Rehearsal for the Big Day

I'm sure the bride is eager for pictures of the big day, but I did go through pictures of the rehearsal first because sometimes my mind is orderly like that.  Since the rest of my family were part of the wedding party I had a chance to figure out where I needed to be during the ceremony, which was so helpful!  I love my little wedding-party family.  They humored me by letting me break-in my rental lens on them.

Ella has been fulfilling flower girl duties since she was 2 3/4 and is a complete pro.  This was James's first foray into the world of the wedding ceremony.  It's a good thing he really loves the bride.  Reminding him of how much he loved Katie and that we were doing this for her got him over the hurdle of wearing a tie to the rehearsal.

James's love for Katie goes so far it made him very eager to do everything exactly right.  When told he should sit down during a prayer he asked, "How many seconds into the prayer do I sit down?  Ten?"  I think K.J. told him that sure, ten seconds would be just fine.  

My kids are moving blurs, but I loved this shot of them after the first practice run.  There was so much joyous anticipation in the air.

Alyssa was a great stand-in for Lucas.

The rehearsal always makes me think we should just go ahead and do this, except for the part where everyone can't stop laughing at Zach Pratt's spontaneous dance moves.

Having extended family together is such a wonderful part of weddings.

There was a surprise birthday cake for the mother-of-the-bride, in which the groom explained that he was told to buy candles based on the age his new mother-in-law looked.  Well done, groom.