At rest

I had a wedding this weekend, a big one, that was on a grand scale but intimate in so many ways: I got to know the family well (the bride's mother was hands-on and such a sweet woman to work with), the bride and groom hired me to help with the planning (in addition to handling the day-of) which forged a relationship early on, and I worked closely with the groom's mother (whose company was completely responsible for the decor of the reception). From the wedding ceremony at the Cathedral of Christ the King (which made for a Sound of Music-esque Maria walking down the aisle) to the reception at Greystone, it was an experience that brought both new challenges and the ease of familiarity.

One of the guidelines that the Cathedral had was that all of the bridal party suite had to be completely empty of personal items before the wedding ceremony. This meant that I had to gather the bridal party purses and such and keep them safe until after the wedding. I decided to use a grocery cart to corral their stuff. Not the prettiest of containers, but it fit the bill: big enough to hold everything and on wheels for easy transport. I had thought about sewing a cloth liner, but then decided that a paper liner might work just fine. A lawn bag did the trick, and with a bit of silk flower and ribbon magic in the bride's coral color scheme, it was both understated and a statement.

I got home on Saturday night after midnight and jumped into bed, a mix of exhausted and energized. Got up the next morning to church commitments (not all that happy to rise with the sun, but feeling at peace after Sunday School and a service that reminded me of all my blessings). A nice Mother's Day lunch with Grandie and Poppy and Harleigh, then home to a nap . . .  an honest to goodness smack-dab-in-the -middle-of-the-afternoon nap. Flowers left over from the reception filled every one of the 16 blue mason jars I bought the other day!

I took Monday off as a vacation day, but woke up early to do yard work, which I picked up again in the afternoon — the day was too doggone pretty to waste doing anything but outside stuff.

Despite the busyness of the weekend, the rest periods proved to be a treat.