A June Bride

Do you like surprises? A few months ago a friend from church..Connie...told everyone she was getting married..in June..and moving away..and I think we all were surprised. Connie is retired and in her 60's..her fiancee is an older gentleman she met while serving in the Columbus, Ohio Temple. Being in the Temple makes Connie happier than anything else in life. She wanted to move out West years ago just to be nearer to a Temple. Her house never sold however, and she has stayed in Ashland and went to Columbus (about an 1/12 hr. drive) Temple as often as possible. It's there she met Leo..and the rest is history. The wedding is June 15th in the Manti, Utah Temple. Her really close friend Debbie decided we needed to give her a send off with a surprise shower. No gifts however...another friend, Gayle, hosted the event on Friday. We had some good laughs, good food, good fun.
The table looked lovely with the flowers and the food was simple and delish..thanks for hosting it Gayle!
Connie doesn't like cake so the hostess made pecan pie..Connie's favorite dessert. It was excellent by the way!
Everyone was enjoying the fun, even little Stanley! That would be the baby..not Elyse (who's not his Mom) with her cute, big smile!
Why do we feel the need to embarrass our friends? Well, we couldn't resist this one, so we made Connie stand up and be dressed by the little elves at the shower. I've done this before with toilet paper, but napkins are much more dignified!
Almost done!
I think the dress turned out lovely! Much less painful than the experience she had at a real wedding dress shop..When she walked in and said she was looking for a wedding dress for herself..they rudely stated "We only sell dress up to size 14 here"...Hmmmphhh, I'd probably spit in their eye!
Since the bride and groom both have full households with many items, Connie absolutely said "no gifts please...we need nothing!" So a request went out that everyone please do a good deed with her in mind, write it down and also any marriage advice..she then read the cards that were attached to the helium balloons. I'm not sure they really need advice since both have been married before. But I gleaned some wisdom from all this..it's never too late to be in love, to be happy, to have hope for a future of fun, adventure and new beginnings. All you need is a willing heart, good friends, and a strong faith that God truly is in charge in our life. Best wishes Connie and Leo!