The campground owners nephew, Wayne, made plans to get married at the campground last year, so we have been getting everything ready for it. The guys have been sprucing up the campground and Mary, Patti and I have been getting decorations and planning for the big day. That big day was August 22. Wayne and Candice had planned for 150 guests with a buffet style dinner, cake, etc. but because of Covid-19, plans for a big wedding had to be changed and now is limited to 50 guests. Poor Candice had the unpleasant task of "uninviting" the rest, including all the seasonal campers (all of us). Then Mary saw that the servers were not included in that 50 count, so the seasonal campers became servers. Other things had to be changed and now all the tables had to be at least six feet apart. Not only that but now the weather was calling for rain Saturday. Oh, No! weeks with no rain and now it will come on the day of the wedding. What else could happen?
A few Sundays ago, Candice's Maid of Honor gave Candice a wedding shower via Zoom. Several weeks before the shower, Candice registered her wish list so all we had to do was check the list and purchase what she wanted and have it sent to the Maid of Honor's house. So the day of the shower everyone was on Zoom in their own homes. It was different. We watched everyone on the computer screen and could hear and talk to each other. Only problem was no one muted their audio and it was very noisy like a bunch of chatty women; oh wait, we were a bunch of chatty women. For an hour we played games and watched Candice open her gifts. Candice ordered cupcakes for the wedding of chocolate with chocolate ganache and chocolate chip pumpkin with cream cheese frosting but she forgot to sample them. So we got a few and Mary, Patty and I sacrificed ourselves and sampled them for her while we watched her open her gifts. We told her they won't very good but of course, they were delicious.
For two days, Mary and I made favors for the wedding. We all decided to put together bags filled with the makings for S'mores (graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate). We made up 97 bags! That way everyone, including the campers that were already in the campground, had one per person. Mary also made up a cute tag that read: "There is always room for S'mores Love" topped with a beautiful silver charm with "love" on it attached to the top of the bag held by a circle with their name and wedding date. What a job. It took us two days and I had to eat all the honey graham crackers we broke and sticky marshmallows.
Well on Friday the 21st all the tables, chairs, benches and easy-ups were delivered but we couldn't put any of them out because it rained. Mary, Patty and I spent Friday putting 200 cupcakes in clam shell containers. Oh, we also had to decorate them ourselves because the bakery didn't. We had a ball doing it and we only had one or two mishaps when they fell over; no one would notice a few missing cupcakes!
Saturday, the day of the wedding, this place was hopping. The guys and Candice's friends set up the arch/alter for the ceremony and put out benches on a river front site; set up all the tables and chairs; put up all the easy ups and decorated them; and set up tables for the cake and gifts. Meantime, Mary, Patty and I cut up stuff for appetizer trays - cheese, pepperoni, and summer sausage for 14 cheese trays; carrots, broccoli, and peppers for 14 vegetable trays and 14 bowls of pickles and olives. Try to find a refrigerator to hold 28 large trays and 14 bowls of pickles, we didn't; we had to use two! Then Jack and I decorated the golf cart. The front had fresh flowers sprays for the hood and each side of the windshield. The back had bells and a drape topped with pink roses and a white rose with pearls on the corners. Each side had drapes and pink roses and a huge container of white, blush and pink artificial flowers sat in the bed of the cart. It really looked fantastic, even if I say so myself. We started at 9am and finished all this by 3pm so we could shower and dress for a 4pm wedding. Boy, did we hustle.
At 4pm, Uncle Gary drove the golf cart to pick up Candice (bride) down to the site of the wedding. From there she was escorted by her father half way then her step-father the rest of the way to the arch/alter. Roy, one of the seasonal campers, got his license to marry them and officiated the ceremony. Unfortunately, we as servers couldn't watch the ceremony because we were too busy getting all the appetizers and the rest of the food ready. Jack taped a "Just Married" sign Mary made to the back of the golf cart and eight noisy cans to the bumper and afterwards Wayne and Candice drove it around the campground as Mr. & Mrs. Let me tell you, it was noisy.
After pictures were taken, they were introduced as Mr. & Mrs., they cut the cake, they danced with fathers and mothers and the seasonal campers served them all, one table at a time. The caterer cooked all the food here making a meal of brisket, chicken, sausage, peppers and onions, red potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, salad, roll and corn bread. There was a DJ playing music the whole time and a huge bonfire. All the food was great and everyone had a good time, despite the fact that everyone had to wear masks when not eating. The only rule that Mary wanted kept was that all the seasonal campers stay six feet away from all guests and to wear masks and gloves at all times while serving and cleaning up. She has to make sure no one gets sick, after all, we don't know all the guests or where they have been and if someone here gets sick and gets Mary sick, the campground would have to close. None of us want that.
I made up a couple of signs for Wayne and Candice that Jack and I put on their camper after dinner. One was simply a sign on their door that said "Honeymoon Suite" with a bow and silk rose draped over the top. The other was a saying Mary found while looking for a signs on the internet. I took that idea, changed a few words and printed it on a picture of the bonfire at the campground. It said: "By campfire's glow & tasty S'mores kisses, we are now Mr. & Mrs.". Jack also put another honeymoon sign under a small garden lamp I got from my sister lighting it up that looked really cute. Candice just loved them all.
Candice looked beautiful and though it wasn't the big wedding she had planned, I think it couldn't have been any better.
Save Our Date card of the soon to be newlyweds
Gary all dressed up - once a year for him. Mary taking picture as Candice comes out
Gary going to pick up the bride. Chauffeured her to the alter in our decorated golf cart
Candice, the beautiful bride
Candice's girlfriends did a great job decorating the tables
Cake/Cupcake table Lemon cake with fresh flowers, Inside was raspberry filling
Gift table - Guest book was a homemade Lazy Susan - Window frame honored their grandparents who have passed - note says: "We know you would be here today if Heaven wasn't so far away"
The arch/alter for ceremony with benches on river site - Candice & Wayne with her parents
Golf cart all decorated. We put a "Just Married" sign on back and cans with washers inside that made a lot of noise
The artificial flower bouquet and the cans we put on the back
Welcome the new Mr. & Mrs. Houghtling
Light infused drape Wayne bought to hide cook
Dance by campfire's glow house, looked fantastic
Cupcakes for dessert
chocolate with chocolate ganache & chocolate chip pumpkin with cream cheese frosting
Don't they look good! Naturally, we had to
Favors were S'mores make one to sample
sign on trailer door - additional sign on fifth-wheel - Sign outside
What a beautiful wedding. We wish them many years of happiness together
