The Wedding Bench

Ever since hosting my brother Matt’s wedding last year (you can read about that here), I’ve been partial to weddings.  The whole experience was so heart-warming.  Not only did I grow closer to Matt and his bride Monique, but my home came alive in ways I hadn’t expected.  The experience of sharing and giving left me more grateful for everything I’ve grown to love about my home. The yard became the backdrop to so much joy and celebration.  More then ever, I appreciated the trees, grass and vegetation of this beautiful place.

 

So, when a dear friend from church was scouting out places for her daughter Keeli’s wedding, the counselor and I offered our home and again, it came alive with wedding bliss.

My neighbor the caterer built a lovely crate wall 

and the groom’s father brought in rows and rows of handmade benches.

After the guests were seated, the bride and groom walked through a gate in the back yard.  

The ceremony was like heaven.  The skies were a bit cloudy with a cool breeze (very important here in Arizona), but Spencer and Keeli weren’t the only love birds.  During the ceremony two birds chirped and sang high up in the trees.

That night, there was food, dancing and celebration.  

Vintage finds were perfect for décor. 

The bride was a vision!

The groom’s father also provided the wooden cake stand.  

Isn’t it beautiful!

After the wedding, I was offered a bench - a beautiful handmade bench. 

For years I’ve wanted to replace this kitchen table.  

It may look fine in the above photo, but several years ago we left all the leather chairs outside after a family dance.  My dog chewed through six of them.  Although the damage was more cosmetic then anything, I’ve been wanting to change them out. The table has put up with years of wear and tear.  How many projects with the glue gun had I done?  Fingernail polish endeavors with Eden and her little friends?  Cutting watermelon, building Egyptian pyramids and more. In addition, I host lots of family dinners here.  There's never enough seating.  I wanted something bigger!

Do you know how hard it is to find a descent kitchen table at the thrift store?  Finding a cute set is near impossible, especially something that seats 8 or more.

So, bring in a huge wood table a friend gave me last year.  It really just needed to be trashed, but there was something about it that said “Help me.”  The wood was peeling in places and it was on its last leg.  It also needed to be stripped and restained.  Since it was essential to have a huge serving area for the food at the wedding, the table had to be finished.  I just loved how it turned out, but thought it would be too large to fit in my kitchen area.  When I was offered the bench, I knew it would go perfect with the table.

But, would it fit? 

It fit and I love how it turned out.  I should be able to seat a lot more people at my kitchen table now!

I didn’t expect such a beautiful gift as a wedding bench, but we will enjoy it for years to come.