays active, comments may not be moderated, etc., as I will be offline. No doubt I will be sharing at least a few pictures on our return.

It will be wonderful to finally have a real life sister.

Thanksgiving Excitement!

Although suffering can be the harshest of headmasters, its curriculum may open the door to freedom beyond our loftiest expectations. Sometimes it's only in the adversity we dread that we begin to discover the kind of life we've only dreamed of. - Jennifer Rothchild, Lessons I Learned in the Dark

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

So much occurred in the 48 hours surrounding Thanksgiving Day that it will not fit into one post. Now that my sissy has shared the amazing wonderful news of her beautiful daughter, I can make publish the article brewing in my mind the last week or so.

To start, I find it ironic that both Gretchen and I were in the hospital on Thanksgiving. That being said, she was there for a much more life-changing and wonderful reason than me. While she got ready to bring home her new daughter, I was in the ER after my hand got chomped by a Great Pyrenees. Not how I planned on spending the afternoon, but this holiday appears to have been one to learn much patience and endurance through suffering--my hand being a very mild part of that. (Left: Me with my nephew and one bandaged hand.)

That was only the beginning. Last Friday my brother Taylor proposed to his sweetheart Jenny...and they are now engaged to be married on May 17, 2008! I could not be happier for them. Jenny is a precious, beautiful perfect match for my brother and seeing his transformation as he fell in love with her was wonderful.

After all these years of being the only girl I will finally have a real-life sister.
I hope your holidays were a rich time of memory-making with loved ones, for His glory.

Books and Preparations for the Wedding

A young lady emailed with these questions:

In planning your wedding, which resources did you find to be the most helpful? There is so much stuff to wade through... Also, did you aread any marriage books together before you were married? If so, which ones did you find to be the most biblically sound and beneficial?

Thank you for spurring me on to write the post brewing in my head. :smile: Having helped several close friends plan their weddings, I had a fairly good idea of most decisions to be made and resources I would use. There is such a market out there for planning books and organizers etc. but I personally did not spend a dime and we made out just fine!

My sissy had bequeathed me her copy of Bridal Bargains and though a lot of it would be more helpful and relevant to someone planning a more traditional wedding, I still picked up some great tips and ideas. It is the one wedding-related book that I would say is definitely worth the money. If you want other ideas or insight, check books out from the library instead of buying them.

There is no need to purchase a wedding notebook/planner either. They can be made simply enough, or if you want a base to work with register at JC Penny and they give you a free organizer. I ended up using their planner (though redecorating the cover and tossing the irrelevant items inside) as well as various worksheets and lists from Our Marriage (again, hand-me-downs from my sissy).

Microsoft's Wedding Budget Excel spreadsheet is excellent.

As far as books that are not specifically on the wedding, several come to mind. I fervently believe that far more time should be spent as a couple and individually preparing for the marriage than for the wedding. The ceremony is just one day. An important day, yes. But the marriage is for a lifetime and requires so much more study, learning, and preparation than the wedding.

• Decision Making and the Will of God This should be required reading for any young person in high school or older.
  
• Aflame A beautiful little book of quotes from the early church fathers. The photography and words contained here are like the most gourmet of meals.
  
• I Promise You This is by far the best. It is the perfect foundation for His Needs, Her Needs once married.
  
• I Isaac Take Thee, Rebekah Ravi is amazing and his teaching on marriage is guaranteed to spur you to think and ponder in new directions.
  
• Preparing for Marriage If you want something less intimidating and a bit more "light" than I Promise You, this is a good choice.
  
• His Needs, Her Needs Definitely read this one after you are married; it perhaps might not be necessary to read it beforehand. Straightforward yet extremely practical and helpful no matter how long you've been married.
• 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged This little book is by one of my favorite authors and is fun to go through while you are courting. A lot of the questions you may very well find out through day to day life but this book is very detailed not only in what to ask but why.
  
• Capture His/Her Heart This is a short read; I gleaned some great quotes and concepts from it.
  
• Love and Respect Read it, read it, read it. Buy it, keep it. :smile: Hopefully you've heard of this before so this is nothing new.
  

Bridesmatrons

Too little sleep...
too much caffeine...


and way too much fun!

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
Emerson

"Let Them Eat Cake" winners

This morning I used a random number generator to pull the top four entries to receive a copy of Let Them Eat Cake. I truly wish I could send all 50 entrants copies...but next month Waterbrook publishers is sponsoring another book giveaway so watch for information on that after The Wedding.

Congrats to Rachel H., Naomi, Abigail K., and Jessica!

You all gave some fabulous book recommendations! I am looking forward to sharing all of them with you...

I'm out of words--and time. Til later, my friends...

Congrats!

Wishing Andrew Plett and Sarah Gale a beautiful, timeless marriage ceremony and day of celebration! Sarah Gale is our lovely cover model for Pearl of Beauty and also contributed to Quest for the High Places. You can read the story of how God brought them together on our Courtship Stories Index.

Tears mean many things...

Me and You

Here it is. :-) Thanks to Mark Tennison for the photos and Melinda Lavorante for her commentary on the wedding from a guest's perspective.

Though you cannot leave comments on the article itself, please comment here with any thoughts and messages for Gretchen. In about a week I will print all of these off for her and include it in a package bound for a little pink house in Washington.

The Wedding

The whole wedding day story...

I will begin working on a story retelling the Wedding Day of our dear Gretchen from the perspective of the maid of honor. Perhaps a few friends who also attended will help me. However, I am going to wait to publish it until I have more pictures from the wedding photographers so do not expect it to appear until at least next week.

Patience... :-)

Til then, I'll post some other writings that have been piling up.

The story will come. Just as soon as it can be done properly.

The wedding of our own Anne

Here are a few of the bridal portraits I took of Gretchen before her wedding.

Click here to see all 5 pictures...

To honor, cherish, and obey...

Congratulations to
Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Acheson!

much, much more coming very soon...

Photo by the maid of honor, Natalie Nyquist. Please do not use without permission. Feel free to link to this post.

The story of my ring

I can't show anyone my beautiful ring without telling the story of how God provided it...

When Merritt visited over New Year's, we talked seriously to my parents about getting married sooner than later. There was no question that we were meant for each other, it was just the timing. And, a big factor in the timing, was a place to live. But if we could get a drain field and build on his property...I was hopeful it might happen before the year was through.

Merritt and I had just glanced at rings in November (well, it was more like him dragging me over to the jewelry display at Costco...I get embarassed at nearly anything!). But a house seemed more important than a fancy ring, somehow. And we both wanted something unique, anyway--unlike what we were seeing under the jewelry display cases.

There was no more discussion of rings. I was more concerned about a drain field and a well.

But unbeknownst to me, as soon as Merritt got home in January, his dad got a call from a lady who wanted some alfalfa hay. Yes, they still had some left, his dad said.

"The only thing is, I don't have any money," the lady said. "I'd like to trade."

Merritt's dad asked, "Well, what do you have?"

"I have my husband's aunt's wedding ring set from 1950. Would you be at all interested?"

"Let me have you talk to my son!" answered Mr. Acheson in amazement. "He will be getting engaged soon."

The lady was so surprised. She had no idea they even had a son who was single, let alone looking for an engagement ring for his girl. (And an antique one, at that, since he is an antique dealer! But nothing he had seen quite fit the bill...)

And that is how I found this beautiful diamond ring being slipped on my finger as Merritt asked me to marry him.

God's faithfulness never ceases to amaze me...

Girly talk

Hello from the bride-to-be and maid of honor, who are busy as bees preparing for The Wedding. As hard as it is to believe, I (Natalie) have already been in Oregon for a week. The days have flown by filled with many wonderful tasks and memories, from shopping at thrift stores for household goods...to a tea at church...to painting a mailbox!

Thank you to all who prayed for Gretchen. Her voice has returned and her cold seems to be making a steady retreat. No one else has gotten sick, which is a blessing at all times but especially as we lead up to the final week before The Day. 10 days to go!

Hmm, what else? I'm too tired to think. So here are some pictures of us ladies enjoying springtime. I am realizing afresh how precious each day is...each day with tears and each day with laughter; each day healthy and each day sick; each day with family and each day spent alone.

We've been too busy to take many photos, much less put them on the computer but Jennifer kindly gave us a CD with a few of her shots at a get-together today...thank you! Yes, and on the picture at left, note that the lovely Miss Jennifer won the prize for the most elegant hat. Gretchen won the prize for the most funky (is that a real word?). Aren't they cute?

Captions: Natalie and Jessica Glaser at Gretchen's bridal shower last week. Jennifer (Gretchen's cousin), Gretchen, and Natalie at a ladies' tea on Saturday (we had a hat theme). Sabine, Gretchen, and Sheila (two of Gretchen's lifelong friends) at a bridal shower.

Wedding Planning

For those who wanted to hear about our wedding plans...or for those who are looking for tips and ideas...here is a glimpse into the many details of wedding planning!

The moment I knew we could truly get married this year, I started planning our wedding in earnest. Even before I had a ring on my finger, I was putting to paper the dreams I'd dreamed of that special day.

After a night of little sleep, my mind racing with ideas, I knew I had to write out my ideas so they wouldn't keep running around in my head. I've never been a notebook person, but decided the wedding notebook idea sounded most sensible. I printed off worksheets from OurMarriage.com and WedPlan.com and organized them behind tabs in my three-ring binder: Checklists, Ceremony, Reception, Wedding Party, Flowers, Registries, and Honeymoon. Later, I discovered that when you do your gift registry with JC Penney, they give you a lovely wedding planning notebook for free. It has all the tabs and checklists, designed just for Penneys by Alexa and Elizabeth Lluch, authors of Easy Wedding Planning Plus. Between the worksheets and the extra pieces of notebook paper behind each tab, I had a logical place to write down each idea. I knew I'd be digging out the notebook and a pencil at midnight, but I hoped then I could get to sleep!

I signed up with both TheKnot.com and TheWeddingChannel.com, but chose to use The Wedding Channel because of their personalized wedding website address. JC Penney also offers a free wedding website through WeddingSolutions.com.

I downloaded Microsoft Excel's Wedding Budget Template and started figuring out all the line items I could eliminate.

Then, I waited for him to show up with a ring so that I could get to planning in earnest!


On Valentine's Day, my man took me on a walk over to our house site, knelt down on one knee...and put the most beautiful ring on my finger. I was the happiest girl in the world! Especially when we set the date and I realized I got to marry my beloved fiance in just 14 weeks!

Before the week with his family was over, I'd designed the invitations (according to an idea I'd had for a long time). A background of some of the letters we've written to each other over the years, with a picture of us above a text box with the date and details, all printed as a 4x6 photo at Costco, then mounted on butter yellow cardstock.

As soon as we got home, I went wedding dress shopping with my mother, grandmother, and little sister...and found the dress on our second day of shopping. I had actually tried it on the year before, when wedding dress shopping with Natalie just for fun--but I'd completely forgotten about it. The bridal shop still had my name on file, so they pulled out my card and found they still had a dress I'd tried on the year before (on sale, this time!). When I walked out of the dressing room, Mom started crying and Jessica started jumping up and down. It was the perfect combination of vintage yet classy, antique yet not outdated, modest yet daring, simple yet elegant, both Southern and Country, and totally unique, just like me! But of course, you don't get any more details until Natalie posts wedding pictures.

It can be dismaying to wade through rack after rack of strapless gowns with low necklines. (Be sure to read about modesty on your wedding day at the GirlTalk blog.) But I was thrilled to find a dress I didn't even have to have altered for modesty's sake! I wasn't so fortunate with the bridesmaid dresses. I soon discovered that I would never find sage green bridesmaid dresses that were fit to wear in public, and there was no time to special-order them from a bridal shop. A phone call to a dear seamstress friend, and it was settled. She had the perfect pattern, and we found just the right fabric on sale. It felt like the wedding planning was half done!

After calling through the phone book, I found out that every photographer seemed to either be booked on that date or charge an arm and a leg. But to me, the pictures were the most important part of the day (other than the groom, of course)! Eventually, through word-of-mouth, I found a Christian photographer who: took great pictures, on a digital camera (a must for me, since I knew he would take lots more pictures when not restricted to rolls of film), offered the CD for sale (prints are literally a hundred times cheaper at Costco than they are through most photographers!), and only did photography part time (which meant he had other ways of putting food on the table than breaking wedding budgets).

Later, after I figured out approximately what everything else would cost, I was able to hire a videographer, too. (Another Christian!) Through this I learned to always ask for a budget package. I didn't need streaming video of my wedding available online for a month, nor did I care about a deluxe leather album for my photos when I already have a Creative Memories wedding album. Everyone seems to have that "secret" lower-priced package--be sure to ask!

My dad's cousin was kind enough to continue the family tradition of making (delicious) wedding cakes for all the cousins. I had fun looking through her books and choosing a heart-shaped cake design, with a frosting technique that creates the look of a basket weave.

The local florist retired long ago, but she still does weddings...and we were thrilled when she agreed to do mine. She's the one person I haven't settled all the details with yet. But I'm planning on carrying yellow roses, with bridesmaid bouquets of coral with touches of blue.

Microsoft Excel was a life-saver for the guest list. Merritt and I both typed up our guest lists, then he sent me a CD with his file so I could add it to mine. Addressing all those envelopes didn't take half as long as I thought (though the addresses for the B's were probably easier to read than the W's). The love birds stamp, and the postmark from the little town of Bridal Veil completed our love letter theme!

Merritt and I never knew spending other people's money could be so exhausting until we did our gift registry! We spent lots of time going through each store, to compare what was available, before we started registering. Even though we had to go back to each place several times, it was worth it in the end to keep from getting so overwhelmed. The checklist from The Everything Wedding Book was helpful to make sure we remembered what we needed. And Merritt became a pro at those little scanners you register with! Linens 'n' Things was fun because of the wide variety of items. Sears has tools and appliances but the scanner tool was a nightmare. Though JC Penney lacked the smaller items, it was by far the easiest place to register, with the coolest little scanner and free gift wrap and shipping for gift-givers.

Even before the invitations were sent out, gifts started coming in. I appropriated a small spiral notebook to keep track of all the gifts, so I didn't forget anyone. I decided the only way to keep up on thank you notes is to keep up, right from the beginning. So each time we get a gift or card I write it down, write the thank you note, and put a check mark by the giver's name so I know I've thanked them.

Ever since my cousin Melissa learned to play the piano better than me (that didn't take much--and then, she got way better than me: now she majors in music!), I've been asking her to play the piano at my wedding. I had fun compiling a list of songs for the prelude music, many from the good old Reader's Digest family songbooks. Then I used the latest version of Windows Movie Maker (which comes free with Windows SP2) to put together a slideshow of pictures, set to two of our favorite Country songs: "Me & You" (Kenny Chesney) and "What Did I Do to Deserve You" (Bryan White). (If you want to spend a little money on the slideshow, ProShow Gold by Photodex is a great program!)

For the reception, we're planning to serve M&M's, mixed nuts, and punch along with the cake. I found yellow plates and napkins at the dollar store, forks on sale at the grocery store, and big bags of M&M's at Costco. In the process, I discovered that the dollar stores have whole wedding aisles now--from favors to bubbles, you can find it for $1! (But sometimes, it's still cheaper at the craft or party supply store. Shop around before you buy. And then save every receipt in case you find a better deal and can return it.)

While Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette is a classic wedding planning book, and even Eric and Leslie Ludy have written A Perfect Wedding, the book I referenced over and again was The Everything Wedding Book. A must-have for keeping the budget in line is Bridal Bargains. (And check out Midday Connection's March 20th interview with Cara Davis for "Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot.")

When Merritt was here last month, we bought our marriage license, had a great time of counseling with our pastors, and completed our gift registry. Then he loaded up the trailer with my belongings, as well as our woodstove and the appliances we'd found while he was here, and headed home to start building our little home. The countdown was just 8 weeks then... Now we have a roof to go over our heads, I have a shower next week, my maid of honor (guess who!) is arriving in 3 weeks, and I get to marry my man in 5 weeks!

Next week I need to make a list of what pictures I want taken, make that list to tell the groomsmen what to do when, and figure out a complete schedule for the wedding day... Happy wedding planning to the rest of you brides!

Weddings, Coffee, and Antiques

It's still hard to believe I'm in the midst of planning my wedding. Our wedding! What happiness.

All the details are coming together so well. The perfect dress, a free couch, the cutest kitchen table ever, and of course, the dearest groom.

I've been overwhelmed a few times, but only momentarily. It seems the Lord delights in perfecting even the little tiny details in our lives. I am so thankful for His provisions, large and small.

I have found, however, that one cannot plan a wedding 24-7. Last week I took time out from wedding plans to clean all three bathrooms. I came back to the guest list with a much clearer head.

Long days in town, with an even longer list, are made possible by caffeine. But when you get a headache, it's time for a stroll through that cute little antique shop, even though you don't really have time. Especially because you get to proudly tell the owner, "I'm marrying an antique salesman."

But it's when my cell phone rings, and I hear his voice on the other end saying, "Hello, Love!" that I remember all over again why I'm out on the town with a long list in the first place: I'm getting married to my best friend!

I settle back in the driver's seat to hear about his day. Then, with a more relaxed smile on my face, I take a last sip of coffee and complete the list with a lighter heart. It doesn't matter if the napkins match the bridesmaid dresses. It doesn't matter what color of dress my mom wears. I'm getting married! And that is all that matters.