It was a magically gorgeous fall evening when we gathered for Charity’s Wedding Dinner at the Millcreek Inn in Millcreek Canyon. Siblings and their spouses, parents, grandparents and Charity and Ian’s very dearest friends enjoyed a delightful evening to celebrate their marriage. The setting was simply spectacular!
Eli and Julie did a stellar job with the seating chart and the place cards and table numbers!
Take a closer look at those tables carefully designed by Charity with the help of Julie, her wonderful friend Josephine and Lindsay Spencer, my sister’s incredible daughter who is a home designer but also does an smashing job with flowers.
Is there anything more stunning than a Dalia?
Above: two arches were beautifully decked with flowers and Baby’s breath balls bedecked the stage. Charity was especially excited about the place settings with gold flatware and a flower at every place setting!
The note you see tucked into the napkin at every place was a heartfelt,handwritten thank you note for everyone person who came to the dinner, from Charity and/or Ian.
It was such a festive atmosphere with delicious appetizers while people met and mingled:
Charity’s dear friend from her Wellesley days flew in from California to help with the wedding. Here she is setting up the beautiful tables.
So many friends and family members flew I from afar:
Sarah( in the middle, drove on her own from Denver. Note the pensive Father of the Bride in the background:
And we took full advantage of the gorgeous setting to take pictures! Here is Ian’s family being organized by the official photographer. Two brothers and their families came from the Ohio and Pennsylvania,. You won’t see any kids tonight, since we had already had a big party with them, plus 28 kids under 13 tend to be very noisy!
And we took several shots of our Eyrealm couples with the flaming background….thanks to Shawni who sent every one of the pictures on this post after she arrived back in China
Julie and Eli came from New York City:
Saydi and Jeff came from Boston:
Saren and Jared came from Ogden, Utah. In some ways that was harder than coming from NYC because they had to burn up the roads going back and forth between events!
We were so glad to have Josh from AZ, who took lots of pictures:
It was incredible to have all five of our boys together again! Going from right to left…. Jonah (sporting an amazing beard) and Aja flew from Maui, Tal, flew in from the Upper East side of Manhattan,.Josh, flew in from Gilbert, Noah and Kristi drove their enormous Sprinter from Orange County and Eli and Julie came from the Upper West side of Manhattan.
It was also awesome to have those beautiful women together. They had come from far and wide especially Shawni who flew from China, arrived on Wednesday afternoon and returned to Shanghai on Sunday morning. Talk about jet lag!
Left to right above: Saydi Saren, Shawni, Aja, Kristi, Julie.
And of course, the happy couple who flew in (several times over the last month) from Palo Alto.
As you can see, we were pretty happy about the whole thing!
It was an evening that none of us will ever forget! Ian’s Father, walking in the middle of the background there below, was the Master of Ceremonies and did a superb job of introducing the program which included a one minute tribute from each of Charity and Ian’s siblings (that’s a lot) as well as the parents. It was extraordinary that everyone kept to the time limit (the parents had five minutes combined). The couple also each had a friend tribute and gave a warm response. That beautiful, crisp air was so full of love that we could have cut it with one of those beautiful gold knives!
Memorable, Momentous and Marvelous!
Coming next, the Wedding Reception at our home on the following night…..
19 comments:
Charity had written that they wanted an intimite dinner for the day of the sealing. So funny that for two large families intimate means such a crowd (my hsuband and I have two siblings each)!
Big thanks to you and your incredible children for opening up your hearts, homes and families via books and blogs. Having come from a family that is fairly dysfunctional (at the best of times), the candidness of your family has been so appreciated as I work at raising my young family on love and godly principles. so, thank you!
And congrats on another wonderful marriage of your children. It looks like it was a grand and beautiful celebration.
Hi Mr. and Mrs. Eyre -
I left this comment on Charity's blog yesterday - but she's so busy she might not have seen it mixed in with the other ones. Could you answer my question please? Thanks.
Maria said...
Hi Charity -
I have a question for you if you don't mind. As a non LDS person, I'm intrigued by the sealing. If I am correct, doesn't that mean that you are married not only on earth for your life time but that your marriage will continue in heaven when you die?
OK, if so - what happens, God forbid, if either of you passes away fairly young. Would that mean that the other one couldn't remarry? And if they can remarry, is it only for the rest of your earthly life - because since you were sealed to the first one - when you get to heaven you'll still be married to him, right? What happens when the second one dies? Is he not married to anyone?
Thanks!
Hi Maria (Madam Queen)
Thanks for a really good question! You are right, one of the most distinctive and unique things about LDS theology is that our Temple marriage ceremonies do not use the words "till death do us part" but rather "for time and for all eternity." You can imagine how seriously a commitment is taken when it is believed to last forever!
There are, of course, instances when an early death has taken a husband or wife, and their spouse has remarried, also in the Temple. We simply have faith that, in the Lord's wisdom, this will all be worked out for the best good of all involved.
It helps to understand that if you also know that we believe in a Spirit World following this life, still prior to the judgement and to "heaven" wherein marriages will be performed and where those who were not married and sealed for eternity on this earth can still find each other and make those same forever commitments.
Hope this helps, and thanks so much for the cival and friendly tone of your latest comments. We will always respond in kind!
So if heaven forbid your daughter's lose their husband in death they can be sealed in temple to another man? I had thought it was only possible for a man to be sealed to more than one in eternity? What of the children from the first union if a daughter remarries and has children with the second husband? Are all the children sealed to their half siblings fathers as well as their dad's? When you have more "answers" more questions follow. I ask because I would hate to think the wrong things about how it all works. I'm catholic and there are a lot of misconceptions. I would rather people ask than assume something wrong so I ask when I think I may be misunderstanding of another's doctrine.
Can the first husband look down from heaven and see that the wife has married someone else, so he will be expecting, shall we say, a little bit of drama when they all die...?
Or is he up there blissfully thinking, as a "forever family" that his wife is still his wife even in death, as she promised to be?
(Still trying to have a nice, friendly tone...:))
"Temple marriage ceremonies do not use the words "till death do us part" but rather "for time and for all eternity." You can imagine how seriously a commitment is taken when it is believed to last forever!"
That being the case, I would think if your husband died, you could no more marry someone else than if he was still alive.
Forever, unless the wife gets lonely, or more likely needs financial support for her and her many many kids?
I recently had two friends get married for the second time. Both of their spouses died in the last few years. They were married by a Mormon bishop outside of the temple for this life only as they are still sealed to their first spouse. Both are in their early 40's, they love each other and love the companionship and having someone to co-parent their children with.
If they have children who gets then when they die?
But Cheryl - do they have sex? Isn't that being unfaithful to the one they are "forever" married to?
I'd be pissed if I thought my "forever" husband was having "companionship" while still married to me. Even if I was dead. Since the sealing made them married forever, how - without being adulterous and polygamous - can you marry someone else - you are already married?
Forever and for all time and eternity - doesn't mean you can take a break and come back. It is continuous - or it should be or this whole sealing thing is a farce.
Also, kms (aka Kris34) pick a lane and stay in it. You are contradicting your own comments. You question - then when someone agrees with you and has the same question - you change hats and defend.
I'm certain they do. I know they are at peace and happy with their decision which is highly personal and Im not going to ask them these sorts of questions. Everyone has their own path and makes their own choices. These are two wonderful people who didn't make this decision lightly and prayed about it. Please don't make light of it.
How is having questions making light? Mr. Eyre said a few comments up that it is FOREVER. When you are sealed, the marriage is still valid even when one person dies.
So it's a valid question:
How can you marry someone when you are married to someone else? Obviously their being deceased does not negate the marriage. At least that's what Mr. Eyre just said.
Doesn't this answer your question, Madam Queen? "There are, of course, instances when an early death has taken a husband or wife, and their spouse has remarried, also in the Temple. We simply have faith that, in the Lord's wisdom, this will all be worked out for the best good of all involved."
As I understand Mr Eyre - the LDS church doesn't know the answer yet. Am I right?
As for picking a lane and staying in it - I think it's okay, to be influenced by arguements. :-)
Kersten - that was his answer to my question about who would be married to who when they all get to heaven.
I didn't even ask at that point about the immorality of marrying and having sex with hubby #2 when you are still forever married to hubby #1.
I'd love to have Mr. Eyre's answer to these questions.
And please, don't go all Catholic on me and say "it's the mystery of the Church" or "we aren't meant to understand it..."
I've mixed your comments with the ones about the kids, sorry!
(I had to laugh out loud at the "please don't go all Catholic on me", I'm Catholic as well.)
All I know is they felt peace about it and felt like it was right. I don't know how it works out, i can't give you an answer on that because I don't know. Frankly I don't think it's any of my business, it's their personal choice. I don't know that I would make that choice but that's my business.
I also had my wedding dinner at Boston restaurants and that was the wisest decision I ever made. They served the great food and their services were also up to date.
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