la familia corley

after the rehearsal, the whole fam went out to the grassy area behind the church and had a little photoshoot with alec vanderboom! i love the shots he captured of my family. i wanted to have pictures of each family unit. it was a little sweltering, but we all look cool as cucumbers, eh?

my grandparents, bill & rene, came from north carolina - only the 2nd time grandmommy's taken a plane in her life!

my parents, doug & melody, came to branson 3 weeks before the wedding to help with anything and everything. boy, did i put them to work!! my mom hemmed tablecloths, shopped for wedding supplies with me, made a quilt for nick & i's wedding present, baked 40 loaves of bread for the reception, assembled favors & programs - she was on fire! my dad whipped our massive yard into shape, replaced the melted siding on our house (speaking of fire, remember the house fire from a few years ago?), helped nick build a bed, he was a workhorse. i've told them both time and time again, i don't think we would have gotten it all done before the wedding if it weren't for their help! such sweet parents.
not only did we work them to death, but we also got to enjoy some really good relational interaction. we played games, had good talks, nick & dad went fishing one time... it was a great time of bonding with my folks. it seems the older i get, the more i appreciate, love & respect their unique qualities.

my dear auntie robin took a long bus from georgia a few days before the wedding and she jumped right in with the jobs mom was ticking off her to-do list, acting as mom's right hand woman. she was so much help!!

my oldest brother, dan, his wife, cari, and their four kids, peter, kira, krista & ryan came from colorado. as was the case with most of the family, i just didn't get to see enough of them!!




it was krista's birthday on my wedding day, so i had the baker add a discreet 'happy birthday, krista' on the back of our cake, just so she wouldn't feel totally sad to be at someone else's party on her birthday.

all the nieces and nephews helped pass out birdseed right before nick & i left the reception - this picture is so precious - ryan looks like he's taking his responsibility very seriously.

dan was the master of ceremonies at the reception and he did such an amazing job!! he was punctual - kept us right on schedule -, hilarious!! cracking jokes left & right, and very entertaining.

my brother, andy, his wife, kristi, and their kids, alexandria, drew & kaitlyn came from florida, all packed into a 4 passenger car! now THAT's love! andy said kristi rode in the back middle, between two kids the whole way.

kaitlyn looks like she's up to something...


my brother, ben, and his daughter, mia, (the princess) drove from colorado. that mia is becoming more and more a cutey the older she gets.

and she knows it, too :-)
my younger brother, zac, his wife, alyssa, and their two kids, brayden & trinity drove from georgia. their kids are at the age when every time you see them, they've grown and developed and have learned new words and can do new things...

like flying for one! there's others.

it's hard to say who's most adorable in a family with ten nieces and nephews, but trinity's giving them all a run for her money, by golly!

and then... all 23 of us, together at the same time!

this wedding was a time when i felt more loved and supported than i ever have in all my life. our friends & family drove miles and miles and made time in their busy lives to come and show their solidarity. there is something so special and sacred about that. it's hard to articulate the way that made me feel without sounding trite and cliche.
i know there are perfectly valid reasons why eloping is suggested to young couples so often (we heard it a time or two).
but the kind of tangible emotions i felt during those 2 days of being surrounded by my closest friends & family is utterly priceless. i wish i could bottle the whole weekend up, emotions and all and keep them on a shelf. maybe i'd pull them out from time to time to remind me.
i suppose that's what a photo album is for :-)