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Purple Iris
This beautiful old stone house made an excellent setting with outside arbor and seating for the ceremony, inside dining area, and canopied patio for dancing. It was a perfect choice and the weather was marvelous.Sunday dawned with bright sun and a touch of warmth. It was going to be a beautiful day to be married. We had the rehearsal behind us, many family members and friends had arrived the day before and come to the house, and the groomsmen and Kris had spent the night away and were awaiting my call to come back and get changed.
First the hairdressers came and proceeded to do Kim and Autumn's hair. We were staying in the RV next to the house to be out of the way, but one step in and you knew what was transpiring....spray, goo, blow dryers, smell.....yep, hair getting done. Once hair was set and ladies dressed, Kim, Autumn, and Kris's mother left for the Purple Iris. That gave Trish and me a chance to take a shower and then call Kris and tell him he could come back to the house and get ready.
The Purple Iris in Martinsburg, WV is a beautiful old stone home that has been converted to a conference center, dining facility, reception hall of impeccable grandeur. The grounds abound in flowering trees, pines, purple and other color iris, and multitudes of flowers. Inside there are
Jenn touching up hair
Maid of Honor, Jenn Muth, had many roles, from organizing parties, to helping choose outfits, to keeping Kim calm. She also applied the final touch-up just prior to the wedding. dining rooms, a large reception hall small vestibules with seating, and an outside patio under a large tent with a fish pond in the center that could be used for dancing, or a stand-in for the service if it rained.
We left for the Purple Iris as Trish had to get make-up, hair fussed and I had to.....stand around and watch. Not a lot for the father of the bride to do. The husband of the Matron of Honor called to me and asked for help. He had been tasked with putting up sets of ribbons to flutter from the balcony and needed assistance in measuring, taping, and getting it all done quickly. We managed to complete the task on time and to the approval of MOH and Bride.
Soon guests began arriving and I was fortunate enough to get to chat with many prior to the service. We had wondered what the kids would do for music and they astounded us with an absolutely stunning classical guitarist who played a moderately amplified guitar for almost an hour prior to the service. The sound of the gentle tones drifting over the out doors, with cardinals and wrens accompanying
Lovely Bride
Kim prior to the wedding posing for the photographer. her was exquisite. The guitarist is a professional who has several CDs out. We definitely want to get some of her CDs for our listening enjoyment.
Prior to the ceremony the photographer bustled around, getting candid shots, posed shots of the bride in her gown, the women in their dresses all standing under the trees, father fretting, and people coming in to see the bride. As the time for the ceremony approached, the minister came, gathered up Kris and the best man, David, and took them off. The men ushered in the mothers and then it was time for the processional.
The wedding party proceeded to make the long walk from the front of the house to the grove of trees where the guests awaited. When it was our time, Kim and I walked elegantly from the porch down the drive to the stone steps. The guitarist was playing "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" gently in the background as we came down the steps and across the lawn. I held Kim's arm tightly as she kept smiling and whispering softly to me, "Don't let me fall, Daddy. Please hang on tight. Oh, I'm going to fall. Don't let
Daddy walking his girl to the altar
It was a long walk from the house up the drive, down some stone slab steps, and then down the lawn to the altar. me fall." I tried to reassure her all was fine, gave her the punch line to a joke, and kept telling her she was fine. At the altar, I passed her to Kris at the appropriate moment, announcing that "Her mother and I and all her family and friends give this woman in marriage." Then I sat down and enjoyed the ceremony.
Our dear friend, Martha Musgrove, whom we have known since we lived in NH, took a picture that Kim later said was her perfect vision of what she wanted her wedding to be. It showed the altar in a grove of trees, with the couple and all the friends perfectly framed. Well, our little girl got her desire. The ceremony, written by both of them, included elements of significance to them both and concluded with a beautiful blessing for the couple written by my Aunt Dosia Carlson, who couldn't be there. Dosia had married Josh and Jen eight years ago in Florida. We were so grateful she could still be a part of this couple's special day.
As the wedding party recessed and then gathered for photos, the guests headed into the Purple Iris to mingle
The ceremony
Kim and Kris, with Minister Sue Adams, and bridal party. and await the bride and groom. Kim had a popcorn bar set up with three kinds of popcorn for enjoying. Instead of a guest book, she had a wishing tree. This was a small dogwood tree in a beautiful basket and then guests put their name and wish for the couple on a paper leaf and attached it to the tree. Niece Cindy Olsen had spent the previous week with other Olsen relatives and they had carefully cut the leaves in different shapes and colors and tied ribbons for hanging. Cindy had thoughtfully purchased an actual small tree and had that as part of her gift to Kim.
It took a while for the pictures to be taken but once done, the bride and groom and wedding party arrived and the meal could begin. It was buffet style with chicken, fresh green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, pasta, and wonderful breads. The traditional toasts were given and soon the cake was cut. Trish and I tried very hard to see all the friends and family who had come and we KNOW we missed a number of people and spent way too little time with others. We felt badly that we
With this ring...
Exchanging vows under the trees in front of over 80 friends and family. could not get around more, but soon everyone was out on the patio and it was time for the first dance, the the father-daughter dance, the mother-son dance, the not to be missed Chicken dance, and dancing with friends and family. The event seemed to go by all to quickly and next thing I knew, it was time for the last pictures and folks leaving. We missed saying thank you and good bye to many and suddenly, it was quiet, calm, and over.
We went back to the house and RV; Kim and Kris were staying at the Purple Iris for the night, and everyone needed a chance to take a breath, reflect on the wonderful day, and put their feet up. But Kim and Kris got in one last great idea: since so many were staying in a nearby hotel, and she really wanted to see them all one more time, why don't we all meet at 9AM at the Bob Evans for breakfast? Apparently many thought it was fine and the initial estimate of attendees was between 20-30. So next morning, Trish and I got up early, headed to Bob Evans, and let them know a crowd
Hand fastening ceremony
With the multi-colors representing the elements of nature, the minister bound their hands while explaining how the couple is bound spiritually as well with nature and with one another. would be arriving. Sure enough, by 9 there were about 22 folks coming in for breakfast and the bride and groom were there to thank all and talk over the previous day's events. It was a fun ending to a great celebration!!
Kim and Kris were back to the house and now began the cleaning up, getting borrowed items back to folks, and getting ready to take Kris's mom, son, and best man to the airport on Tuesday and for the kids to leave for their honeymoon on Wednesday. But for now, all formalities were over and we could bask in the glow of the event.
>>There are only 12 photos in the blog. I posted some, not all, of these on Facebook a week or so ago. There are many others on Facebook and we have yet to see the "official" photographs from the hired professional. Two of Kris's photo friends came and took over 800 professional photos at no charge and Kris had many of them. I didn't want to overload the blog or readers, but trust me, we've got LOTS of photos and we are only too happy to show them to you. lol
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Deborah Chamberlain
non-member comment
Fabulous!
I love the story and the quips were wonderful. What a beautiful event a wedding can be with all it's amazing chaos, laughter, tears of joy and the promise of what's to come. I am so happy for your family and wish you all many, many years of happiness and memories to share.