the after-party…and a video of the whole deal

ByShawni
I still can’t quite believe it—Max is married! Watching your son get married and stepping into this new chapter has been beautiful, emotional, and, as I mentioned, a little heartwrenching.

The wedding celebration was a little bit of a payoff for all those emotions though.

I wish I had taken a sweeping photo of all the people we love so much filling up our whole yard to celebrate the grand union of our son and his new wife.

There is just something about the feeling in the air being surrounded by so many people you love.  Who love you.  Who love your son.  And meeting so many people who adore his new wife.  All in the beauty of a dark December evening in the desert filled with twinkling lights.  This is all I have for now:
Hoping the photographer captured it more.  (One of my “learned-this-time-to-remember-next-time” notes is to make sure to have my brother bring his drone…it would have been so fun to see that crowd from above!)
At some moments it felt so shoulder-to-shoulder I could hardly get through the crowd to help with something or other, or to manage the music/lanterns find Max and Abby to introduce to someone, etc.
And the dancing was so fun.  Just how Max and Abby wanted it to be.

The Celebration Party Comes Together

But back up…first things first, and in my girls’ opinion, that means Chick Fil A.

Oh yeah.

Loved sneaking away for a few to be with these guys before the celebration party.

Moments That Made Me Laugh, Cry, and Remember

I took this picture for my friends who helped with the iron-burn-hole-through-the-dress-that-morning incident:

That dress looks great, right?
You’d never guess what had happened that morning:
Mid way through getting ready my good friend took on the steaming/ironing responsibilities.
Elle’s silk dress had some creases so we were trying to use a “cool iron” as directed on the tag and all was well until my friend looked up at me in sheer horror holding the iron above a good-sized hole that she had burned right through the front ruffle of the dress.
Oh my heavens we both just looked at each other, eyes as big as saucers, jaws on the floor, and the world around us stopped for a minute.
She felt SO awful and I assured her I would have done the exact same thing…it did say “cool iron,” I think our iron is faulty.
We both didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but luckily I remembered my neighbor, who is also a seamstress, had offered to help with any altering we might need.
I called her in a panic and she was there within two minutes to assess the damage.  She ran home and brought the dress back in what seemed like two more minutes with a perfect seam in that ruffle making it look practically as good as new.
Oh man we were all pretty pleased as punch about that little remedy I tell you!
After the temple…and Chick Fil A too, we headed back to help with the finishing touches for the party.
Love those girls of mine, and we were all delighted when the guests of honor showed up.

Here are the little girls testing out the dance floor:
the girls dancing on the dance floor before the wedding guest started to arrive

Watching Our Son Marry: Pride and Letting Go

And then it was time.
People gathering and talk, talk, talking, food being eaten, lanterns set off, beauty all around.
I really don’t have very many pictures, just the ones gathered from a bunch of air dropped cell phones, but here’s the cutting of the “cake”…
…which wasn’t really a “cake”, it was this tower of the most delicious cookies my dear friend made:

We’re not much of cake fans, cookies are our thing so it was very appropriate.
Then we sent off some laterns into that December night sky:
Then mother/son dance:

Father/Daughter dance:

I love this picture of Max cutting in:

Max and Abby dancing at their wedding celebration

….and then onto a pretty fun dance party that you’ll see on the video…

…and the sparkler send-off.

Why a Video Captures More Than Photos

But really, I don’t know why I’m trying to tell the story with these iPhone pictures when I have this video I love.

We may not have the wedding pictures yet, but we DO have the video. 

And I adore it. 

I love how it gives such a great overview of the whole day.  Lindsey did such a great job! 

There is nothing like a video to give the whole feeling of an event.  Fill up your whole screen and turn it up to watch.

Max and Abby from Lindsey Kesler on Vimeo.
Lindsey is so talented…check her out on that link above.  (LOVE YOU LINDSEY!)

Dave and I looked at each other the other night and wondered again how in the world that happened:  our son is married!

As the lanterns floated into the night sky and the music faded, I realized again how much our role as parents is to guide, support, and eventually release. It’s a joy to watch him build his own life, a bittersweet thrill to let go, and a reminder that the love we’ve poured into our children stays with them forever. Weddings, milestones, and all the small moments in between are the proof that letting go doesn’t mean losing—they mean celebrating growth, love, and the next chapter.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

33 Comments

  1. Wow! That video just radiated love. Love from Max and Abby. Love for parents. Love for siblings. It made my excited for what to come with my own children's future and what we can have. Thank you for sharing these special family moments with us!

    Reply

  11. I am just in awe. This was the most beautiful video. Thank you so much for allowing all of us to experience a little piece of you joy. I hope Abby always jumps into his arms just like that. Congratulations to your whole family. BEST DAY EVER!

    Reply

  12. That was an absolutely beautiful video that so captured the love of Max and Abby as well as everyone there to celebrate them. Dont listen to any negativity – the pictures and their joy speak for themselves. All the best and a lifetime of happiness to this beautiful young couple.

    Reply

  13. I think I have followed your blog from the beginning and it's been so much fun to watch Max (and all of your kids) grow up. Thank you for sharing this amazing wedding video with us. I have a son the same age and this makes me excited for his future wedding rather than dreading "losing him." This video just radiates love all the way through. What a blessing of family and friends!

    Reply

  14. Beautiful people, beautiful ceremony and beautiful home! Just curious, how many people was your backyard able to accomodate for this comfortably? Planning an event with a backyard reception and trying to estimate if it will work! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    1. I think every yard is so different so the numbers are probably so different accordingly, and I'm not a good judge of numbers but I'm guessing we probably had 350 people come and go back there.

      Reply

  15. I have loved the posts of Max's wedding. I am just curious why they chose to be married in Max's hometown instead of the Bride's? Are they doing an open house or anything in the Bride's hometown?

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    1. That was Max & Abby's decision. I think they just wanted the warmer weather mostly. They were going to do an open house in Texas but decided to just simplify and do it all here.

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  21. I love the cookies instead of a cake. The frosting must melt easily in the desert. People can control portions easier with cookies. I’ve had so many pieces of dry wedding cake. I like she went without a veil. Didn’t your sister have a veil emergency for her wedding? Abby had to shave changed clothing a few times that day and it would just get in the way and a waste of time to take off. Her dress is beautiful. I’m liking you didn’t put all the girls in the same exact dress. Their ages are far apart on both sides and hard to find the same style that looks okay and age appropriate on everyone. The group photos looked nice and you can wear the dress again and everyone was able to look their best.

    Reply

  22. I have read your blog for years and I am very happy for you and your family. A beautiful simple wedding, I wish more people will concentrate in the meaning and not so much on the other things. The cake was fantastic! and the wedding video, amazing.
    marisa

    Reply

  25. I saw elle’s Dress is from
    Nordstrom but I can’t find it. Any way you can share a link or the name of it? I’m looking for a modest dance dress for my daughter. This would be so cute.

    Reply

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