99 Things Brides Wish They Knew Before Planning Their Wedding

Book excerpt: It's no wonder I love weddings so much, and no accident that I became a wedding and event designer. I grew up surrounded by them. My father was a Baptist minister, so he officiated at many weddings. Mother was a caterer, so she would bake the cake, make the punch and mints, and open a can of nuts. That was all that anyone served back in the day. No one in our neck of the woods had ever heard of a sit-down dinner, much less been to one. We often had weddings in our home. We were a one-stop wedding shop! We would arrange chairs in the living room, and Mother would decorate the brass candelabra with ivy. I helped, along with my sisters, Donna, Jeaneane, and Suzanne. Donna and Jeaneane would play the piano and organ, and Suzanne and I would light the candles. Mother would sing. I loved to hear Mother's beautiful, melodic, soprano voice as she sang songs like "O Promise Me" and "The Lord's Prayer." Her voice was so clear that she sounded like an angel. One of my favourite memories is hearing her sing around the house. She was always singing while she worked. I learned a whole repertoire of songs from her housework concerts. "Wedding Bells Are Breaking up That Old Gang of Mine" was one of her favourites. Mostly, she sang hymns and songs about how much God loves us.