the kiss

remember this photo?

i took it last valentine's day.

i am reposting it today,

because my brother got married last night...

it was one of the sweetest weddings i have ever been a part of.

in fact, this photo was used in the wedding invitations

that my brother's {now} wife asked me to design.

i was so excited to be able to use it...

this was my eighth wedding invitations design,

but only my second design
that incorporated a photograph that i took.

{here was the first.}

when my sister-in-law saw the photo on facebook,

she told me she would like me to use it

as part of the design of the invitations.

i was thrilled just to design them at all...

but to also be asked to use one of my photos???

i was honored, to say the least.

here is what the final invitations looked like...

there are two pieces to this invitation. the main outer piece {which has a flower-graphic cutout that folds up} envelopes the second insert piece. tucked into that outer piece is the inner piece or insert... shown by itself in the next few images. the above image shows the front of the outer {main} piece with the second insert piece inside of it. it is how the invitation looks assembled and stuffed before and once it is pulled out of the envelope.

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this shows what the insert piece looks like folded {without the main piece surrounding it}.

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this is what the outside of the insert piece looks like unfolded.

~ ~ ~

this is what the inside of the insert piece looks like unfolded.

~ ~ ~

this is what the inside of the main {or outer} piece looks like unfolded {the flower flap is unfolded downward}.

~ ~ ~

this is the outside of the outer piece {or main piece}... flower flap unfolded downward.

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this is what the back of the outer piece {or main piece} looks like with the flower flap folded up on the other side.

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so, on to more wedding "stuff"...
as i said earlier, this was one of {if not the most} beautiful weddings

that i have ever been to...

but not just beautiful.

sweet.

sentimental.

touching.

tender.

gorgeous.

full of life.

heart-warming.

fun.

laughter-filled.

it was a blessed time of reunion for many family members and friends.

and it was little isaac's first major outing.

everyone doted over him and wanted to hold him.

and he was such a good little peanut the entire time.

he never fussed or cried.

he slept for much of it.

but he was awake long enough

for everyone to see his beautiful peepers.

how wonderful it was to be at my forty-six-year-old brother's wedding

{we thought he'd never get married... *wink*}

with b's and my little one

{we thought we'd never have a kiddo!}.

and the rest of my family there...

my mom without my late father

{although i know he was there in spirit witnessing it all},

my twin sister with her new fiancé,

my older sister with her husband and three kids,

my other brother {who was the best man
and gave the best best man speech i ever heard
next to my husband's best man speech
at his brother's wedding} with his two kids,

other family and many friends, old and new.

the entire ceremony and reception were really special.

but there were two moments that really got to me emotionally...

one was during the ceremony

and the other during the reception.

the special moment in the ceremony

was the "you may now kiss the bride" kiss.

it was, hands down, the most beautiful and breathtaking kiss

during a wedding ceremony

that i have ever seen.

when the pastor said, "you may now kiss the bride",

my brother, very gently, put his left hand up to my sister-in-law's cheek

and kissed her ever so softly on the lips.

it was a long kiss,

but not a sloppy, over-the-top kiss...

just very appropriate for a wedding ceremony.

very tender.

but very real.

it truly seemed like it really meant

exactly what all their verbal exchanges meant too.

it softly stated... forever...

and when he was done kissing her in such a classy manner,

he gently moved his head upward to give her a sweet kiss on the nose.

and then again, upward to kiss her on the forehead...

both shorter than the kiss on the lips,

but still slow and intentional and filled with so much meaning.

it truly took my breath away.

i did not have my camera with me,

so i did not get any photos.

but i asked one of my brother's facebook friends

if i could borrow her photo of the kiss for this post.
{thanks, susan!}

here it is...

it was like watching an old cary grant movie... only better,
because this couple, I KNOW!

the other really touching moment of the evening for me was this...

during the reception when my brother and my mom

danced the mother/groom dance.

he chose a song that has had a lot of meaning for my family over the years.

a song with really beautiful lyrics that always causes tears to well up

for all of us in the family whenever it is heard.

it's a song made known by cindy morgan.

here are the lyrics...

there's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon

waking to the sunlight, and being cradled by the moon

catching fireflies at night

building castles in the sand

kissing mama's face goodnight

holding daddy's hand

thank you Lord, how could i ask for more?

running barefoot through the grass, a little hide and go seek

being so in love, that you can hardly eat

dancing in the dark

when there's no one else around

being bundled 'neath the covers

watching snow fall to the ground

thank you Lord, how could i ask for more?

so many things i thought would bring me happiness

some dreams that are realities today

such an irony the things that mean the most to me

are the memories that i've made along the way

so if there's anything i've learned from this journey i am on

simple truths will keep you going, simple love will keep you strong

'cause there are questions without answers

flames that never die

heartaches we go through

are often blessings in disguise

so thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord

how could i ask for more?

our family has gone through many heartaches.

many that we brought upon ourselves.

many that are just an inevitable part of life.

but we have also experienced many joys and blessings.

this song is sort of an anthem of that life we know as a family.

i know if my father had been at the wedding,

he would have cried to see my brother marry after all this time.

just like how i know he would have cried with joy

on the day that isaac was born.

and just like i know he would when my twin sister marries.

when my brother and my mom started dancing,

i was in line for some pastries at the dessert table.

i watched them on the dance floor from afar,

and i could not help but cry.

tears formed, and i almost sobbed.

but i figured i should hold it in

so that the poor souls in front and back of me

weren't thinking to themselves, "gosh, i just came over here for the dessert!"

and would not be scared by the crying lady next to them in line.

{*wink*}

when i arrived back at my seat,

my sister and my husband teased me, because my plate was rather empty

as i had gotten to the dessert table too late and most of the desserts were gone.

they saw the tears in my eyes,

and they said, "oh, sure... we know that the real reason you are crying

is because there are no more good desserts left."

we all had a good laugh,

and then we watched the remainder of the dance.

i wish i could write about the entire evening,

but it would take too long.

so i'll just have to keep it to the two highlights above.

i have only one regret... that i did not bring my camera.

sadly, because i am so tired and busy lately,

i have not been taking pictures of many meaningful things in my life.

the day before the wedding,

mr. b's parents came to our house

{visiting from florida to meet isaac}

as well as an uncle, an aunt, and her husband.

i did not get any photos of that, either.

oh, how i wish i had.

both days were such special time with family...

special moments i can never have back again.

but the good thing is that mr. b. also regretted
not getting photos of his family while they were here...

so now, he has decided to start learning to use my camera

so that he can take photos when i am not able.

i just about fell over when he went to get the camera

to take pictures of me giving isaac a bath yesterday.

you see, b. is NOT a photo person.

he does not like to be in them OR take them.

but i think now that he is a proud papa,

he is turning over a new leaf!

HOW GLAD AM I!!!

well, i guess i better wrap this up.

i just wanted to record a few special memories

of my dear brother's wedding.

i am over-joyed to have a new sister... a real angel...

as an addition to this ever-growing family.

thank you, Lord.

how could i ask for more?