Once the wedding party jumped on the "party bus," it was time to get the party started! We drove around a little while listening to music while we waited for the shuttles to have time to take guests to the reception. Then, it was time for the grand entrance. Kristin and Lee gave the wedding party matching sunglasses for the reception.

We all lined up and gave the party a reason to begin!

My parents, family, and friends worked extremely hard to get the back yard ready for a fabulous reception. It was just perfect. Here are a few snapshots of the details you may see. What you will not see in these pictures are the awesome blinking rings that all the guests had. Those were a huge hit!

The wedding party, bride, and groom mingled around and made our way to the front of the tents for Mr. and Mrs. Tull's first dance.

The first dance was soon followed by the father-daughter dance.

Soon after the first dances, Lee and Kristin cut the cake. We all crowded around to watch.

Another special touch came soon after. Kristin got on stage with the microphone. After my initial shock that she was giving a speech in front of everyone, I realized that she was calling mine and Russ's name. She told everyone that we were celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary, and since we didn't get a "first dance" at our wedding...she was giving us one now. We dance to "our song." When I was in high school, Russ was in a band. Yep. That's right. They had a CD and everything! Ha! He recorded a song on a CD for me once, and my family has never let him live it down. So, we danced to that song..."Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. So special! I also got my own father-daughter dance because, as Kristin said, "What one sister has, the other one wants!" Ha!

I'd be leaving out a MAJOR part of the reception if I failed to mention my mom's surprise for us all. My parents also celebrated their anniversary that weekend, so she had something planned for us all. FIREWORKS! Yes, we had a phenomenal fireworks show at the reception!

Now, Lee's parents could get their dances in. We are a dancing bunch. What can I say?

But, nothing could have prepared us for the fun we would have once we ALL put on our "Dancin' Shoes!" All the guests had their own pair of flip flops to wear on the dance floor! So cute!

The girls got out there for the bride, who had put on her party dress at this point, to show us how to get down low...

The guys followed with a shocking view of my dad ON THE FLOOR! Notice Dustin and Daddy are the only ones who were that low. Like father like son, I guess.

We weren't the only ones putting on our dancing shoes, though. We had lots of guests ready to get out on the floor!

I'm pretty sure the humidity was at 100% that night, so we took a few breaks in between our dancing. You'll notice that we all look wet. That's because we were! Soaking! But, dancing all the way to the end.

Me and Mama

Russ and Daddy - I'm pretty sure Daddy couldn't move after his on the floor dance moves! Ha!

This wedding was very well planned and beautiful, but the fun we had can be attributed to our fantastic band, The Connection, and all the fun friends who attended. Our friends and family know how to have a good time!

Friends from CHS Class of 2005

Russ's mom, sister, and brother

Aunt Gail, Uncle Donald, Maw Maw, and Daddy

...and MANY more!

Although the fireworks show was a big hit. And the blinking rings were a huge hit. There is one thing that looked to be even bigger. The photo booth. Only my mother would think of such a thing! The best idea ever!!! A friend of my mom took the pictures while guests dressed up in goofy outfits (mostly what my mom already had out of our costume closet! scary, i know!) and stood next to Elvis. Elvis was shipped in all the way from Graceland. Don't ask! We took email addresses, and we have emailed everyone the photos from the photo booth! So FUN!

Most of the wedding party

Yayas!

Kendall, Dustin, Mary, me, and Russ

Dustin, Mary, me, and Russ

I'm pretty sure this is the moment when I hurt my back. I've been taking pain meds ever since! Ha!

Smith family exhausted after a fun night

Once the last shuttle left from the house, the Yayas changed clothes and began the clean up. The band packed up, Carla and her crew got food together, and Kristin and Lee said good-bye to everyone as they prepared to load up in the "party bus" headed to The Peabody.

Mary and Russ had a great time!

Some of us Yayas cooling down in front of the box fan

Kristin and Lee loading up for Memphis

It was a perfect night and LOADS of fun! Kristin and Lee are still having a ball on their honeymoon to the Mayan Riviera and Cancun. I'm jealous! We have received several pictures and texts from them, and they seem to be having a fabulous time!

Thank you to everyone who helped to put this party together! There is no way to repay all the friends and family who helped with flowers, food, decor, table toppers, dance floor, stage, yard, grass, lights, extension cords, fans, chairs, tables, lit up balls in the trees, lemonade, candy bar, crystalier tree, hanging pictures inside the house, framing the family portrait, vacuuming the rugs, putting toilet paper in the restrooms, chair covers, ties for chair covers, lighting candles, and pick-up/delivery! There is just NO WAY! Thank you all SO much!

It was absolutely perfect!

Goin' to the Chapel...

Yes. This post has finally come! You can all rest easy as I am now ready to sit down and blog about the actual wedding. Ha! Kristin and Lee were married, after MANY pre-wedding events, on June 5, 2010 at 7:00 PM. It was a beautiful wedding with beautiful people and GREAT fun!

As you may remember from my earlier post, the girls were to be at the church to get ready at 2:00. Guys came around 3:00. What did everyone do for the 1-2 hours before pictures? Take a look yourself...

Once the wedding party was ready, everyone sat around and waited on the bride and her sister to get ready. We were a little behind. And by little, I mean VERY behind! Oops! Special thanks to Leann, Ally, Rhonda Greening, and Velva for helping all the Smith women get ready. As we approached the actual picture time...and I still had no make-up or hair finished, Ally and Leann came to my rescue! Phew! Thank goodness! Before Kristin went to see Lee for some alone time prior to pictures, Daddy got first glance.

Soon after, Kristin walked into the sanctuary to see Lee for the first time before pictures. I have absolutely NO idea what happened during those few minutes, but I'm pretty sure it involved something like, "You look purty." or "Are you ready?" Then, it was PICTURE TIME!

Joe took pictures in the sanctuary....

He took pictures in front of the church...

He took pictures of the Smith girls...

He took pictures of the bride with all her bridesmaids...

He took pictures of the bride with the kiddos...

The rest of the wedding party waited around, watched, and visited until it was our turn for a picture.

Jenny and me

He took pictures of Lee's dad and his family...

Joe took pictures of Lee's mom and her family...

Then, Joe took pictures of the Smith family...

While we waited for guests to be seated and the music to begin, we took a picture with Neeley's family...

Soon, the wedding began. We all stood in the foyer as we listened to all the beautiful music and songs. Kristin's childhood friend, Charli, sang a special solo. That would be the moment when Kristin began to lose it. The tears began to trickle. I began to worry. Until I heard Dustin's "poot machine" go off. That's right. My precious brother, the one man wolf pack, pushed the button on his phone. The one that makes that sound. For some reason, it's hard for me to be emotional during such ruckus!

After the processional, we all watched the bride as she walked with Daddy down the aisle. It was a wonderful sight. She looked beautiful and very happy. Of course the tears came again. These were happy tears though. It's special for my dad to marry us Smith girls. Not just anyone can have their father marry them. We are truly blessed. Kristin and Lee stood together in front of a sanctuary full of family and friends to exchange vows for better or worse. I eavesdropped a little during the song, laughed to myself at the conversation, and laughed AT myself when Daddy couldn't get Lee's ring off my thumb. But, in the end, they were married.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lee Tull, II!

It was a beautiful wedding! And it was now time for the wedding party to jump on the "party bus," as we called it, and the guests to step onto the shuttles that took us to the reception.

And that's where the party begins...

Out of Town Brunch

Well, all my impatient blog and facebook friends, I'm finally getting to the wedding day. Remember these posts are for me and my family and I'm trying to rehash every moment that I want to remember. It may take a while. Keep being patient, and enjoy each post as it comes. Ha!

The day finally came! The wedding day. Don't get too excited. The wedding pictures are not here yet. Because Saturday, some more wonderful friends of our family hosted a lovely brunch for the wedding party and out of town guests. This was one of my favorite parties on my wedding day. The excitement is there. And everyone is in town for YOUR wedding. It's such fun!

I was in charge of picking up the family: Coons at the hotel and Maw Maw at her apartment. I also had run by the house to help with last minute things. I painted a sign and needed to put ribbons on it and we had a picture that needed to be framed. Thankfully, Cynthia was there. She and I ran to the frame shop to find a frame. No one was there to frame it, so we taped it in ourselves with matte board on the back. Hey! You gotta do what you gotta do. We arrived home to frame the picture, and I began trying to figure out what to do with this ribbon. I had run by Sanctuary and gotten some ribbon to use. But, my time was running low. Kristin was upstairs with about five other girls, and they were almost ready. I was still in my pajamas, no teeth brushed, and my hair wasn't even brushed. Yes, I went around town like that! Get over it. Ha! So, Cynthia offered to finish the sign and hang the picture. Thank goodness for good friends! I ran back to the Johnsons' for yet another shower and to get ready. The lunch started at 11:00. At 10:45 I still had wet hair. Russ's sister was there, and offered to help me with family. So, she picked up the hotel group, and I picked up Maw Maw. We still did pretty good on time. Maw Maw and I arrived around 11:15.

Everything was SO nice. The food was yummy and the decorations were precious. Kristin and the girls were already seated eating and visiting.

Emily Anne, Leann, Kristin, Ally, Marley, and Mary Anne (Charli is there...somewhere! Ha!)

The Coon family had made it also and were feasting on this wonderful food.

Pops and Aunt Patsy

Everyone was enjoying themselves, just keeping one eye on the clouds and one eye on the food. Hoping for no rain!

When it did start sprinkling for a minute, no one said a word. No one even mentioned it to the person sitting next to them. I think everyone was just hoping it would pass quickly. And it did. It was a beautiful, warm day.

Jenny and Grace

Mark and Sheila Gardner hosted the lunch at their home. Everything looked SO nice! Their home is lovely, and the back yard was perfect for this party!

Kristin and Sheila

We are so thankful for such loyal friends who helped to host this lunch. In fact, I remember several of these faces as hostesses for mine and Russ's Out of Town Brunch!

For the rest of the 11:00 hour, we sat around and visited with the bride and her girls in our presence.

Some of the Tull family and friends

Russ and Uncle Howard

The engagement pictures Russ took were hanging on this old window frame. So cute!

The family table

Sisters


Kristin and her bridesmaids

Kristin and Lee couldn't see each other before the wedding, so Kristin left around noon. Lee planned to come at 12:00 with all his family and guys. My parents, as you can imagine, were still working at the house until close to noon and saw Kristin as she was leaving.

Daddy and Kristin

Not long after Kristin left, Lee's parents began to trickle in. Then, the boys came in a big herd. Ha! We spent the rest of the 12:00 hour visiting with the groom and his guys.

Lee's Sissy, Rhonda, and Sheila

Lee's grandmother and Joe

Some of the guys chowing down

My parents put on thier relaxed faces and hid the to-do list going through their heads as they mingled with everyone. You could certainly tell when they arrived, because the hostess came over to our table and jokingly asked us to "calm down." Ha ha! Yep. The Smiths tend to have a party everywhere we go!

Mama and Daddy

Russ and me with the Coons

Mary and Dustin

Daddy and Maw Maw

Daddy and Mark Gardner

Melinda, Daddy, and Mama

Dustin and Lee

me and Russ

I loved the cute bride and groom chairs made just for Kristin and Lee. But, I loved even more when I saw Heath sitting in the bride's chair!

Heath and Lee

Neeley used to babysit us when we were younger. Let me take that back. She did a lot more than babysit us. She took me to get my ears pierced and pretended to be my aunt. She went on family vacations with us. She taught me how to shave. I'm pretty sure she was in my parents' will to be our guardian if something had happened. She was a little more than a babysitter. When Neeley first got married, she moved to Miami. Secretly, I always held a grudge at the husband for taking her so far away. Neeley brought letters that Kristin had written her when she lived in Miami. So, we sat around and read some of them.

Melinda, Neeley, and Mama

One of the letters

It was such a nice afternoon catching up with everyone right before the wedding. When the time neared 1:00, I realized that it was time to go! The girls were to be at the church at 2:00 to get ready for pictures! So, I took some Tull family pictures before I left.

Lee's mom, Lee, his aunt, and his grandmother

Lee, his grandparents, and his dad

Lee and his parents

Jenny helped with the Coon family. She led them back to the hotel and took Clancy to Walmart for some last minute things. I, on the other hand, forgot Maw Maw at the lunch. Yep. Didn't realize it until I got back to the Johnsons' for one last shower and run. Oops! Don't worry. Russ was still there, and I called him to give her a ride. All was well.

And, it was time for the real thing!