Oh my, What a Wonderful Evening!

This time last week there wasn’t a Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Sharrick. But now, a new family has been formed in the sight of God and man, and we couldn’t be happier!

Months of planning by both Ream and Sharrick families culminated in a weekend filled with joyful celebration.

Rehearsal Dinner

Festivities began Friday night with rehearsal dinner at Treaty Oaks Distillery in Dripping Springs. The Sharricks reserved a rustic indoor/outdoor space that was perfect for the intermingling of two families and the many laughs and memories that were shared. Jackson’s family is fairly extensive, so I think the Reams have the more difficult task of putting names to faces – but thankfully, we will have many years ahead to solidify new relationships.

One theme reverberated through the evening, and even into Saturday’s celebration; the Sharricks, and all their family, love Jordan. Of course Dale and I are not surprised. Each of our children are exceptional people and their spouses are blessed to have them! Ha! But seriously, it is so comforting to Dale and I to see her so lovingly accepted into her new family. And in turn, we love Jackson and are at peace knowing she has such a solid guy as her husband. We look forward to watching them grow together.

Wedding Day!

Suddenly, it was Saturday! Would all of our planning and expectations be met? The answer is yes!

We met at Morgan Creek Barn at 10:45 am to prepare for rehearsal, which was held from 11 am – Noon. Seven groomsmen, seven bridesmaids, a preacher, a handful of family members, and the wedding day coordinator kicked off the day’s activities.

Immediately following the rehearsal, we grabbed a bite and got right into decorating the venue. Morgan Creek has two buildings; a chapel and a reception hall. In between is an outdoor cocktail space. Every area needed attention. I had made an assignment sheet for each group and everyone focused on their tasks. We were done in less than two hours! And, it was fun! The young men and women who mean so much to the couple, are now heroes in my book as well! (Actually, three of them already own a piece of my heart – my daughter, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law, all of which were bridesmaids. And Jenna is pretty special too!)

The couple and all of their attendants hung out at the venue until the ceremony. Each group had their own comfy space. I was pleasantly surprised at how chill everyone was. I think the groom even took a nap! Two stylists worked on hair and makeup throughout the afternoon. Once I felt satisfied with every aspect of the event prep, Dale and I headed to our tiny home rental to get ready for the ceremony.

Water Into Wine

But before Dale and I had left the venue to get ready, we stopped to thank the Lord for taking care of every detail, and to vocalize in prayer, that He was invited to our wedding and to celebrate with us – just like the wedding in Cana. It is no exaggeration to say that all that had been paid for, and planned, would not have happened if God had not provided. He turned our water into wine. And now, looking back at the evening, I feel like He was present and honored.

Dale and I arrived back at the venue at 4 pm, just one hour to go! After this point, my already heightened state of emotion, was ratcheted up a few more notches, and there would be no calm for me until well after midnight. I definitely wasn’t frantic or anything, just excited to see the evening unfold.

The Ceremony

When Dallas ushered me to my seat at the start of the ceremony, I was so happy to see nearly every seat filled. Dale did a fabulous job of giving Jordan to her new husband. He kept it together! The pastor delivered a wonderful message and managed the ceremony so well. Everything went so smoothly and then, voilà, we have a married couple! Let the celebration begin!

After group photos and cocktail hour had concluded and everyone had found their seat, the couple entered the reception hall amid applause and shouts of joy. They were beaming. Their love shown on their faces. Most of the bridal party and their spouses were seated at the head table facing the room, the rest of us were seated at round tables throughout the room. By now it was about 7 pm and supper was in demand. The evening progressed as planned and to me, the overall mood was almost like a family reunion – a good family reunion (not the angry bickering kind, ha ha). Part of that was due to the large amount of family on the Sharrick side, but also the evening had been bathed in prayer, and a spirit of peace and joy permeated the room. Plus, it was uncanny how many Ream guests know a Sharrick guest from some past life. I have come to the conclusion that Midland, Texas is the birthplace of half of Central Texas!

Highlights

For me, highlights of the evening included the cake cutting and the dancing. My only request for the reception was that the cake be cut in the middle of the room so that everyone could watch. I wanted the couple to be the center of attention as much as possible. Too often the cake cutting takes place without anyone realizing it. I’m glad we did this. It engaged people and gave us a chuckle as the couple struggled with cutting and feeding each other cake.

The toasts came next. Both Jenna and Thomas did a fantastic job. Jenna has been a part of Jordan’s life for many years, and her family attends church with us here in Round Rock. We love that family and are thankful for Jordan and Jenna’s friendship.

Dancing commenced with the couple, then Dale and Jordan’s dance. Once again, Dale kept it together very well. It’s always nice to watch the interactions between a bride and her father, and a groom and his mother during these dances. Everyone did fabulous. As we watched the first dance between the new couple, I wondered, as I always do, what are they talking about while they dance? I’m guessing that about this time of the evening they are probably starting to feel relaxed and are releasing some stress through playful banter.

After that, the masses hit the dance floor. All ages “cut a rug” that night! It was so much fun. The dance step that Dale and I practiced from a YouTube video went out the door and our 80s dance moves broke free! Ha ha! Honestly though, the couple had selected a wonderful playlist and most everyone found the music to be very danceable. Above all, the style of dancing did not dishonor our Lord.

As the evening came to a close, the bouquet was tossed, and the couple had a final, private dance. The rest of us went outside to light our sparklers and wait for the couple to make their escape. It all happened too quickly! Before I had a chance to absorb the moment, they were in the old blue Chevy truck headed out! Oh my, what a wonderful evening!