Chet and Priscilla's Wedding

Part 4 of 5
For Part 1 go to In Wyoming for the Wedding. For Part 2 go to New Year's Eve/Wedding Rehearsal . For Part 3 go to Pre-Wedding.

Chet with the guys, watching and waiting


Doug Siggins (elder who began the ceremony and gave the message) with Chet


Chet's face when the doors at the back of the church opened and he first saw Priscilla.


Priscilla's father handled the second half of the ceremony, administering the vows and pronouncing them husband and wife.


Three brothers, we used to call them "the big guys". Now, they're "the married guys".


Exchanging rings



Lighting the Unity Candle


I think the best thing about the "Kiss the Bride" pictures (or in my case here, the "Just About Kissing the Bride" picture) is the look on the faces of the attendants nearby.


Mr. and Mrs. Chet White
Leave it to Chet to sweep his bride off her feet and carry her down the aisle!


We had a few family pictures taken after the wedding and Kelly thought to grab my camera and get a couple of pictures. I'm sure the photographer will have one where we're all looking, but this is still a pretty good representation of the White family, including Papa and Grandma, but without Jamie (who was home nursing a cold and staying put in the best interest of her health and comfort as her twins due date is fast approaching).


We may have all been there for the family picture, but I don't think everyone was really "all there".


Chet and Priscilla


For Part 5 go to The Reception.

Pre-Wedding

Part 3 of 5
For Part 1 go to In Wyoming for the Wedding. For Part 2 go to New Year's Eve/Wedding Rehearsal

I failed to mention the "tux fiasco" in the previous posts. I guess there wasn't really a place for it, but it definitely deserves a few lines! On Wednesday (two days before the wedding) Chet, Priscilla, Tom, and Jared (2 groomsmen) went to Billings to pick up Kaleb (groomsman) and pick up tuxes. When they arrived at the tux shop and asked to pick up the order the clerk looked it up and informed them, "There is no order." Thus began a two-hour process of scrambling, measuring, calling the three groomsmen who were driving somewhere in eastern Montana, measuring again, complaining, and getting very little customer service, no apology, and no discount from the store. If you're thinking, "That's why you should always check things ahead of time"--they did! The original order was placed several months ago and two weeks ago Chet and Priscilla went into the store to hand deliver the measurement cards and check on the order.

That's "tux fiasco" part one. Part two came on the day of the wedding when the guys got dressed. One had a torn pocket and side seam, one popped a coat button (no, it wasn't too tight), and one had a ripped out crotch--not just the seam, but torn fabric. Thankfully, Mary had a sewing kit. So, an hour before the wedding I was mending tuxes!


Chet and his groomsmen, Back row: Kaleb (cousin), Chet, Tom (MTU football friend and housemate), Marty (cousin) Front Row: Joey (brother), Keith (brother), Jared (MTU football friend and housemate)


We tried to do a pall-bearer-funeral picture for fun but couldn't get a very-excited-Chet to play the part.


Don Thomas and Chet, waiting


The guys stepped outside to cool off while they waited.


Bryce, Owen, Lisa, and Gabe waiting


Nicole, Ellen, Papa, and Grandma waiting


Flower girl Sarah waiting


Owen, definitely very bored with waiting.


While everyone else was waiting, Priscilla was having some pictures taken. They were worth the wait.
Mary and Priscilla--perhaps my favorite picture of all


Don and Priscilla


Priscilla with Grandma B, Chet stole her heart by just being Chet and immediately and affectionately calling her "Gramma B". That boy has a way with Grandmas!


The ladies: Tawny (friend), Anna (sister), Julia (sister), Priscilla, Lydia (sister), Julia (friend), Marta (friend)

A little more light-hearted

A lot more light-hearted


Priscilla


Rather serious



Meanwhile, Chet is looking pretty serious himself right before the wedding.



For Part 4 go to Chet and Priscilla's Wedding.

New Year's Eve/Wedding Rehearsal

Part 2 of 5
To see Part 1 go to In Wyoming for the Wedding.

We surprised Chet and Priscilla with a Football-Party-New-Year's-Eve-Party-style rehearsal dinner. We had about 40 members in the bridal party and immediate family plus another 20 out-of-town-family-members we wanted to include and this made it possible.

Ellen and I decorated and she came up with the wonderful idea of rearranging and color-grouping the chairs for the event. I wish I'd taken a 'before' picture so you could have seen the room with red, yellow, and blue chairs intermingled around all of the tables. There was definite circus theme going on. Finally Ellen said, "Let's at least put all of one color around each table." When we did that we realized we could ditch the blue chairs all together and we ended up with half of the tables done in red and black (the wedding colors) and half of them done in black and yellow (MTU colors). If you look closely at the plates on the table you will see a football and the words "Game Time", all done in the wedding colors.

A HUGE thank you to Kim and Hannah (the Lands' daughter and granddaughter) for volunteering to be our slaves!! They kept the platters filled and manned the serving table so our family could all sit and eat and visit. What a wonderful gift! I wish I'd taken their picture.





There were New Year's Eve parties for everyone after the rehearsal. The young married couples headed one direction, the older teens and singles headed another, and the pre-teens were at Kim and Patrick's (next to the Lands). We went home with just Gabe, put him to bed, and played Mexican Train with our hosts. If my in-laws had known what we were doing I think they would have joined us. Lisa brought a balloon bouquet home with her and, while she headed up the road to Kim's with the young kids for the New Year's Eve party, Gabe helped himself to his own party.




Go to Part 3 Pre-Wedding.

In Wyoming for the Wedding

We left for Wyoming last Monday at 4:15 AM, picked up Ellen and Daniel a few hours later and settled in for a long trip. It went very well and Gabe was great! I was surprised, because Gabe's "travel happy clock" usually only lasts about 45 minutes.

As we crossed hundreds and hundreds...and hundreds more miles and only touched five states we couldn't help but think of how different the travel is in the eastern part of the country--distance and vistas (one of Keith's favorite words). There isn't much to break up the landscape of North Dakota so it only seems fitting that God gives them such beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We were able to see two of each in our combined trips to and from Powell.


I couldn't pass up this picture! How much more techie can you get? Driving through a veritable wilderness you have Dana texting and checking Facebook on two different devices at the same time! Now think about who's taking the picture and laugh again (yes, it's the driver; no, I wasn't "looking" at her--it was literally a 'shot in the dark').


We only stopped for gas and then got out to stretch at two meal stops at Subways along the way (some of the children really struggled with subs for 'brunch'). We also pulled over at the Wal Mart in Billings when we realized that Chet, Priscilla, and a carload were only a half mile ahead of us on the freeway and they were making the stop. Our reunion and fellowship began a few hours earlier than we anticipated.

We finally arrived at our home away from home, Dorm and Sharon Ann Lands', in Powell at 11:30 PM. This is our third stay with this wonderful couple and I can't imagine going west without stopping here. There were beds made and ready to accommodate 13! Not only are Dorm and Sharon Ann willing to open up their home for our gang when we visit, but last year they took in a family of ten whose home had burned down. The family was with them for six months, and by the time they left there were eleven. The Lands definitely inspire me to achieve greater levels of Christian hospitality!!


These are a few of the amAzing views (emphasis Dana's) from the Lands' home. (Thanks to Dana for grabbing my camera while she watched Gabe when I was decorating the hall.)








Mary Thomas, Priscilla's mom, hosted her family (seven children, five spouses (including one spouse-to-be), and seven grandchildren for Christmas a week before her daughter's wedding. Unbelievably, she invited all of them along with the bridesmaids and our family over for supper on Tuesday! What a blessing this family is to us. We are overjoyed to be united with them in Christ and now with the union of our children.

Don, Daniel, and Keith talking together.


Meanwhile, my single children were "chilling" (the word for the week--not sure how appropriate that was) with a football game and ice cream cone.


Well, not ALL of my singles. Miss Lisa was busy helping Mary serve the ice cream.


We later contained Gabe in the kitchen to eat his!



(Note: Mary Thomas also hosted a church group on Wednesday for Bible Study--just two days before her daughter's wedding. She was Super Woman to the extreme, and seemed so relaxed doing it. What an inspiration!)

Tuesday night was Priscilla's dry-run-hair-night and the women were in and out of her room to watch the 2-hour progression of the styling process. Marta did a wonderful job and I'm sure would have even without the practice run, but it was a fun time for all the girls to relax together.


Go to Part 2 New Year's Eve/Wedding Rehearsal.