Before the Blog: English Wedding Blessing

So as I alluded to yesterday, we had a bit of a mini-moon. And the reason why? We flew back over to England and had a wedding blessing that was held exactly one week after our wedding in the States!

On August 18, 2012, we celebrated our wedding with Mark's extended family and closest family friends in England.

I mean...I know. Could it get more picturesque?!
This is St. Mary's Church in Dunstall. It's a short walk from the village where Mark grew up.

This time we walked down the aisle together!
Our beautiful bridesmaids, Mia and Evie, led the way.

The church hall fit our celebration perfectly. My mum-in-law is a visionary!
I gave her the reigns on deciding every detail, and can we just say that she nailed it?! 

Not gonna lie, I totally felt like Kate when we sat down during the ceremony.What? I didn't know the English did that until the Royal Wedding. ;)

This little bit was an African tradition our vicar incorporated into the ceremony.
Little did we know we would be traveling to Burundi together less than one year later!

Saying our vows again 1 week later was incredible!
And did I mention that this lovely dress was my sister's prom dress years ago?! Thanks, sista!

 

My mommy, brother, and Mimi came over from NC to the England for the event!! 

 I love this of Mark and his beautiful mum.

  
More newlywed pictures!

  The flag theme continues in our house today too.

Do y'all know about Pimms? Because I didn't until this exact moment. It's my jam.
 

With Grandma, Nana, and Granddad. Grandparents are the best.

 

Our English family

We love and miss y'all so, so, so much!!!!!!! xxxxxxxx

The whole gang at the blessing! Wahoo!!

When in England...get a wedding photo by the sheep. So English, right?! ;)

The perfectly lovely and delectable cake Katherine made...! Baking queen!!

One of my most favorite pictures from the day.

  

I love how English weddings last all day. The ceremony began at 2:00 and we stayed until late at night. I so appreciated the quality time we got to spend with the friends and family we do not get to see as often!

Thank you immeasurably, Debbie, for planning this absolutely unforgettable and day!! I love you! It was way beyond my wildest dreams to have this as a part of our wedding! (And we all know that I started dreaming about my wedding loooong before Mark was ever in the picture!)

All photos above were taken by Lucinda Smith Photography.

P.S Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a free 8x10 custom photo canvas!

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