I Do, Part 2

July 4, 2015 marks 10 years of marriage for us.
It also marks the most gracious decade of our lives.
More things in life should be wildly celebrated...

And with incredible joy, we renewed our vows in the midst of those who love us most.

So here's a peek into an evening that will go down in history as one of the most memorable events of our lives. There are few things in life so profound as marriage & family. 

We should celebrate both more frequently. 

My parents were in town and kept the kids for the day so we, and a whole host of dear friends, could set up. We prayed non-stop that God would hold off the rain. Every hour that passed showed the next as pouring rain. But, NOT A DROP!!!! YEAH!!!! It would've been just fine if it rained. We would've moved everything inside, it just would've had a different feel than we were going for! 

How adorable is this! 

Praying together before the ceremony with Eric Bobbitt, a dear friend, mentor, and pastor. 

It was a small crowd, but she begged for weeks to "throw flowers" at our "wedding party" as she would say. Then when we all walked together, she got shy, and didn't throw one petal. ;)

 This sweet nugget was so giddy and happy waiting for everything to start.

 I tried so hard to get a clear pic of this...she kept running into my legs with the biggest hug and laughing wildly.

 Oh these three...the best.

We walked as a family to the song "The Table" by Chris Tomlin. It's one of our absolute favorites.

 Prayer led by our pastor, Brian.

Our pastor, Brian, spoke from God's Word and led off the ceremony. 

 Our friend Luke led everyone in singing three of our favorite hymns.

 Eric gave us each amazing charges, completely tailored to each of our personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. And then led us in renewing our vows. 

 

 After the vows, Jon said to Eric, "Can I kiss my wife now?" :) haha. 

At the end, everyone came around us and prayed a blessing over us. Such a special time for us. 

After that, the song "Better Together" by Jack Johnson (another favorite song of ours) played while everyone made their way to the tent for a fabulous dinner!

All designed and done by a dear, very talented, friend. Can you believe this? Now that's Pinterest worthy!!! :) 

 Sitting at two long family style tables was important to us and signified "the table of the Lord" that Chris Tomlin sang about in his song. Just a little taste of heaven...

Perfection. 

We long for others to experience the genuine love, encouragement and support of true, authentic and grace-filled community. It's a sweet reminder of the hope to come, when we all sit at the Lord’s table together, when all of creation and humanity are fully restored, and we enjoy the fullness of complete relationship with each other and Jesus. God in his goodness gives us glimpses here on earth of that fullness to come, and that was experienced this precious, July 3rd. 

It's taken over a week for me to even sit down and blog. We're still basking in the unending joy of this special evening. A resounding thought in my mind for the couple weeks leading up to this celebration was, "God loves me. He loves us. God is so incredibly kind." This thought happened over and over as little things fell in place for this evening, finding the perfect outfit, the most beautiful flowers, the ease with which every detail fell into place, how everything worked out better than we ever thought it would, and for the little details that made for one amazing event. 

Our hearts are full and exploding with gratefulness for the many key players in the life of our family. For the couple who walked hand in hand with us for years, who were the game changers for our family, and who, without them, this night wouldn't have been possible. We are overwhelmed with gratefulness for all the ways that God uses individual friends, in all their unique strengths and gifts to uphold what God upholds, and celebrate what God celebrates. To the friends who put endless time and energy into making this evening one of the most beautiful of our lives. I'm pretty sure we are some of the most loved people on the face of the earth. :) 

And a special thanks for not only the friendship of Adam & Allie but for their gift of capturing this evening in such beautiful pictures. 

We are loved. So very loved.