family members until about 2:00 PM — keep in mind, pictures started at 3:00. Not only did we have an entire army helping us the week of the wedding, we had half the city of Fort Smith praying for nice weather…and did those prayers pay off! If you can believe this, it rained for a solid week until about three days before the wedding — just enough rain for the grass to turn green and a nice amount of time for the puddles to dry. Then, on the day of the wedding at about 5:30 PM, my cousin reported a downpour 2 miles south of us and my mom’s best friend reported a downpour 2 miles north of us. For us, though? A beautiful rainbow. It was like the clouds picked up just long enough to protect the seats.Another aspect of the wedding that people should know is about my dress. Before my wedding, it belonged to my sister. Paige, my matron of honor, and best friend, volunteered her dress for me to have completely taken apart and put back together. Hers had beautiful tucks all over the skirt, a dropped waistline, and a top that was straight across. Amy, a friend of the family, took the tucks out, shortened the front of the skirt, raised the waist, made a belt, and created a sweetheart neckline. In the end, I had a borrowed, old, and new dress — all in one. I could never repay my sister for the gift of her wedding dress, and words can’t express what it meant to me. In the end, all of the planning, decision making, and worrying was completely worth it. I could go on and on about the perfection of our wedding day. It meant the world to Jake and me to have those closest to us witness the exchanging of our vows, and I never thought I would find so much joy in watching people hang out on a couch made of hay!
