Wedding

We had the boys wash the tahoe quickly first thing in the morning so we could chauffeur Ali and Blake from the wedding to the reception. Jayden and I had to be to the church in Stratford by 8AM. Torrie and Jossie were already there getting their hair done with curls. Two hair dressers worked to make our hair lovely. Jayden had her hair done twice because by the time she did her make-up her hair which had been all fixed came out and looked straggly. She ended up with a cool fish tail braid down the center of her back. I had curls and had it pulled back in the center. I wore my long fitted grey dress that touched the floor with a small train length in the back. I loved it and had many compliments. The bridesmaids all wore a hunter green floor length off the shoulders dresses. All wedding party wore cowboy boots. The morning was spent getting everyone primped up, having a light lunch and starting photos by 11:30. Jayden helped Torrie and Jossie do their make-up which they loved. She also brought fun socks for her and Ali to wear with their boots. Libby came at 11:30 to do Ali's make-up and fake eyelashes.

The men all wore western blue jeans with a tan tux, vest and tie. They looked so sharp. The tailor liked very small tight fitting jackets, so some were too small. The flowers were beautiful. The bouquets were big and full with lots of wild flowers. A request from Ali, Blake liked to pick her wild flowers along the road so she wanted her flowers full of them. The men had boutiners with flowers in a bullet casing. Everything was beautifully done to the littlest detail with the help of Melinda and Julie.

The first look with Dad was taken, then the kids, and finally Blake got to see his first look of Ali in her dress. She looked beautiful in her lovely dress. The dress was fitted with floral lacy detail and a pretty flowing train. Ali had her hair all up with a soft veil below.

 Photos started with the first look. Ali specifically wanted her dad to see her first. I thought that was very sweet. Mark waited and Ali tapped his shoulder, turned around and got to see her in her dress. It was all smiles and hugs and a very special moment and such a happy time. Mark and I hoped and prayed that Ali would meet a special guy that would take care of her and love her and that she would be happy and have a good life. Considering all she has seen and been through with family, we were beyond thrilled.

Blake and Ali spent time having photos downtown Stratford, around the grain bins at the coop, and outside the church in the tall grass and flowers. Bridgett and Andrew were so adorable all dressed up and excited. Ali gave Bridgett the teddy bear that was given to Ali at our wedding. Karen held on to it over the years. The kids carried a cute sign for some of the photos.  We took a Muench family photo which every family member and boyfriend was in. It was such a large group and I just love to see all the dedicated family members that have made a forever wedding vow, just like the Wahlert and Laugerman side. I love that about our families. There is a a long line of love! No divorces. There were so many photos and it was pretty warm outside. It wasn’t as hot as what it could have been but after many outdoor photos we were sweating. So many beautiful photos were taken.

There was a bit of tension in the day. Ali’s mother has given Ali a roller coaster ride leading up to the wedding. At first Ali didn’t want her mother anywhere around her wedding. She had not spoken to her mother in a couple years. Her mother had been in and out of prison, continues to get arrested for things such as driving without a licence and stealing. She also continues to make poor choices with drugs and isn’t doing anything to try and change. Mark and I told Ali that she should decide if she wants her mom there and it would be her decision. I felt if she didn’t have her mom there she would regret it later in life and so would her mom. We were ok with her mom attending the wedding but felt strongly against her being at the reception. We later learned that on the wedding day during photos, the police were looking for Ali’s mom at her uncle's house. She did make it to the wedding and a few photos were taken right after the reception. She also appeared at the reception causing a moment of tension. 

  Luke, an usher and took his job very serious escorting friends and family to their seats. Ali’s brother Tristan was an usher also. Luke held out his arm and personally escorted each person. Tristan told people to sit wherever they liked and pointed.
The wedding went well, Jake walked down with Jossie, Jayden walked down with Blake's friend Chris.When Ali walked down the aisle with Mark, Blake got choked up and teary. It was so sweet and he got emotional during the vows too. Pastor Andy did an excellent job giving a message during the ceremony and Blake and Ali had a 3 strand cross they braided that represented both of them and God being unified. Aunt Lori sang a song. At the end, Andrew started crying and it turned into sobbing which got Bridget crying. It was an emotional wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony joining Blake and Ali before the Lord and a church of friends and family to celebrate. I am so excited for the two of them as they live out their lives together as a family.

Blake dipped Ali as they left the church and we chauffeured them to the reception. The wedding party was announced as they entered the reception. Each couple had their own special grand entrance. Luke did his taekwondo jump front kick then pointed at the crowd. Jacob led Jossie in, spun her around and turned his hat backwards with a nod. It was pretty cute. Jayden and Chris came in and kicked up their cowboy boots.

The reception looked amazing and the food was wonderful. Linde and Julie catered with pork loin, bbq beef, cheesy potatoes and beans. There were snacks of various popcorn and candies, a bar serving Laura’s homemade wine, and beer. Zack and Jake H were the bar tenders and I think they had the most fun.

The reception started off a bit tense with Ali’smom showing up. After she had her food, she left per Ali’s request. The rest of the evening was filled with fun and celebration. Everyone ate, talked, danced, and some drank. There was the cutting of the cake, garter toss, bouquet toss, first dances, and  dollar dance. The last hour was a smaller crowd and people were getting tired. Mark livened it up with his crazy dancing. He grabbed me and took over the dance floor jumping and dancing around like a monkey to a polka song. I was so embarrassed and I couldn’t believe he was dancing so crazy! I would guess from the outside it looked as if he was on something or had been drinking too much, which neither was the case. I had a couple drinks and that was enough to make my head fuzzy so I had to stop. I realized the homemade wine was strong. By 11:30 everyone was kind of waiting for it to end, so we told the DJ to wrap it up. It was a good night of celebrating. There was a great number of people that attended and everything was beautiful and perfect. i think Ali had a fairy tale wedding for sure! We reserved a suite for Blake and Ali at a hotel in town.

The photographer did a fabulous job and we have hundreds of amazing photos. I wish I could post them all.  I pray that God will bless their marriage and they will put Him at the center of their marriage.