Wedding Day

As you all know, Alex and Drew were married one week ago. It was a day we had all been looking forward to for so long. After the interminable year of Covid, it was something to set our sights on and we waited for the day to arrive with great anticipation. Often, when we wait for something for so long it doesn’t quite live up to our expectations, but October 8th delivered and it delivered BIG.

We woke to a beautiful sunrise and a bride who was beaming. The bride, bridesmaids and moms all arrived at the venue early for hair and makeup, which was a relaxing way to begin the festivities. Who doesn’t love to get pampered for a day of celebration?

As the wedding party was transformed so was the venue. Watching all of the details come together is always a little emotional because you know how much time the bride and groom spent planning for this day. Everything was spectacular. When Alex saw the venue for the first time she said, “it’s like my Pinterest page has come to life!” She loved every single detail and can we talk about her bouquet for a moment? I had seen her inspiration photos and knew what she was going for but nothing could prepare me for what the florist actually created. It was truly a piece of art.

And speaking of art, the cake was also a masterpiece. Grammie knocked it out of the park with another Pinterest-inspired wedding cake and cupcakes in so many assorted flavors that people had to go back for seconds and thirds. There was literally a line for the cake! To make it even more special the wedding planners had created a special sign that read, “Made with love in Grammie’s Bakery.” My mom doesn’t get emotional that often, but this one brought some major tears of joy.

All of this excitement and the ceremony had not even begun. It was surely promising to be an amazing day.

The sun was shining through the trees and there was a slight breeze as the processional began and Alex was radiant as she walked down the aisle on the arm of her dad. I don’t think I have ever seen her look more beautiful.There was laughter, joy, tears and an incredible sermon that bursted at the seams with pure love. Our pastor said he believed that at their core, people can’t help but let their true essence pour out of them. He said, Alex and Drew both have kindness, compassion and a desire to help people pouring out of them. It’s who they are and how they live their lives. Everyone can see it and feel it. There wasn’t a dry eye in the scenic outdoor venue. Even as the pastor asked if everyone would be there to support and love the couple, the cows in the pasture mooed in agreement much to the bride and groom’s delight. We could have all left right after the ceremony and felt like we all received what we came for: an incredible celebration of two people being joined in love.

That was just the beginning of an amazing evening. We had a fabulous dinner followed by best man, maid of honor and father of the bride speeches that once again brought laughter and tears. It felt as if each toast, dance and tribute built upon the next and just when we thought it couldn’t get better Drew flipped his mom over his back in a dance move/wrestling maneuver that literally, as one guest put it, “took the oxygen right out of the room!” The only thing left to do at this point was dance and dance we did! Everyone grabbed their LED glow sticks and hit the dance floor for 2+ hours of nonstop getting down in Arkansas. They wanted a party and that is exactly what they got. When the DJ said it was time to get outside to light the sparklers I am pretty sure I heard some booing. Nobody was ready for the celebration to end.

As we all lined up outside in anticipation of the the sendoff, Alex and Drew had one last private moment on the dance floor. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for the bride and groom and as they began their walk down the aisle of sparklers we saw spotlights and heard the arrival of their last surprise of the evening. A HELICOPTER! While it was not a surprise to the bride and groom or to us, nobody else knew it was happening and that was the icing on the cake. It was so much fun to see the shock on everyone’s faces and hear the excitement from all the guests as we watched Alex and Drew run to the helicopter for their departure.

We always tell our girls to go big or go home and Alex and Drew went BIG! It was an epic day from start to finish and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs. Benson and thank you to all who travelled so far to celebrate with us. It wouldn’t have been the same without all of you.