{wedding in the Black Forest Part II}

In my previous blog, I shared pictures from my trip to Germany last month for my cousin's wedding. Those were pictures of various excursions, including a trip to Strasbourg and walks through the Black Forest. Below you will find pictures of the wedding itself. It was an amazing event, and very emotional, in a good way. What a wedding should be!

As you will have read in my blog this past summer, my uncle was lost at sea in July. It was a sad, tragic, and traumatic event for us all. My cousin decided to go through with the wedding, even though the memory of her father's loss was still at the forefront of all of our minds and in our hearts. The wedding was a lesson for us all--that in the midst of tragedy, new life springs, and the world can be a hopeful place, even a happy place, even when we have lost someone so dear to us. Marian is a demonstration of her Dad's courage. She exemplifies his sense of adventure and his perseverance, and he was very much there in spirit.
In my father's words, regarding his brother (my uncle):
"What are we to learn from all this as we seek a path through the mists of deep sorrow and uncertainty?  My brother was a competent mariner; his little ship was built by his own hands with extreme care; he had rehearsed and the planned for capsize and other scenarios that could beset him on this voyage.  The greatest disservice we could do to Paul’s memory in the wake of this mishap is to retreat to the false position that such “escapades” are foolhardy.  No mountains would be climbed, no Arctic wastes traversed, no oceans crossed without the springs of adventure that ran deep in my brother.
...he died doing what he loved.  Let this be the memory we take with us from his last passage.  A man of faith and an inspiration to many, I know he will be welcomed into the arms of the Master he served with the words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” "

Indeed, the wedding was a celebration of life, of faith, and of adventure. For what is a marriage, but a leap of faith with the person that you love, an adventure and a journey, and most importantly, a belief in an everlasting love?

{my cousin David walks his sister down the aisle}

{they're MARRIED!}

{bridesmaids}

{me & my cousins}

{dancing on the river...}

{the Ihlings}

{only have eyes for you....}

{me and my cousin}

{the bride}

{happy couple}

{mother of the bride, my sweet aunt}

{lots of champers!}

{first dance}

{my pillbox net fascinator}

{cheese!}

Congratulations to the married couple!! & thanks to all the guests who made it so much fun!
L