Diamond Alumni Center Wedding

In a flurry of activity, Carla and her girls arrived back from the salon a bundle of giggles and hair spray. With their hair and make up perfect, it was go-time. Priorities well in order, they stopped a few minutes for cumin chicken soup (thickened with coconut milk, mind you) coupled with cinnamon raisin toast.

The door bell rang. And rang again. Someone ran to the door, maybe bounced a little too. And came back into the kitchen with a shout: “Delivery for Carla!”

The delivery itself hardly fit through the kitchen door. The huge bouquet of flowers smiled at the bride and she grabbed the card with a grin.
Her girls gathering around, she read a few lines before stopping with a moan.

“I’m going to cry! I’m going to cry! I can’t cry!”

Valerie, the best sister/friend/maidofhonor any bride could ask for (I saw that evidenced many many times during the day), ran for a kleenex and dabbed away the tears gently, smearing nothing in the process.
Carla tried again.

Reading a few more lines, she had to stare at the ceiling and wait for the tears to ebb while Valerie did her job at rescuing the makeup.

It took three times, but finally Carla made it through the entire message.

“Mike did GOOD.”

And so he did.

Outside, her Dad stood in a frost kissed morning and washed the truck until it sparkled.
“I can’t drive my daughter to the church for her wedding in a dirty truck!”

Inside, Carla did chin ups in her wedding dress.
“Its my wedding day! I can do anything I want to!”

In a celebration at West Coast Christian Fellowship in Vancouver, BC, Michael and Carla were –  joyfully – married.

The pastor had one extra question for the groom: “You know how to maintain a car, but do you know how to maintain a Carla?”

 

Finally together, Michael tucked his bride — his *wife* — into the sporty convertible and squealed away from the church. Carla threw her hand into the air triumphantly while her veil danced in the breeze.

“We’re married! We’re married, Carla!”

The new husband honked to passerbys at every stoplight and gleefully the two newlyweds waved at every stranger, sharing their joy with the world.

And then, not only did they scoop ice cream for all of their guests, but Michael and Carla also spent the Thursday before their wedding handmaking 147 waffle cones. If that isn’t amazing, I don’t know what is.