you’ve all met kelley. several times actually. you helped give her some strength when she was trudging through a difficult moment in her life. remember the story? remember when your heart ached for her and you wanted to do anything to help her feel peace, to know she would be ok? i do. i remember wanting my friend to feel so loved, so protected, so understood and so safe. i remember praying that her heart would heal and that someday, it would find love, again.
i got an email several months ago telling me those prayers had been answered: she was going to be a bride again.
i don’t think i stopped smiling for days! i know i got emotional a time or two on their wedding day, because i was so happy.
so happy that our heroine’s tale started a new chapter filled with all of the things she needed. so happy i was able to be a part of their celebration!! it was filled with so much joy that even now i am getting emotional considering it all!!
the week of the wedding kelley and i spoke to visit about the details. after our call she sent me an email. her tone was so sincere, so perfect that i felt it best to quote her here. she shares everything that needs to be shared and does it so eloquently!!
“We met online on an LDS dating website and met in person a few weeks later. Right away, we noticed many points of compatibility between us. We had the same energy level, the same sensibilities. We clicked. We got each other. We’d shared similar life experiences. We saw the world in the same way. Our level of spiritual commitment was the same.
From the beginning, our relationship has always felt familiar and easy. I had dated a lot since my divorce, and so I had a lot of points of comparison. It didn’t take either one of us very long to figure out that this was it, that we wanted to build a life together.
Tom is smart and informed and well-spoken. More importantly, he is kind and gentle and emotionally available and loving. Most importantly, he cherishes me and is committed to caring for my children the same way I care for his.
We have been filled with so much peace and gratitude in the days leading up to the wedding. We feel strongly that God has played a part in bringing us together at this time in our lives and we are SO THANKFUL.”
to my friend, i am so happy for you. congratulations a thousand times over!! may this new chapter in your life fill volumes, epistles, epics!!!!
we all waited patiently outside the draper ut temple, our breath held each time the door opened. her exit was going to be exquisite, regal, stately.
georgia and grant were especially excited to see their mom. this is a day grant with probably remember. georgia will be reminded of how sweet she was:
it was one of those moments, hard to explain. we say it all the time, but this time it really happened, i couldn’t breath or think for that matter for a second in time. i fumbled remembering how to work my camera.
she was resplendent, everything a bride should be on her wedding day.
her babies, like the rest of us, were so happy to see the bride:
and after that i couldn’t help it! i’m surprised i could see; i was just so happy there was no other emotion to prove it!!
he does love her. so much. and she is so complimentary of him.
their reception was held at millcreek inn, nestled in a gorgeous utah canyon. the party details were perfectly understated yet refined and sophisticated, just like kelley.
i adored the cake made by salt cake city:
the lemon/citrus theme was so fresh (pun intended); i loved it!!
their mailbox was a great detail. next to it were cards addressed to the couple with boston cityscapes (the couple is making their new home there. kelley deserves boston!! it deserves her!! ;))
LOVED THIS!! yours and mine=ours!!
tom is loved. and it makes all of kelley’s friends’ hearts happy to know that she is too, and that someone is taking care of her the way she deserves to be taken care of. her heart is safe again, and that’s good.
she was the quintessential bride. breathtaking on every level.
few kelley details:
i adore this next image. put it on a 16×20 canvas please.
the look of these next couple was the feeling i had all day: complete and utter calming happiness:
mingled with true and genuine emotion:
LOVED THESE THREE TOO:
just so pretty:
l knew in my heart that kelley would find love again. i knew it would happen quickly. i also knew she was deserving of true love.
i am so glad she and tom found each other:
and i LOVE the new family they have made.
not that she couldn’t have done it alone, or that she wasn’t a phenomenal mother before, but i am glad she has an extra set of hands and a listening ear at the end of the day now to help just a bit when being a parent gets tricky!
kelley, tom, and family, may you always feel as blessed as you did on this day. may you always be present for each other. may your hearts continue to grow with love and gratitude that you have each other in your lives.
from my heart, thank you for letting me be a part of this day; i was so grateful. congratulations!! i love you all very much.
and now we turn the page, and wait for the rest of the story to be written.
kelley and tom’s wedding day vendors:
dress: Alta Moda Bridal
(kelley wore vera wang.)
hair/makeup: Stephanie Brinkerhoff
venue: millcreek inn
cake: Salt Cake City
flowers: Summer Jensen Chatwin
invitations: Voila! Press
shoes: TJ Maxx
hairpins: Etsy.com (Vintage Valley Girl)
family portrait: Etsy.com (Nat Smith Illustration)
AND a big thank you to brooke bakken for being my sidekick for the day; i loved every bit of it!!! wish you were my neighbor. can you imagine the fun we’d have?