The air was so thick with humidity, the clouds finally let loose with rain right before Heather had to head out for her wedding ceremony. Just as we had resigned to figuring out how to get Heather to the Limo through the light patter of drops under a lace umbrella, the shower ceased and we swept out the door of her parent's estate home and hopped into the limo.

Heather's mom had exclaimed that "it's good to be Heather!" earlier that day as she opened gifts from family and groom, and we agree. Not only did she look gorgeous in her luxuriously hand-embroidered wedding dress, but the joy her parents expressed as they headed toward the cathedral truly set the tone for the day--I could see it as Heather's mom chatted with Beau, the groom, on the phone from the limo and as Heather's dad smiled with joy that things are just going to continue to get better and better for Heather and Beau. Heather's parents truly doted on Beau throughout the day, crying during the cake cutting, and as Heather and Beau hugged friends and family goodbye at the end of the evening, her parents danced together cheek to cheek, wiping away happy tears. My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and it was hard not to cry a happy tear just watching not only this bride and groom, but the entire family as they erupted with joy during this celebration.

<screen grabs from the

wedding video

St. John the Evangelist, where the ceremony was held, is a catholic cathedral in the Dutch Romanesque architectural style. The interior nave consists of a series of arches supported by columns, a blind story, and a clerestory. Oil paintings of Christ the King and Apostles decorate the vaulted ceiling. The Italian marble main altar displays mosaic representations of wheat and grapes, symbolizing the bread and wine of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.