DD is married. I thought about blogging about wedding preparations, but decided against it for one reason – it didn’t have very much to do with BTD issues.

When DD and her husband started dating, I called him ESS in my blogs. He was finishing his bachelor’s degree as an Exercise Sports Science major. One of the things that initially attracted them to each other was their interest in exercise and nutrition. By the time they met, he felt called into the ministry. He is attending seminary and preparing to be a preacher. The other thing that initially attracted them to each other was their love for Jesus and their desire to honor Him in all that they do.

DD changed her name when they married, but she will always be my Darling Daughter in these blogs. ESS, however, no longer seems an adequate name for DD’s husband. So as of today, I’m changing his blog name to SIL. Perhaps you think that stands for Son in Law, but you would be wrong. It stands for Son in Love. He loves DD and demonstrates that in ways that makes this mother so happy. We have welcomed him into our family as a beloved son.

While I didn’t blog daily about the wedding, let me tell you three BTD related stories about it.

From the start, DD and SIL did not want their wedding to be glamorous. They chose as the theme “Build your house on the Rock of Jesus Christ” from Matthew 7. They wanted everything about the ceremony and the reception to reflect their conviction that a wedding marks the beginning of a covenant relationship. Because of that they did not want a stressful wedding. As they sat around DD’s apartment making decorations for the church, they watched Bridezilla on TV. They would look at each other and say, “Our wedding will NOT be like that!” And it was not. We made some of the food for the wedding, so the last few days were busy, but they were never anxious or stressful. Often DD said to me, “Mom, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that at the end of the day will be married and God will be honored.”

She had an afternoon wedding at the church where they met, and the reception was in the church gym. These days, some kind of dinner is expected at a Texas reception. DD and SIL decided to do sandwiches plus fruit and veggie trays. She started off thinking that she would buy sandwiches from a local deli. A friend of mine is a caterer, and we also got a bid from her. By the time we factored in paying someone to keep the food trays replenished, along with the plates and the beverages, the caterer’s cost was about the same as the cost to do it ourselves.

DD and SIL chose wrap sandwiches because there was less bread. Some were turkey (for Type As) and some were beef (for Type Os). The caterer wanted to do another sandwich on regular bread, and she suggested ham salad or cheese. DD and SIL wrinkled their noses. The caterer said that children were not going to like wraps. I suggested peanut butter. DD loved the idea because peanut butter is beneficial for her. The caterer loved the idea because it would lower her overall cost. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a wedding where they served peanut butter sandwiches, but I think it’s a pretty good idea for a BTD wedding.

When DD’s roommate got married a year ago, she served fruit flavored water at her reception. DD and SIL had loved that idea. The caterer had three large clear carafes. In one she put iced tea. In the other two she had water with fresh fruit floating in it. It was beautiful and refreshing.

Dessert for the wedding was a more difficult choice. Neither DD nor SIL like cake - particularly white cake with rich white icing. When they priced wedding cake, they were quoted $4 - $6 per slice. So they decided to do family favorite desserts. SIL’s mother and grandmother made some. I made some, and DD and SIL made some. We set up a dessert table with antique crystal trays, some of which had been in the family for years. I made hundreds of tiny carrot cake muffins and hundreds of pecan muffins.

Then I made two layers for a carrot cake. I trimmed one layer so that there was a small layer on top of a larger layer. I frosted it with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting. On top of the small layer was the bride and groom cake topper that was on my parent’s wedding cake in 1951. DD and SIL cut the ceremonial cake. The rest of it is in my freezer waiting until their first anniversary. The guests enjoyed a variety of cookies and muffins, none of which were too sweet.

The two of them are now settling into married life. They are cooking together in the evening using the beautiful wedding gifts that they received. They are running, swimming, and bicycling together just as they did when they first met.