Jenna and Ben had come home in November 2009, ready to change a bit to their lives, and make a home here where they would be married. Intentions were to continue their schooling, but they wanted a break. So yes we said, come home, Ben can stay with us (downstairs of course) until he gets a job and finds an apartment. Ben is a go getting kind of guy, he had a job by December and by February he was moved out. I'm sure the fast speed had nothing to do with NOT wanting to live with us! It was good, though, and we got to know him a lot better. We saw their relationship develope closer before our very eyes. Though there was much going on with Mom, we still had to plan a wedding, and suddenly by February the original August marriage for Jamie and Gifty was pushed up to May, and it was going to happen in Florida. I was not thrilled about that. I wanted him home where my Mom could possibly attend, Jamie was her baby, her first Grandchild, and arguably her favorite. She never came out and said that directly, she said she loved all her grandchildren, but we kind of all knew it, and Jamie definitely knew it. But he was having a hard time with mamaw being so sick, I think, and he told me if it's down here, all the church people down here will help me, and you won't have to do much Mom, and we need to get Gifty's status changed before school starts or she will have to go full time somewhere down here, and she doesn't want to. And he was 25 years old, and that's what he wanted, so I thought ok. Jenna was a little aggravated that he had to get married before her though. :) As long as he doesn't have the first grandbaby, I'll be ok, she said. The idea of not having to do so much was appealing. Except I did their flowers. I made them by hand. I got a book that taught me how and I made them. I was pretty proud of those flowers. The week before we were to leave I realized I needed to do boutineres too. I did my best, but the girls flowers looked a whole lot better than the boys :) I called to have rehearsal dinner catered. But the wonderful women at his church did the most, and I will be forever grateful.
Earl and I were married in two weeks. He asked me, he asked Dad (that is a funny story I'll tell sometime) and we called the Preacher at his Mom's church. His brother Jim was his best man, we had the reception at his and Susie's and his brother Bill and his wife Judy got us the cake. His sister Diana got us the wedding book- and came over to my house right as I was getting up and snapped pictures of me with a towel over my face and one of Earl as he was opening his eyes. She wanted us to have first memory of that day and even back then her love of photography was evident. I love those pictures! Needless to say, it was small, just close family and a couple of friends. Two weeks! And I was a married woman. Jenna had ten months, and I still don't think we got it together like we should have. I had no idea the things involved in the wedding she wanted. She wasn't difficult, she was very easy going, but there was things she wanted. The first time we went dress shopping the lady that helped us kept telling her she needed an Ivory or Pearl dress, because she was so pale. She waited til the lady left the room - "I want WHITE WHITE and that's it!" She snapped, "I'll get a tan!" I had my doubts about that, my non sun loving daughter, but kept quiet. We did not buy a dress there. She wanted Ben in white too, which I think he was a little resistant too at first but came around pretty quickly. It does look so amazing to see them both in white, standing up there. She wanted Pink- cotton candy pink and she allowed the men to wear a light green. She knew exactly who she wanted in her wedding as her attendants, her beloved cousin and her three very best friends. Ben just wanted to get married, but he chose three men he was close to, and Jenna's brother, who though they weren't exactly close at the time - he had a strong feeling they would be, and that feeling came true. Justin loved being best man, but then again Justin loves having all attention focused on him and if he couldn't be the groom that day,(thank God- I told him he was not getting married for years!!!) being Best Man was the next best thing. :) She wanted her brother Jamie to perform the ceremony, no exceptions and when he said he started a new job in Florida and wasn't sure, she told him "You better be here!" and he was. They wanted Ben's grandpa to do communion and a reading. They wanted Ben's Mom do play the wedding march. She wanted my friend Faye and her cousin Chey to sing. She wanted a sand ceremony, which I really tried to talk her out of, because I love candles, but we had sand, and it was very beautiful. And she wanted to give roses to the mothers and grandmothers- which I had never really seen- but was one of the most heartwarming moments of the ceremony. She wanted me to wear pink. She wanted pink flowers. She wanted a human video done by her attendants- that was lots of fun! She wanted the reception at the Sherman House and she wanted everyone to have the best time. She and I made sure her cousin and great Aunt who were vegetarians had the food they desired. She wanted her Aunt Diana to do the pictures. She wanted our dear friends to be the Dj's. She wanted everyone as happy that day as she was. She wanted peace and love to be the theme. And I think it was. So a lot of planning went into Jenna and Ben's wedding, but before that we had to get to Jamie's and Gifty's and I had to find a place for Mom, a different dress and get everyone down there, and Not lose my mind in the process.
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