Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[mickeystoontown]

I really love the decor you guys put together for the wedding. I can't wait to see more photos!!

I didn't see your last post before I posted my last post. I hope John felt better later that day.

The decorations ended up being so pretty yet so simple. John felt better later that evening but it was a doozy of a time dealing with it.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Ms. Bossy Pants came up and sat next to me at one point and was trying to tell me about how to walk down the aisle and that I had missed it while tending to my husband and did I want to try it. I told her that I knew how to walk and that I am sure it would be fine. As would my husband. She didn't really know how to respond and simply said "oh okay".

Pictures of the rehearsal:

You can see how the flower arrangements turned out in the two pictures above. I thought they turned out really well and looked nice against the tan color of the stage.

Lacey and Lauren, a bridesmaid:

Lacey and Ashly, her maid of honor and cousin:

More practice:

As you can see, Lacey and Jesse decided to be standing facing the audience while the pastor stood down on the floor. That was my idea! I didn't want every wedding picture to be of their backs or be distracted by a photographer running around on the stage taking pictures during the ceremony.

The flower girl playing with the tithes envelopes:

Practicing the sand ceremony:

You are now almost Mr. and Mrs. It was cute because the pastor said "Jesse, you may NOT kiss your bride yet."

Once they were done rehearsing, we went back into the reception area where we had a nice dinner of pasta alfredo, salad, bread and potato salad. I know potato salad doesn't really go with the other choices but potato salad is Jesse's favorite so he got it.

**Stopping here because it's almost lunch time and I need to copy some papers for a client who is coming in right after lunch. I'll try to post more this afternoon.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I found more rehearsal pictures. One of Hunter filling in for his dad:

Jesse's mother and dad. They had just gotten to Georgia.

I also forgot to post a picture of Lacey's warning label she put on the cookies and muffins that they cooked for the reception. This is just one of the labels:

]

Their kids' church room and entrance is amazing! The entrance looks like you are entering an old mine. It's so cool!

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the inside. It has a stage built out of old planks of wood and has tents off to the side like a campsite. It's just so neat.

Ashly was giving Lacey a lingerie shower that night and she started setting up a few of the decorations and goodies so I took pictures:

After the rehearsal dinner, we went back to the hotel with plates of food for Mama, John and Lois. There was no need for them to go out and buy food since there were plenty of leftovers from the rehearsal dinner.

John was feeling better but a little dopey. He said that he felt like walking to Betty's Country Store. There was something there that Mama wanted so off we went. But, not before I asked Lois if she wanted me to help her decorate the birdhouses. She said no, she was doing her thing and was in the zone and it wouldn't take her long to do them. I made her reassure me that it was okay for us to go before I left her with them. She said to go.

Mama and Hunter in the hallway:

We barely made it to the store before they closed. Mama and I went in and got whatever it was that she wanted and John and Hunter waited outside on the benches for us.

We walked Mama back to the hotel and I told John and Hunter to wait outside. I was going to make sure Lois was still doing okay before we explored the town a little more. Lois was fine so I met back up with my boys. Surprise! Surprise! John was on the phone!

We walked to the main street and on to the magic shop but it was closed. Apparently, the stores were all closing early that night too. It was nice outside though and we enjoyed our walk. We made it back to the hotel and watched a few episodes of Storage Wars before nodding off. Tomorrow was the BIG day!

 

[KatMark]

Great updates, Lisa. The flowers and the jars with Lacey and Jesse's pictures turned out great.

Love the rehearsal pictures (and you can see that "mischievous" look in Lacey's eyes in some of them.

I'm sorry John was having some problems, but best he take care of it the night of rehersal and not the day of the wedding.

 

[mickeystoontown]

As I said before, there was a men's breakfast at the church so we couldn't get into the church until 10:00 a.m. We left Mama and Hunter at the hotel so they could sleep late and Lois, John and I headed to the church.

Once we got everybody settled into their roles for the day, John and I headed out to pick up the rest of the food for the reception and the cake and groom's cake. We were very pleasantly surprised when we talked with the decorator who did the cake. They were supposed to have gotten a deposit equal to one-half of what the cake cost. For some reason, they didn't do that and only made Lacey pay a $25.00 deposit. So, when we went to get it, they could not charge us more than one-half of what the cake cost. That meant we saved nearly $60 on the wedding cake. That was great news because the groceries in Georgia cost a lot more than the groceries in Louisiana and we used that extra money to buy even more goodies for the reception.

We returned to the church with both cakes and a trunk full of stuff for the reception. Lacey and I had bought the stuff to decorate their wedding cake and we pulled them out and Gabi (one of her bridesmaids) helped us decorate it. This is the final product:

The groom's cake was pretty simple and was all chocolate. The ladies at the bakery were supposed to do some special wording that said "The Three Stooges" on it (that's Jesse's favorite television show) and then Lacey was going to decorate it with the three stooges that she made. At first, Lacey was a little ticked that they didn't do the writing correctly but quickly got over it and moved on to other things.

These are the three stooges that Lacey made and painted:

For wedding favors, we bought small packets of sunflower seeds, punched holes in the top of the package, made tags that said Lacey & Jesse on them, glued sunflowers on them and then tied them to the packages with raffia. For the rice bags, we took muslin and ripped it into squares, filled them with birdseed and then tied them with raffia.

A few more pictures:

You may notice in the picture directly above that there are UFC fighting gloves on the table. Lacey is a huge UFC fan (told you she wasn't a girly girl). So, for Christmas, Jesse made a donation to a charity that one of the fighters supports. In exchange, he signed a picture for Lacey that says "Sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding." and autographed it. The other item in the above picture is their money tree. I don't know if you guys are familiar with a money tree but it's popular in the South. There are little clothes pins on the tree and people put dollar bills on it as their gift to the bride and groom.

We had ten birdhouses and they were made in sets of two so that they wouldn't all be the same. She gave them away as gifts to the people who helped with the wedding.

***Stopping here so I can do a little work and keep the boss happy and because Photobucket is acting funky again. Does it do that to you guys?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Great updates, Lisa. The flowers and the jars with Lacey and Jesse's pictures turned out great.

Love the rehearsal pictures (and you can see that "mischievous" look in Lacey's eyes in some of them.

I'm sorry John was having some problems, but best he take care of it the night of rehersal and not the day of the wedding.

I thought they turned out well too. Lacey does have that sneaky look doesn't she? Wonder who she gets that from?

John hated that he missed the rehearsal but it couldn't be helped.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Poor John! Glad he at least felt better later that day and the day of the wedding. And well enough to be on the phone that night

The decorations are fantastic! We don't get to decorate that much for Heather's wedding, unfortunately. The hall provides the table cloths and tables/chairs. We only have to do the centerpieces, favors and some decorations. They are really strict about what they do and don't allow. But, they were a good price and on the water, which Heather and Jimmy both really wanted! I will definitely post pictures of everything on my PTR

 

[TinksThree]

I am so impressed with the decorations and all of the hard work you guys put into it! I love The Three Stooges! That is hilarious!! Too bad John missed the reheasrsal but glad he began feeling better for the big day! And I also like how you have Hunter "in training" taking pictures!

Do you not have Zaxby's in LA or is it just your "Georgia treat"? We have several here and you actually pass by one in Clinton (you just can't see it from the interstate). You are right...they are so good!!

The more I see your pictures of Helen the more I think we need to make a drive there one day! Looks like my kind of town!

And yes...Photobucket does that to me all of the time! Drives me crazy!!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Poor John! Glad he at least felt better later that day and the day of the wedding. And well enough to be on the phone that night

The decorations are fantastic! We don't get to decorate that much for Heather's wedding, unfortunately. The hall provides the table cloths and tables/chairs. We only have to do the centerpieces, favors and some decorations. They are really strict about what they do and don't allow. But, they were a good price and on the water, which Heather and Jimmy both really wanted! I will definitely post pictures of everything on my PTR

The let down of not being able to participate in the rehearsal added to John's worry/stress/twitches. Thankfully, after some rest and a couple of doses of meds helped him relax.

The church was a little strict with what we could do too. They had a no candle/no glitter policy which was okay by us because the only candles we used were in jars in the reception (which was okay) and there was no way Lacey was having glitter anywhere.

Hey, if the price was good, I would have gone with that venue too. That's why Lacey ultimately decided to get married at The Bridge Church. Since she was considered a member (she attended church there for 3 1/2 years and was a Master's Commission student there), we were able to use the church free. My mother's cousin is President of The Civitan Club here in West Monroe and we got to use their building free too. So, I am all about doing things the cheap way!

I am so impressed with the decorations and all of the hard work you guys put into it! I love The Three Stooges! That is hilarious!! Too bad John missed the reheasrsal but glad he began feeling better for the big day! And I also like how you have Hunter "in training" taking pictures!

Do you not have Zaxby's in LA or is it just your "Georgia treat"? We have several here and you actually pass by one in Clinton (you just can't see it from the interstate). You are right...they are so good!!

The more I see your pictures of Helen the more I think we need to make a drive there one day! Looks like my kind of town!

And yes...Photobucket does that to me all of the time! Drives me crazy!!!

Thank you! I am so blessed to have such a loving talented family who were just itching to help out with the wedding. If I hadn't, then we would have either been broke as can be or have ugly decorations.

Hunter likes to take pictures but sometimes forgets to take pictures of the wide open spaces. He likes to focus more on taking upclose pictures.

We do not have a Zaxby's anywhere near here. The closest thing to Zaxby's is a Raising Cane's and John doesn't care for it at all. Now that you mention it, I remember seeing the Zaxby's from the interstate. I even said something about it.

Last year, when we went to Georgia and stayed in Helen, we drove to Pigeon Forge. If I am remembering correctly, it only took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there. How long are ya'll going to be staying in Gatlinburg? Maybe you could work in a drive to Helen.

 

[jenseib]

I'm just starting to catch up again and just watched the wedding video. How beautiful! They did an awesome job with that video. I had tears too. Darn it~!

How are the newlyweds doing? I still have a few more pages to catch up on!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm just starting to catch up again and just watched the wedding video. How beautiful! They did an awesome job with that video. I had tears too. Darn it~!

How are the newlyweds doing? I still have a few more pages to catch up on!

You've had your hands full the last couple of days with Claire being sick. I hope that she's doing better. Poor baby!

The video makes me cry every time I see it. The part where Jesse sang to her was a complete surprise for Lacey. She had no idea he was going to do that.

The newlyweds are doing well. Lacey is looking for a job and has an interview tomorrow for a teacher's assistant position at a preschool. It may be just a short term job because the person that she's taking the place of is having a baby. But, I told her if it sounded promising, she ought to take it. You never know....the lady may decide to stay home with her baby or they may have another position come open before she leaves.

 

[aprilisis]

I didn't know Lacey was a UFC fan!!! That would explain the autographed Matt Hughes photo I saw in the video. I'm a huge fan, too.
The Three Stooges she made were great!- especially Larry & his crazy hair! I also laughed out loud when I saw Lacey's note on the cookies & muffins!

 

[Bethislucy]

I love the deco for the wedding simple yet very pretty. I think sometimes people go overboard. If I'm ever lucky enough to get married that's what I want something simple yet pretty.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I didn't know Lacey was a UFC fan!!! That would explain the autographed Matt Hughes photo I saw in the video. I'm a huge fan, too.
The Three Stooges she made were great!- especially Larry & his crazy hair! I also laughed out loud when I saw Lacey's note on the cookies & muffins!

Heck yeah she's a UFC fan! John is too. They could watch it for hours on end. I'm glad you remembered Matt's name 'cause I had totally forgotten it. I think I am going to send the video and a couple of pictures to him and let him know that they used the picture. I may not ever get a response but I figure it can't hurt.

I have never liked the Three Stooges but Jesse loves them. That's why Lacey wanted to make them herself and I thought she did a pretty good job. There were other notes on the other desserts. Like "These are for Lacey & Jesse's wedding. Eat them and you WILL get sick!" She was making sure everybody knew not to touch the desserts.

I love the deco for the wedding simple yet very pretty. I think sometimes people go overboard. If I'm ever lucky enough to get married that's what I want something simple yet pretty.

Thank you! I think people go overboard too and I can't imagine what they pay for a wedding. Thankfully, we are a family of crafty people and were able to make all of the decorations. There's no way I could have afforded to have them done by someone else.

 

[KatMark]

Heck yeah she's a UFC fan! John is too. They could watch it for hours on end. I'm glad you remembered Matt's name 'cause I had totally forgotten it. I think I am going to send the video and a couple of pictures to him and let him know that they used the picture. I may not ever get a response but I figure it can't hurt.

Markie is a huge fan too. In fact, he met Matt Huges and has his autograph.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Just a couple more pictures of the decorations:

As I said, everybody else had already left the church and were back at the hotel getting ready. John, Lacey and I were in one of the kitchens fixing platters of fruit and cutting strawberries into slices. We were cutting all the way up until a little after 12:00 Noon and we were supposed to be back at the church at 1:00 p.m. for pictures. Helen is not that far away from Cleveland but it's just two lane road and the speed limit is low all the way there and back.

Remember those lovely empty streets of Helen that I spoke of? Well, they weren't so empty now! There was a motorcycle ralley that weekend and traffic was hot mess. Finally, we made it to the hotel and Mama was already ready as was Hunter (except for putting on his shoes). John and I rushed and got ready and as we closed the door of the room, we realized that John hadn't gotten his medicine. And, he didn't have his room key nor did I. Lois came into the hall and said that we would all go down to the front desk and get a new key, she'd get John's medicine and bring it with her when she came a little later.

Of course, when we got to the front desk, there was a line of people waiting to check-in. Come on lady, check these people in so I can get to my daughter's wedding! We got the new key, handed it off to Lois and we were outta there. The traffic heading out of Helen wasn't as bad as coming in but it was still moving at a pretty slow pace. Lacey called and asked where we were and we explained what was going on. I could just hear Ms. Bossy Pants talking about us being late.

When we got to the church, it was 1:25 p.m. The wedding didn't start until 3:00 but they wanted to get as many pictures taken as they could beforehand so that the guests weren't waiting forever in the reception area. After a quick walk-through of the reception area to make sure the Mission kids had everything under control, I went downstairs to see my baby girl.

Lacey already had her dress on and was waiting on me to arrive with her jewelry. The jewelry? Holy Crap! Oh yeah, the jewelry was in the car. I ran back upstairs and outside and found the jewelry case and made my way back downstairs. I was going to be sweating up a storm by the time I was done.

Lacey decided she wanted to wear the pearl that I bought at Japan in Epcot. She had picked out the oyster and I chose the setting. Here's her former Mission leader helping her:

And my Mama giving her the pearl earrings:

One of Lacey and her bridesmaids:

You'll notice that we were in one of the toddler rooms of the church thus the lovely scenery in the background.

A semi-blurry one of Lacey and I:

We were told to come upstairs and take pictures and I snapped one of Hunter and his Daddy:

While the photographer was taking pictures, I was sneaking in some too but was trying not to disturb him because we were running a little later than we wanted to be.

Lacey and my niece, Ashly. They are only 2 1/2 months apart in age and have grown up together. Ashly was at our house all the time and they are as close as sisters. Ashly was Lacey's maid of honor. Oh and Ashly just got engaged too so I am sure Lacey will be in her wedding.

Standing around waiting:

***Stopping, Photobucket issues!

 

[mickeystoontown]

The following pictures were taken by Lacey & Jesse's former Mission leader. Her husband is the pastor who officiated the ceremony. We love them as if they were a part of our family. Their son and daughter were the flower girl and ring bearer. Their son swears that Lacey is and will always be his girlfriend.

Waiting for the ceremony to start. Lacey was so relaxed and not nervous at all. One of her bridesmaids was more nervous than all of us combined. The rest of us were just happy that the day had finally come.

The flower girl:

I forgot to post this one before. It's better than the one that I took:

Jesse waiting on his bride:

The happy couple:

Flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow. The niece that didn't get to come made the pillow. In the center is a really old button we found in my Mama's sewing machine cabinet and the backside is made of one of my deceased's brother-in-law's shirts so the pillow has a special meaning.

The ring bearer and flower girl after the wedding:

Oh and this one of the flower girl sound asleep about 30 minutes before the wedding. She was zonked out!

One of the table decorations with the candles lit:

More reception pictures:

John's parents and nephew:

This one is blurry but it's one of John's brothers and his wife:

John's nephew and Lacey:

I heard a lot of commotion and realized that Jesse was about to fling the garter (He didn't take it off in front of everybody. Lacey gave it to him after the ceremony.)

Lacey's throw-away bouquet was made of several individual sunflowers and they were tied with a ribbon. Right before she tossed it, she untied the ribbon so that each individual flower would be tossed. It was really cute and lots of the girls were able to catch a flower:

And Lacey's Jeep all decked out. As you can see, they wrote stuff all over it and Jesse's parents were afraid that Lacey would get offended. I told them that I believed it would be fine but he still made them remove one thing they wrote on it which I don't remember. I didn't think it was too terribly bad but I understood him, as a pastor, thinking that it needed to be taken off.

**Up next: Is that the newlyweds I see over there?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Markie is a huge fan too. In fact, he met Matt Huges and has his autograph.

Lacey would probably pee her pants if she were to meet him. I heard on the radio that there's a UFC tour or fight or something called Battle on the Bayou and I thought I'd see who was coming. If Matt Hughes is going to be there, I may have to check into tickets for John and maybe even Lacey and Jesse if they wanted to come down.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I LOVE the pictures. Looks like the wedding went wonderfully (of course!).

The decorations look like they fit perfectly with everything else in the wedding. And that ring bearer pillow is a wonderful tribute to your deceased brother-in-law.

 

[GrammyJudy]

GREAT PHOTOS. I love your dress Lisa and you are too young to be mother of the bride!