A Family Affair

We're a mere 5 weeks away from Jimmy & Jessica's wedding. It's really been quite the family affair! You can bank on King Family involvement any time there's a wedding, bridal or baby shower, birthday party, or any other kind of celebration. Yes, even a memorial service for a beloved family member who has passed on. We're there.



It's been fun being involved in this wedding from the get-go! As parents of the Groom, our role is small in comparison to that of the Bride's family, but nonetheless, we're as involved as anyone else, and we are honored and appreciate the opportunity to help out wherever we can.



Shannon cranked out over 200 wedding invites, as well as the bridal shower invites. She had some very real issues with the paper punch (or should I say SEVERAL paper punches), but she was more determined than the paper punches were, and she prevailed. The invitations are beautiful. She and Katie have been planning the bridal shower for Jess...with the help of Jess' Matron of Honor, Annelise, who is helping from her home down in the south-Tennessee I believe, and of course, Jess's mom Linda and myself as well.



Brian, as his brother's Best Man, has been helping as much as he can too, when he's not out somewhere on a fire! He just got back from the fire at Yosemite, and is now able to take a more active role as Jimmy's 'right hand man'. The King menfolk went down today to get fitted for their tuxes. Jim, Jimmy, Brian & Justen will also have the afternoon to spend some quality 'guy time' together. I love it. I love it when the 4 most important men in my life have time together. I think it's a top priority for the family threads to strengthen with passing time. And this afternoon will be one that my guys will remember and look back on fondly. I'm excited for them!



Jessica & I went over the rehearsal dinner menu today. I've had some thoughts on it that I ran by her before, but we haven't had the opportunity to REALLY sit down and discuss it. So, it's all set. We also ordered the bouquets a few weeks ago, so that's one less thing to do. Now it's just a matter of synchronizing everything so that it all falls into place. No problem. I'm a planner. It'll work out wonderfully, of that I am positive!



Both Jessica's family and ours are DIY families. We figure the more we can do ourselves, the sweeter the occasion, because everything is done with love. Yes, even the blood, sweat and tears portion is SO worth the eventual outcome. Hence the invites made by Shannon, and the weekends spent up at Tom & Linda's house, preparing the land and doing everything possible to ensure that this day will be a day that Jimmy and Jess will never forget. Everyone has had a hand in something, and I believe that those are the ties that bind both families into one GIANT family. And BTW-'giant' is an understatement...I thought MY family was big...Jess' is HUGE!



Jess' family hails from Guam, down in the South Pacific Islands, and she has aunts & uncles that will be preparing the wedding dinner, or should I say FEAST...let me tell you something, her family ROCKS! You have not had a 'feast' until you walk away from a Long Family dinner! Not only are they master chefs, but they are multi-talented as well, and, along with the DJ, will be providing some of the music at the reception. I can't wait! There are SO many wonderful Guamanian traditions, and several will be incorporated into this wedding. I love learning about other family traditions, and maybe even 'stealing' a few to inject into our own...you can never have too many family traditions...



As time draws near, and things get more hectic, I take moments like this to reflect on the core purpose of this celebration: the beginning of a new chapter for our son and his beautiful bride-to-be. We are so thankful. Jess is a most welcome addition to our family. My only hope is that I can be as wonderful mother-in-law to her as my own mother-in-law was to me.



So, things are pretty much set. Location, invitations, flowers, music, minister, menus, attire, and everything else that goes along with planning a wedding....now we just eagerly await Sept. 20th...when a new chapter begins.



Until next time....Blessings~