Aaron McCloud, the oldest of my ex-husband Ron, is a married man! Wow! He married Samantha Flowers, daughter of Chris and Terri Flowers from Council Bluffs, IA. They've been together since high school. Aaron is now 22 and will be 23 in the fall.
The 3PM wedding was held at First Christian Church, Orchard Campus, in Council Bluffs, IA. The building was built in 2005 but appeared as if it had just been opened a week ago. I arrived quite early as I wanted to take some pictures before the ceremony. Everyone was dressed beautifully!
I visited with Aaron's aunt and uncle, Diana and Darrold, from San Antonio, TX as well. Their son, Dylan, was an usher so he had to be there early for photos as well. And get this; Dylan's last name is Usher! Get it?
The bridesmaids wore party dresses in orange and shoes in navy blue. They carried clutch purses to match the shoes. The groomsmen wore pin striped tuxedos with navy blue ties and vests. The color choice was different but was chosen by Aaron. He is a huge fan of the Chicago Bears National Football team. Those are the colors they wore! It actually looked very pretty too!
During the simple but elegant ceremony, instead of lighting a unity candle, they each poured sand from two individual glass tubes into one beautiful glass vase. One color of orange and the other blue of course. The mixture became one vivid, pretty design from the two colors. Times have certainly changed from the days when I was involved in weddings. The music was played by someone in the rear of the church that played Cd's of music at a sound board. Aside from the bridal party walking in and the walk back out, the only other song was played while they combined the colored sand. No organists or pianists. No vocalists either. The pastor wore a suit and tie. No official church garb.
One tradition that they did follow was the taking of pictures of the wedding party. Aaron and Sam didn't see each other at all before the ceremony. Thanks to the two different levels in the church building, it was easy to keep them apart until the appropriate time. Photos were taken in different areas ahead of time. Once the ceremony was over then they took pictures together along with family portraits.
The 3PM wedding was held at First Christian Church, Orchard Campus, in Council Bluffs, IA. The building was built in 2005 but appeared as if it had just been opened a week ago. I arrived quite early as I wanted to take some pictures before the ceremony. Everyone was dressed beautifully!
I visited with Aaron's aunt and uncle, Diana and Darrold, from San Antonio, TX as well. Their son, Dylan, was an usher so he had to be there early for photos as well. And get this; Dylan's last name is Usher! Get it?
The bridesmaids wore party dresses in orange and shoes in navy blue. They carried clutch purses to match the shoes. The groomsmen wore pin striped tuxedos with navy blue ties and vests. The color choice was different but was chosen by Aaron. He is a huge fan of the Chicago Bears National Football team. Those are the colors they wore! It actually looked very pretty too!
During the simple but elegant ceremony, instead of lighting a unity candle, they each poured sand from two individual glass tubes into one beautiful glass vase. One color of orange and the other blue of course. The mixture became one vivid, pretty design from the two colors. Times have certainly changed from the days when I was involved in weddings. The music was played by someone in the rear of the church that played Cd's of music at a sound board. Aside from the bridal party walking in and the walk back out, the only other song was played while they combined the colored sand. No organists or pianists. No vocalists either. The pastor wore a suit and tie. No official church garb.
One tradition that they did follow was the taking of pictures of the wedding party. Aaron and Sam didn't see each other at all before the ceremony. Thanks to the two different levels in the church building, it was easy to keep them apart until the appropriate time. Photos were taken in different areas ahead of time. Once the ceremony was over then they took pictures together along with family portraits.
Aaron and his aunt and uncle, Diana and Darrold, and Dylan, his cousin.
The wedding party minus the little ring bearer and flower girl.
Samantha and Aaron 
Aaron's younger half brother Cameron, his Mom Mindy, Sam and Aaron, Aaron's dad Ron, and Ryan, his younger brother. 
Cameron, Ryan and Sean
After all the picture taking was finished, we walked outside to find a party bus waiting for the bridal party. It was the size of a small shuttle bus but had fancy lighting and coolers of cocktails inside for the occupants to enjoy!
Several of us joined the party bus full of people at a small local bar and grill, Glory Days. Sean, a groomsmen works here so that is how it was chosen as a stop. We had about 45 minutes before the reception was to start to sit and relax for awhile.
At Glory Days, a bar and grill in Council Bluffs. We stopped here for cocktails between the ceremony and reception. After arriving at the Queen of Apostles Activity Center for the reception, I found Aaron sitting at the head table with numerous other wedding party people. I got a picture of him by himself....looking quite proud of himself!
The groom.
Aaron, Me and Ryan....my boys.
The happy couple....We ate a meal of Mexican cuisine from Fernando's in Omaha. It was very good but I knew it would be as I've eaten at this restaurant myself. The cake was a pretty design but it was put together poorly. You'll know what I mean if you just look at the individual cakes closely. Just sayin'..... I'm not sure who made it but I'm thinking it was a friend or someone on a level below professional cake decorator! The upside? It was delicious even if it wasn't perfectly shaped.
There were glass shot glasses with the couples' names and wedding date imprinted on them for guests to take home. On the table as centerpieces were corked glass bottles with bird feed inside. Hidden amongst the feed were miniature items to search for by tipping the bottle to and fro. A list of the hidden items was taped to the outside of the bottle.
The dancing was fun and the DJ played all the newest hits and some classics as well. At eleven o'clock it was over and anyone that had stayed till the last possible minute headed home. Me included. The kids had so much fun on the dance floor even if they were just running around! It was so beautiful and I'm so glad I was able to be part of it. Congratulations Aaron and Sam....have a happy life together! 
2 comments:
Thank you for texting photos that night and sharing photos and details here! I like the items-hidden-in-the-jar idea, but I'm surprised to learn that the bride went for Aaron's suggested color scheme. And you're right: that decision RE: music is quite a change from all the weddings we used to be involved in. I'm glad it all went off without a hitch . . . and that they're not hitched!
Aaron and Sam's Wedding one of my favorites that I have seen today. Actually I am also going to get married so have been finding the ideas online. I would like to have a grand but a budget friendly ceremony at one of the best NYC venues. So pleased at this time but a little bit nervous too.
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