A Blessed Event! Part 1

Our family had the blessing of attending a wedding in Florida last week. The groom is the son of our dear friends Mike & Marci in OH. And we are thrilled that we went!
Words cannot describe to you the experience of attending this refreshing, godly wedding. This union was the result of a betrothal. This couple did not play the traditional "dating game". And, as a result, they tendered their first kiss at the altar. Many times during the precious ceremony there were tears in our eyes. It was such a pure, and holy wedding. It was quite different than any wedding I'd ever been to. I will try and describe some of it to you...
First of all, the wedding was held outdoors, the picture you see above is of the bride's family farm. The pond is on the left, the ceremony was held just beyond it, and the tent housed the reception.
The wedding was very family oriented. There were many family members in the wedding party, and the dads of the bride and groom were the ones who conducted the ceremony (I loved that)! The picture above is of the bridesmaids (they wore white! the little girls wore blue satin under w/white overlay)

Below is our friend Mike doing his part of the ceremony. In the picture above of the kiss, you can see the bride's father. He did the majority of the service, and did a splendid job.

Something else that was different about the wedding? The Vows! The couple wrote their own....Here are Brittany's:

I, Brittany promise you, Josh that I will love, honor and obey you. I submit myself to you, as the church is subject to Christ. I will honor and respect you, so that your heart can safely trust in me. I promise to be your encourager, helpmeet, closest confidant and best friend. I will stand beside you, loving you and supporting you in times of joy and times of sadness, in times of sickness and health, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I will be your loving, prudent keeper at home, always striving for a gentle and quiet spirit, making our home a peaceful and restful place that brings glory to God. If the Lord chooses to so bless us , it will be my greatest joy to be your fruitful bearer of children, and I will help you diligently teach them the commandments of the Lord. Where you go I will go. Your goals will be my goals and I will share your dreams. I give to you all my love, my hopes and dreams and my life as your faithful and obedient wife. I love you.

I will continue later....