From the Bride’s perspective followed by mine (kortney).
Autumn, the Bride-to-be:
Oh, how God has blessed me!
All I could think about this morning was how I used to lay in my bed at fifteen years old and pray to God to keep my husband safe until we found each other. I used to pray “God, if you just give me my husband, I promise I will love him with all the earthly love I have. I will love him as much as one human can love another.”. I could barely stand the excitement this morning and unintentionally woke up at the crack of dawn. As someone who doesn’t necessarily care about getting ready or make a big deal out of things I just stared at my simple white dress with little green flowers for thirty minutes. My nerves were on a high considering I knew that I was about to walk into a party for me and I hate having attention on myself. The only thing I could think to do to calm my nerves was call my love. Elisha.
Oh, how Elisha just knows how to get my mind off of things… by telling me he still doesn’t know what he is wearing. While that might have stressed out a soon to be bride only an hour away from her bridal shower… it put me at ease. I laughed and was reminded that in the end, it’s just me and Elisha.
He showed up at my house (ten minutes late) with that wonderful smile on his face. As we rode to the barn in anticipation, he held my hand the whole way. He was wearing his ring. No, we are not married yet, but he begged me to wear it because he is just so proud that we, in our hearts, already belong to each other.
We pull up to the property and I already see my sister Kortney, mom, and Monica still hard at work. Kortney sprints over to the car pulling me out of the car covering my eyes screaming with excitement. It makes me happy and at ease. She drags both me and Elisha over to the massive tent to reveal the most beautiful set up I’ve ever seen. Old cloth couch beside my Tiffany’s blue record player with the soundtrack of Breakfast at Tiffany’s playing. A giant vintage mirror that reads “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” sits at the head of the tent greeting everyone. She takes me around the rest of the tent to the beautiful tea party dinner table and big white bar and explains that the lemons will in fact be freshly squeezed for everyone. I can’t help but look to Elisha and giggle. We wouldn’t have imagined in a million years that someone would hand squeeze lemons and serve us at OUR wedding shower.
It’s getting close to time, so me and Elisha run to barn to change into our outfits. As I finish getting ready Elisha stands guard at the door. The last thing is my big, beautiful Lacey bow with pearls for my hair. Kortney had given it to me months prior and said it was from Vegas. I call Elisha in to help place the bow in my long already sweaty hair. He adjusts it into place, and he kisses my head and ask if I’m ready to go out there.
As we walk up to the tent there is a very lovely lady with paint colors and a canvas set up in front of the old couch. Me and Elisha immediately get nervous because we hate having our pictures taken… much less drawn. We sit down to have a portrait drawn. The lovely artist Penny talks and makes me laugh so hard I can barely sit still for the picture. After only a few minutes she reveals the cutest little cartoon drawing of us. I scream in excitement.
People start to arrive, and my heart is filled with love. Seeing all the people that came to support me, and Elisha made me happy beyond words. As it started to get more crowded me and Elisha would sneak off every once and awhile and go sit in the “gift shed” and just talk to each other for a minute. Elisha being Elisha continues to ask if I’m okay throughout the day, knowing I was nervous about having to be half of the center of attention.
As we sit down to eat with close friends and family, I can’t help but to smile at all the love and support around me. I happily shovel my favorite pasta salad that my mom makes and chicken salad into my mouth. Elisha is not a fan of mayonnaise really, so he sits and smiles and reluctantly takes a bite of my food for me. He of course enjoys all the little Bundt cakes and macaroons. Eventually I make my way back to the record player to change the record. I grab the Fleetwood Mac record and put on the song “The chain”. Everyone kind of gave me a funky look and I just look at Elisha and smiled. On one of our first dates, he was playing me records and that was the first song he ever played me. A month or so later we sang that song together in karaoke.
Eventually it all came to an end, and we loaded up the car with the wonderful love everyone shared with us and drove away. I just sat in the car on the way home and replayed every detail in my mind. From the Tiffany’s record that Kortney got me, to looking up and seeing my mom and Kortney and Monica frantically squeezing lemons for everyone. Oh, the love I have. Me and Elisha are not only blessed to have each other, but blessed to have everyone around us in support
Kortney:
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something BLUE.
This is a tradition as old as time but that holds an extra special meaning today. The groom is color blind & can only see a hand full of colors, blue being the color He sees the best.
I ran back & fourth from the barn to the tent a million times this morning, getting things perfectly placed in the wet dewy morning grass. Although I was well prepared for the event, I wasn’t prepared for the dew that soaked my tennis shoes & socks. My in-laws arrived; my dad-in-law wholeheartedly gave me a pair of his rubber boots in which I happily accepted. & the day proceeded in that same selflessness & love.
I attended the shower frantic, sweaty, with my wet (from sweat) slicked hair pulled back in bun, flushed cheeks with no time to cover with makeup, & a blue & white dress (that I snuck off for only a moment to change into, & even that felt like a moment missed).
I didn’t want to miss a moment.
I suppose I could write a great deal of the details, from the royal icing flowers on the sugar cubes, to the locally grown fresh cut flowers. Every detail was prayed over & executed in love.
While praying for God to lead me in such a way that would be special to Elisha & Autumn, He gave me the idea to book a caricature artist
The caricature artist was really the star of this event. She was entertainment, favors for guests, & a nod to old-fashioned ways before photography. You know…once upon a time, artists would paint portraits. But to add that special detail that speaks to this lovely couple – both Elisha & autumn are fun & outgoing & Elisha loves comic books & that sort of thing, & so a caricature artist was the perfect nod to them & their fun personalities.
Autumn is an old soul. She is classic, elegant, fun, funky, lighthearted & warmhearted.
This shower is her in event form.
Her record player played softly in the background of beautiful company & conversation, as we all gathered together on a crisp & beautiful dewy morning under the tent that Tyler & I use at our Christmas Tree Market.
The morning moved on at a lovely pace & with every arrival I felt more at ease. The love that gathered under that tent was genuine & real. The kind of love that only exists by The Holy Sprit’s presence. & His presence was definitely there & felt by all who attended.
It was an absolute honor & privilege to plan/design this gathering to celebrate a very special couple.
Cheers Autumn & Elisha.
with love,
your sister in more ways than one
Karen Stanfield says
Beautiful wedding shower!! Loved the all the details of the shower thank you for sharing.!!