Of all the things going on over Thanksgiving break, this part was my very favorite.

Elle and Carson were sealed for Time and All Eternity at the temple.

I loved sitting in that temple with all those people I love…family and extended family, sunlight sparking through those towering windows, Elle and Carson calm, happy, in love.

I mentioned this before, but despite the multiple hangers Covid threw in the works of these two getting married, there is something magical about the way it all turned out.

That tiny ceremony complete with the most beautiful vows on that red cliff hillside in Southern Utah. In the middle of the depths of the pandemic.

Then the year and a half since then, waiting for things to open up, waiting to be able to be together in the same temple district to be open. The preparation. The conscious decision to be sealed (rather than being all wrapped up together in the wedding itself). The concentration on the endowments in preparation a few weeks before.

And then, there we were, enshrouded in the love filling up that special room in the temple.

My favorite part was when the sealer talked about the links of a family. I tried to feel all those amazing grandparents who have gone before. All the “impossible” they have gone through so we could be right there, right then. All the “loving more.”

I loved imagining the links not only going back to them, but going forward that will form because of this union. And this love. With this village of support on every side. I am just so grateful.

This picture of Elle and Carson coming out of the temple with the ray of sunshine hitting them sums it all up perfectly.

It was a moment I’ll remember forever. And ever.

As an important side-note, most of the pictures on this post were taken by one of Elle’s best friends, Brie, (THANK YOU BRIE!) You can find her website HERE.

Love that we got to have this “village” there to celebrate:

Dave’s side of the family:

My side of the family:

We sure missed four of my brothers, two of whom, (Eli & Noah), just moved to NYC with their families, Jonah who lives in Hawaii and Tal who lives in Switzerland…just not logistically able to make it, but we sure felt their love anyway! So glad my little sister Charity recently moved back from London so we could have her awesome family here with us as well as Saren, Saydi (so grateful they all made the long drive to be here!) and Josh, our forever supporter.

Carson’s family:

We have lucked out with the best in-laws (Abby’s family and now Carson’s family), and Elle feels so grateful for them.

It is a beautiful thing to watch your child be welcomed with open arms into another family.

Carson is the youngest of six kids, so Elle is an automatic aunt of so many kids!

Makes me wonder how this family of ours will expand in five or ten years from now:

Can’t forget our missionary who got permission to join in via technology for the big events, that’s her making Elle smile so big below:

Oh how we missed her!

But these sisters tried to make up for her absence:

Ha!

The grandparents:

The “quad squad” cousins:

Some of the friends:

Here’s Elle hugging that sweet photographer:

My sister took some of these pictures too…THANK YOU Sayds!

The parents:

And the couple.

Sealed together forever and ever.

More information about the temple:

Elle’s temple endowment in Florida

What is a temple sealing?

Elle & Carson’s wedding on those red cliffs

A red rock from Papa

Posts about the Links to ancestors (that we felt in the temple):

The “Impossible”

Love More

Carrying our ancestors in our hearts

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6 Comments

  1. I love everything about this post! We had a wedding that was upended by the pandemic too but things worked out in a beautiful way.

  2. Congratulations to both families! My fave is the picture with all the nieces and nephews – tells a story about parents being committed enough to family to wrangle all those kids in their finest!

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