Monday, June 28, 2010

Oregon: Wedding Day!

Finally, the wedding day came! I had been looking forward to this wedding for so long, since before they even got engaged!! Both Andy and Megan were such good friends to us in Malawi and we knew very early on that they would end up together. It's been an awesome journey for them. We felt so privileged to be part of it.

Eli had fun hanging out with the wedding party before the ceremony. It was his first wedding experience and I think he knew something special was happening.
And then it began....


Eli did so well, despite being a little distracted by the flower girls. It helped that Eli knew them from Malawi. The McDonalds have been serving at ABC for years and we lived a few doors down from them during our second year there. The girls loved dropping by to hug and cuddle Elijah. They were a huge help on the wedding day, directing him and keeping him focused. He started out in the front with Amber but ended up behind all three girls. At least he managed to hold the pillow with both hands.


The ceremony was beautiful. Sam McDonald managed to make me laugh and cry all in one sitting. He spoke about how special it is that Andy and Megan met and worked together as missionaries before falling in love. They truly were best friends for so long before taking that extra step in their relationship. Sam explained that marriage is a mission from God and He is the one that calls you to it. I loved hearing the vows. It was a sweet reminder of what Dan and I promised almost 5 years ago.
They had a sweet moment in the middle of the ceremony where they collected flowers from family and honorary bridesmaids. It was a cool way to acknowledge all the people who have supported them throughout the years.

Before we knew it, they kissed and the ceremony was over. Andy and Megan were finally married!!!

Post ceremony pictures:



Besides the actual marriage of our dear friends, the best part of the wedding was reuniting with so many old friends from Malawi. Below is a group photo of all the people who came from Malawi. Most of them are home on furlough so the timing worked out really well.


The maid of honor gave a tearful toast that just about made me ball. Dan also gave a really sweet toast to the couple. I could have celebrated their wedding all day!!


The rest of the reception was centered around the homemade cupcakes. Eli ate the tops off of two and then ran around with the kids while I visited with friends.
After the sugar wore off, we grabbed a moment with the couple and then said our goodbyes.

Eli was asleep within minutes of getting in the car. I was most worried about him getting a good nap with pictures at 12:30pm and the wedding at 2:30pm. Thankfully, he woke up at 5am that morning and was down for a nap by 9. It was rough for Dan and I but I was happy that he got a nap in before all the activities.

It was a great weekend but by the end, we were exhausted. Sunday morning, we made it back to Portland in time for church at In Town Presbyterian. Attending that service was the perfect ending to our trip. The wedding was beautiful, the weather was beautiful and Eli was in good spirits. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

1 comment:

  1. I know this is an old post, but it popped up on the "you may be interested in..." and reading through it made me teary. What a special day that was! We are so blessed by our Malawi support group. Lots of love to you!

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