(Written July 26th. Posted August 16th.)

I feel like I’m making up new words: Repurposing. Rewedding. (They both make it past spellcheck, so maybe not.)

Today we did a do-over of Anne and James’ wedding complete with invitations, music, flowers, and a lovely reception.

A few weeks ago, Anne and James called to ask John and I what we thought of doing a small wedding when we were all together. It was meant to be a lighthearted, fun affair, a time for our family to celebrate their marriage together. They’d already made a list of ideas for the wedding.

We decided to keep the planing low key by making it a surprise to the rest of the family. We bought “wedding attire” (multiple choice) and a few supplies. We made invitations the day before the wedding and placed them on the table for our first full-family supper at the lake house.

The Wedding Party was scheduled for “after naptime” on Sunday, July 26th. We swam and played all morning. After lunch the boys went down for naps and we finished a few more small projects. Still, mostly low-key, we read and relaxed and gradually got everyone dressed and ready.

Two benches and four chairs, a potted plant, a birch tree, and Stormy Lake in the background. The weather was perfect (as it was on their first wedding day.)

Kellen was the ring bearer and did his job superbly. He also prayed at the beginning of the ceremony, staring out with “Dear Jesus, Thank you for this food” before remembering to pray for James and Anne’s marriage. His other task was to pull Olive (flower girl) and Oaks (deputy ring bearer) in a wagon.

 

Taylor officiated, adapting the original wedding outline to fit the circumstances and also provided the music. Laura kept breaking out of her role as the maid of honor to take photographs. Oaks ate cranberries and wandered about while Olive (Flower Girl) slept peacefully in my arms.

 

James and Anne read their original vows, with impromptu changes and/or commentary. Taylor declared them married. They hongied and kissed and did a little happy dance.

 

 

 

 

 

We’d made most of the supper beforehand so it wasn’t too long before we sat down for the reception. Firecracker salmon, rice, and summer vegetables with “Barefoot” wine. (Anne and her bridesmaids were barefoot at both weddings; almost everyone went barefoot today.) For dessert we had a Watermelon cake (Anne) paired with a watermelon Shark (James).

We had s’mores, swam, jumped in the hot tub and then spent the rest of the evening chatting, playing games and dancing. Johnny gave his “best man” speech and attempted a simplified version of the All Blacks’ haka. James did his high school haka for us and the most of the family played a Pukana game that was hilarious. The evening ended with a competitive game of Dutch Blitz.

Anne and James glided away on a paddleboard. The met neighbors out on the lake who knew about the wedding and congratulated them. They told them that they were out on their honeymoon.

Fun family times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. Anne and James actually leave today (August 16) to return to New Zealand. Between waiting for pictures, limited access to the Internet, and an eventful trip, I’ve written more than I’ve been able to post. So don’t be surprised to see a lot of posts from me in the next weeks.