Here I am as promised with more photos from my daughter's wedding. As I said before, the florist we chose produced the most beautiful flower arrangements that we could have ever imagined. Pictures of the bride and bridesmaid's bouquets are shown in the previous post. Below are some of the other flowers from the ceremony and reception. We had requested blue-green hydrangeas to be used, not even knowing if they would be available for a November wedding. I learned that basically you can have any flower at any time of the year because flowers can be shipped in from all over the world. I don't know where these came from, but they certainly were exactly what we requested. 
~Table Centerpieces~
~Table Centerpieces~
~Hydrangea Topiaries~
~ Arrangements on the Wedding Party Table~A typical element of wedding ceremonies in our area is the lighting of the unity candle. Natalie and Jon opted for what the pastor referred to as a Sand Ceremony, which involves the same sort of idea but with a twist. Below is part of what the Pastor said during the ceremony which explains this ritual further.
"May your love always be as constant as the never-ending waves, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Just as the waters touch and nourish the many shores of the earth, may your love be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Just as there will never be a morning without the ocean’s flow, there will never be a day without your love for each other. You have just sealed your relationship by the giving and receiving of rings. This beautiful union is symbolized through the combining of these two individual jars of sand.The first jar represents you, Natalie, in all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other jar represents you, Jon, in all that you were, all that you are and all that you will ever be. Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without need of anything else. However when these two are blended together they create an entirely new and extraordinarily more intricate entity. Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination. When you pour the sand into this common container, it symbolizes the union of your two lives. Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage be a molding of two individual personalities, bonded together forming one heart, one love. The life that each of you experienced now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one."
The bride and groom are not big fans of cake (who's kids are they with that kind of thinking) and they wanted to have something they would both enjoy. Throughout the many years of dating, Natalie made a ton of cupcakes for Jon. So they decided they wanted to have cupcakes instead of a wedding cake. . .
So the bakery happily accomodated their request. . .
During the reception there was lots of silliness taking place. . .
My daughter had warned me that she was going to change into her cowboy boots after the ceremony. Here she is revealing her little secret surprise.
And her new husband (on the right) danced to a favorite song with one of his groomsmen! Many of you asked to see a picture of the Mother of the Bride, so here you go. . .
Next time I'll post about some of the handmade things we created just for the wedding.
I've received so many wonderful comments from all of you about how much you are enjoying the Joli Paquet blog, tutorials and tips. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to let us know how much you like it. We are in our final week of this year's Joli Paquet, so if you haven't stopped over there yet, you really should go check it out. Cindy showed us how to make the cutest garland here. Beth posted a yummy recipe for egg nog here. And Brandy just posted how to turn a vintage tin box into an adorable ornament here.
