Silver. . . Sighs . . . Smiles . . .Sweets . . .

Our neighbor, Carrie Clousing got married on Saturday to Matt Stowell. It was a precious wedding, beautiful in every way.

Sighs. . . Oh so many.
Carrie was gorgeous, her smile, her hair, her dress. . .
And then her daddy, Jim played trumpet for the attendants processional. . .
And the look on Matt’s face as he waited for Carrie,
And the look on her daddy’s face when he first hugged Carrie as the new wife of Matt . . .

Silver. . .
The color scheme was silver and hot pink.
It was stunning in the white décor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church!
And the reception . . . so breathtaking when you entered the room. . .
So Christmassy, so elegant, so special. . .

Smiles. . .
The moms were so enthusiastic in lighting the side unity candles that they excitedly and in perfect timing together lit the center candle as well. Cindy (Carrie’s mom) quickly saw a few puzzled expressions or suddenly remembered on her own and stretched her whole 5’ 0” self up on tiptoe and after a few tries was able to blow out the center candle. The moms laughed at each other, did a little center curtsy and heartfelt hug, and walked off of the platform. In the excitement, Cindy’s candle was left askew so Jim Stowell, (father of the groom and volunteer fireman) with a broad grin pulled up his pants and walked up on the platform and unceremoniously straightened the candle and walked back to his seat. The moms in the front row, worked hard to control their embarrassed giggles and the wedding proceeded as planned.

Sweets. . .
A candy bar! Really! With clear plastic bags and a wide assortment of candies in large beautiful clear containers with little metal scoops so each guest could fill their own bag until their heart’s content. What fun! The Candy Man song was also on the dance venue.

The clever wedding favor was a reminder that Carrie’s father is a dentist. There was a toothbrush, floss and a small tube of toothpaste in a darling little bag that had this little poem:

Enjoy our favorite candy. It is our special treat.
As your presence here today is really very sweet.
This gift inside you can take away
To help clean the smile you shared today.

Thanks for celebrating with us!
Matt and Carrie

In addition to the wedding we enjoyed sweet fellowship with good friends, Dan and Kathy Waterkotte. They celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary on the same day that Carrie and Matt were married. My sons and I spent many summer vacations with Dan and Kathy and Cindy and Jim on Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. We love them all so much! Dan and Jim taught my sons how to water ski, water safety, how to drive a boat and many more life lessons . . . and all of the time being wonderful Christan role models. They also make me laugh . . .definitely happy days and memories for all of us!