Loose Leaf Notes

My son Josh and his beloved Emily got married!

I was calling it a “wedding festival.”  Others described it as epic.

There was a flag procession, readings that made people cry, love professed, poetry, music, storytelling and more.  A garland of marigolds from Emily’s flower farm was draped along the wedding platform that Josh built.

The flags were beautifully varied and handmade, like this one by Josh’s brother Skye.

Held at Josh’s woodfire pottery compound in Marshall NC, there was an elaborate flower archway, a flower portal and flower girls everywhere.  That’s Josh’s brother Dylan and his wife Kerri, practically newlyweds themselves, posing at the rose and dahlia archway.

Josh’s nephew Bryce (front left) was the ring-bearer.

And Liam did some “dabbing” with Josh.

Josh’s uncles and aunts (second row) came all the way from Texas to attend and many were honored with “shout-outs” from wedding speeches.

The Floyd community, Josh’s Warren Wilson College community and the Marshall community merged with Josh’s and Emily’s extended families (Emily’s is pictured above) forming a kind of Woodstock of weddings (without the mud).

After the ceremony Josh and Emily went off on their tractor to get their pictures taken.  Later, they had a first dance to Neil Young’s Comes a Time … You and I, we were captured / We took our souls and we flew away / We were right, we were giving / That’s how we kept what we gave away…

Boots or barefoot, costumes or casual, there was an elegant dining tent but many sat with food (which was great!) on the grass.  Beatles music filled the air. There was live music too!

Babies and kids were everywhere having fun.

And by kids I mean goats AND children.

I call this shot “Let them eat cake!”

And they did!

Emily’s close friend Becca closed her wedding speech with …  May your life together be rich, varied, thought provoking … and straight up.  ‘The flower needed a potter’s vase and the vase needed a flower,’ another friend shared during the open mic part of the celebration, and Emily’s dad (pictured) got up and told a story about Emily.

All of this happened amid dire reports of a hurricane. Umbrellas were on hand but it barely sprinkled a drop! And our long time Floyd family friend Katherine led the ceremony like the maestro of marriage that she is!

I kept thinking of “if you build it, they will come.” The structure was there (thanks to all the teamwork put forth by Josh, Emily and friends)  for all sorts of merriment with party food stations and bars.

The day’s merriment was followed by a DJ get-down-dance party that involved “A Higher Love,” costumes and wigs and giant blow-up whale!

Above is the video clip of Joe’s wedding speech on Josh’s growing up years in Floyd that made so many choke up. – Read the nursery rhyme I wrote for Emily and Josh, shared on the wedding platform HERE. Scenes from the Pre-Wedding Taco, Kickball, Jail Dance Party are HERE.