Wedding Bells

I'm alive! :) last night was quite the adventure so there was no time to update...so...here i go!

Wedding!:
The day of the wedding was such a fun day! Since the wedding wasn't until the afternoon, we had a relaxing morning with plenty of time to get ready. The bride/bridesmaids left the house at 10 to get their hair done and finish preparing at the church. Kimberly, Stephanie Armstrong, and I continued preparing at the house. At 12, the Kinzels arrived to pick us up, and we followed Uncle Clemens to the church. We didn't really need to be at the church until 1:30ish but the day of the wedding also happened to be the day of a HUGE parade on the same street as the church! As a result, several streets were blocked off and parking was hard to find. We did manage to drive in circles for awhile, but Uncle Clemens pulled through and led us to the church with plenty of time to spare. We were all hungry by this time, so we revisited the cafe next door (which we had eaten at the day prior after the rehearsal). About 30 minutes before the wedding was scheduled to start, I received my microphone and ran through the song once. I wasn't very nervous at this point, but my usual "pattern of nervousness" is to not be nervous until just before I sing. That's when butterflies take off and my heart begins to pound a little bit harder. :)
The wedding began and all the bridesmaids/grooms looked beautiful/handsome while successfully walking down the aisle without tripping. The time came for Katrina to enter. No one had been allowed to see the bride before the ceremony, so we were all anxiously awaiting her appearance. She looked absolutely gorgeous! even regal! I almost felt like I was at a royal wedding :) Her smile couldn't have been more radiant or joyful. Neither could Marco's.
During the ceremony, Martin Manten spoke to Marco giving him advice from the Bible and from experience on how to lead his wife and future family. Christian Andresen interpreted into English. They then switched, and Christian spoke to Katrina while Martin interpreted. There was a funny moment when Christian began speaking in English! quick on his feet, Martin then translated it back into German. :) Christian realized this and we all had a good laugh.
After this, the congregation stood to sing a hymn. It was at this point that tragedy struck. As some of you know, I've had a cough for almost 8 months now. It sounds horrible at times, but that's not what worried me. I started to cough and as a result, my throat became froggy and I could barely sing! I was scheduled to sing my solo just as soon as the congregation was finished singing the hymn!!! I began to pray, cough, clear my throat, and drink lots of water in the hopes that my throat and voice would clear. Fortunately, the hymn was 5 verses long and just as everyone was finishing the last verse, my throat cleared and I could sing clearly again! Praise the Lord!
As predicted, I was nervous by this point, but confident because of all the practicing I'd been able to do that week. By God's grace, I was able to sing the song clearly and well, but was sad to sing the end, because it meant I wouldn't be singing it anymore. oh well. maybe another friend will want me to sing it at their wedding too. :) (any takers? lol)
Katrina and Marco said the vows they had written for each other, exchanged rings, and sealed it with a kiss. They were pronounced Marco and Katrina Bartholema and back down the aisle they went, man and wife. :)
We all took off immediately for the reception (at the Barn) where we set up several tables of beautifully decorated cupcakes! (they tasted really good too). The reception also had a horse and carriage ride that Stephen, Kimberly, Suzie, and I took advantage of! We rode through a forest where the scenery was so lush and green. The rest of the reception consisted of hugging the bride and groom, hanging out, and having a good time with all our new friends. After the happy couple departed, we helped tear down and headed back to the Andresens to eat and hang out some more. We finally fell into our beds around midnight, exhausted but happy. :)

Singing for Katrina and Marco

Wedding ceremony

At the reception

Carriage Ride!

The happy couple with Mr. and Mrs. Andresen