and so it went. the tying of strings, writing of signs,
moving and setting up of decorations, assembly of backdrops and chairs
and tables, welcoming of friends and family, cleaning and prepping of
tiki lamps and lanterns, spilling of rainwater from the tent roofs, watching of adorable
babies, driving of gators and vans, drying of tables and seats, moving
of flowers, assembly of bouquets, and taping of tablecloths to tables.
you know, all of the things that you normally do before the wedding of a
close friend.
;)
so
far, no rain. so far, the forecast still said rain. so far, we were
still praying. the girls got ready. we went outside to take photos.
aaaaaand
it started sprinkling. very gently, but enough to make the girls with
hair and makeup freshly done run back inside. so i instead went over to
photograph the guys. all eighteen of them.
it stopped sprinkling. ceremony was to start in approximately fifteen
minutes. we were good, right? guests were arriving and being both
seated and entertained. old friends were found and lively conversation
ensued. josh and eastlyn were getting married. finally. and there was
no rain.
so i wouldn't exactly be telling you this story if that's how it ended. i wish that was how it ended. buuuut nope.
literally at the very moment eastlyn stepped outside the house to walk
towards the ceremony, the heavens opened and it poured. eastlyn stepped
back inside. the guests opened their umbrellas and laughed and
finished arriving. the ushers wished they would've worn undershirts.
all females wished they wouldn't have spent that hour on their hair.
the guys held the umbrellas over their girls. the children we scolded
when they tried to run out and catch the rain on their tongues. the
bride and her maids prayed in the sufficient covering of indoors. the groom and his guys prayed under the scant covering of a
tree. i grabbed a random girl with the biggest black umbrella i could find (thank you, kelsey!) and took photos.
we
waited it out for around twenty minutes, until the pouring had tapered off to a bearable drizzle and we could wait no longer.
a wedding was going to take place, rain or no rain. the ceremony music
started, and grandparents were seated. the mothers walked down the
aisle and lit tiki lamps for family candles and gave each other a
fistbump. guests talked and laughed
and watched. the music changed and the men arrived to stand in place,
while the maids followed them. eastlyn waited behind a white sheet at
the top of the hill. the rain stopped, and for a instant as the flowergirls danced down the hill, the sun shone.
then the music swelled.
all guests arose to see the most beautiful bride whose name was eastlyn walking towards her
ever-smiling and so very patient groom. joshua could barely see her, but the thought of this
precious girl in a white dress about to become his forever kept him
watching. and waiting. and smiling.
after what seemed
like an eternity of trying to keep the tears from my eyes so i could continue to take photos, eastlyn
finally began her walk down the aisle, and into the arms of her
beloved. thus began the promising of one heart to another.
josh
and eastlyn, i am so thankful and honored to be your friend, and i love
how perfect you are for, to, and with each other. you inspire me, and i
know that God has such amazing things for your future together.
love you both :)
((ps. a HUGE thanks to my second shooter, sarah zylka. she showed up for the
ceremony and i stuck my extra camera in her hand with a single memory
card and a lens. i couldn't have done this without her.))
