May 9, 1994 Orem, Utah
Dearest John & Julianna; Roy, Patrice, Emily, Timothy & Jesse; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, LeeAnna & Jimmy:
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN AND JULIANNA!!!! It's wonderful to add another name to the salutation on my letters. I should probably be doing other things than writing a letter but I want to record things for my journal before I forget things I want remembered.
There are many things I will remember about the wedding preparations but I guess the thing I was the most worried about was the chicken salad for the croissants. There was so much last minute preparation for that and I will never forget how everyone pitched in and we got it all done and still got to bed fairly early on Friday night.
I REALLY appreciate how Claire came down from Layton to help and then had to go back home so she could get their children ready for the wedding the next day. I believe Claire spent more time with her hands in the kitchen sink doing dishes than anyone else. I was SO glad that she brought Laura and Katie with her because that made it more fun for Emily & Timothy.
Roy & Patrice and their family got here about 3 o'clock and what a treat to see them - that little Jesse is an absolutely beautiful child and Emily & Timothy are so well behaved and happy and it's wonderful to have them here. They just barely had time to unpack before they started to cut up chicken, celery and grapes and I know it must have been hard for them after having made a long trip with three little children.
Jeannie and Rick and their family got here about 6 o'clock and I will never forget seeing them come in with the most beautiful strawberries I have ever seen. Jeannie had had them special ordered and they truly were special - there were seven huge cases and they were all big beautiful berries and hardly any spoiled ones which is a miracle. They also had the lemons and limes for the ice slush which we served.
Annie and her family came over about 7 o'clock - we had told them we would never expect them to be able to help because they had enough to do getting their home and yard in order but it was special to have them with us.
John "breezed" in for a few minutes on his way to his "Bachelor Party" in Salt Lake. His college friends and roommates had planned to all go to dinner together - Reid Folsom & his wife had flown in from Iowa, Brent McCleod and his wife had flown in from Washington State and then his local friends; Rick Spencer, Stewart (?) and others. They had played golf together earlier in the day. That party lasted until the wee hours of Saturday A.M.
Saturday morning we all got up early. John got his things ready first because he had to be at the temple by 9:25. It was SO funny because he forgot his tuxedo and called to have Rick take it to him. I went to "Biancas" and picked up 400 croissants and then I went to Salt Lake with Rick & Jean. Ron & Ann brought their children over here and then they went to Salt Lake. We got there in plenty of time and had to wait a LONG time for the ceremony - they need to handle that better.
Bob met John and helped him at the Temple and of course, Cathy Hunter helped her daughter, Julianna. Roy drove the van they have rented for the week and Patrice drove the Weinert's van and they took Emily, Timothy, Jesse, Ricky, Barji, Mary Ann, Sarah, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, LeeAnna & Jimmy and they got to the temple about 45 minutes after we did.
The ceremony was beautiful - Julianna's Mission President performed it - Duriel Woolsey - and he did a beautiful job. We all met outside the temple and waited for John and Julianna to come out and that was SO exciting. Julianna looked beautiful in her wedding dress and John looked handsome in his tuxedo. Mark Philbrick was their photographer and he was there to take a lot of pictures - I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO SEE THEM!!!
A funny thing happened. Ron somehow picked up his old temple recommend and of course it had expired so they had to call someone in authority in his ward to verify his worthiness - that took a little bit of time but it didn't delay the wedding. Actually I believe Ann was in charge of the recommends and picked up the expired one.
We all left to go to the Riverboat for the wedding luncheon after the pictures were taken. John and Julianna wanted to change their clothes so they told us to go ahead with the luncheon and not wait for them. It worked out just great because it was buffet and by the time the last people went through the line John and Julianna came.
John had asked Bob to be the Master of Ceremonies at the luncheon and he did such a good job. He proposed the cutest toast and I had so many people tell me afterwards that they were really pleased that it wasn't a "syrupy toast". He said, "We wish John and Julianna a long and happy life but not so long that they are a burden on the healthcare system".
The luncheon lasted until about 2:30 and then we hurried home to get ready to go to the Woolleys for the reception. The Weinerts had brought their little dog, Sadie, with them when they came the day before and rather than leave her in the house they put her in the backyard. We were all sick when we got home and discovered that she was gone. Rick got in the car to go look for her and the rest of us went from door to door in my neighborhood. The Fredericks across the street had seen her outside in the road and had taken her in their garage - WHAT A HAPPY RELIEF THAT WAS!!!
We all got to the Woolley's about 4 o'clock and they started to take family pictures. Mark took lots and lots of them and they will truly be keepsakes for all of us. The little granddaughters all had dresses alike - the older ones were plain periwinkle and the younger ones were flowered periwinkle. I AM SO GLAD THAT MINE MATCHED!!!
The reception started right at 6 o'clock. The weather was threatening and we even had a few rain drops and wind but by the time it started everything was just gorgeous. The Woolleys yard was spectacular - their shrubbery, tulips and everything were so well groomed and beautiful. Their new deck, hot tub and new awning couldn't be nicer. We started the line outside on the deck and it was very comfortable for me and the men because we had long sleeves but Julianna, her Mom and her bridesmaids all had short sleeves and they got too cold so we moved into the dining room.
Ann's neighbor, Margo Freestone, came to help direct people in the kitchen and we all appreciated her very much. I have thought also how smart it was for Patrice to make a sample of how the food should be put on the little trays. The granddaughters served and they also had trays put on a long table for people to serve themselves. We served croissants with chicken salad in them, strawberries, chocolate cinnamon cookies, mint truffles from Sees and lemon-lime ice water slush.
I don't know who Julianna had do the flowers but I have never seen more beautiful flowers. Their wedding cake was not just one cake but I believe they had seven all together - some large and some small and then she had a lady come decorate them with fresh flowers and it was just too beautiful to even describe. I hope the pictures will do it justice. They also had a HUGE flower basket that they put on the serving table. Julianna had not made arrangements for what to do with them so I brought them home and then Rick took them to our ward yesterday morning for Mother's Day church services. The Bishop was over yesterday and he said they thanked the people responsible for them in Sacrament meeting but they didn't know who had brought them (I didn't make it to church yesterday). REALLY - the flowers for everything were very, very special - the corsages for the mothers matched her colors perfectly and they had little fresh flower head bands with ribbons streaming down the back for all the granddaughters and boutonnieres for all the grandsons and men in the wedding party.
Julianna did a marvelous job in their wedding plans. Their invitations were some of the prettiest ones I have ever seen, and all the details for the reception and the luncheon and just everything couldn't have been better. I know their wedding will be a very memorable occasion for all of us for the rest of our lives. Julianna's parents were here from Fort Worth, Texas and her sister and her husband and two little boys were here from Mesa, Arizona and then her other sister and three brothers were here from Texas also.
John Wright who is the President of Viewpoint, DataLabs, the company that John works for was in charge of decorating their car. It was just darling - they had balloons inside and out and "John & Julianna" and "Just Married" painted on all the windows and Oreo cookies separated and stuck all over the outside and toilet paper wound through their hub caps. I didn't see Mark taking pictures of that but I hope he or someone did. They passed out LOTS of rice and we all stood on their balcony and threw rice on them as they drove away.
They have gone to the St. Thomas Islands for their honeymoon for a week or so. I know they both need some rest - John hasn't slept a full night for the week he has been at home and I understand that Julianna was ill the day before the wedding. It is SO funny that weddings take their toll like this and it really isn't right but I don't know how to change it unless everyone just elopes and that wouldn't be right either.
I am VERY grateful for very dear friends who have supported me for all my life - I honestly don't know what I would do without the wonderful friends I have. Many of my ward members came to the reception and I was surprised - I had told John they would come if we had it in our backyard but I wasn't sure if they would come if we had it at the Woolleys. So many of my High School friends of fifty years also came and they are having grandchildren getting married. The people who didn't come have sent gifts, written or called and I can only hope they know how much it means to me. Dianne Power's son was married the same day in California and yet she took time to send me a Mother's Day card - I haven't thought of anything else except our wedding and the things I had to do.
Speaking of Mother's Day - I believe yesterday was probably the best Mother's Day I have had for a long, long time. When I can have my entire family with me and let me feed them, then I am in "Hog Heaven". I am truly proud of our wonderful family and I love each one of you so very much - it is the greatest blessing I could possible have to have you all be the kind of people you are and to see my grandchildren achieve in life - they are my greatest joy!!!
I know I have been bossy this past weekend and I'll probably be bossy again many times - thanks for putting up with me!!! When I say to Rick - "Will you do me a favor?" - I know he wants to run the other way.
It was fun to meet Julianna's mother before the wedding - John took both of us and Julianna to dinner on Wednesday night. She stayed with her sister, Virginia Wright, who doesn't live very far from me. I hope to become better acquainted with her.