Look at how good and pleasing it is
    when families live together as one!
 It is like expensive oil poured over the head,
    running down onto the beard—
        Aaron’s beard!—
    which extended over the collar of his robes.

Psalm 133

What I want to get at in today’s post is the spirit of this wedding. It was simply amazing, and the rehearsal dinner at the idyllic Capen House venue on Lake Osceola set the tone for the weekend with what can only be described as beautifully positive vibes.

The setting, a warm Spring evening in the venue’s extensive gardens, was lovely; all of the young men and women in the wedding party were easy for Rebekah to work with; the families and sets of close friends all made for delightful company.

Somewhere around 100 people spilled over and around the lawns and gardens, enjoying views of the lake and instantly bonding with strangers before making their way to the outdoor dinner, laughter and joy echoing across the water.

The occasion has the added filter of deep and abiding faith. Not just people who go to church sometimes or who “identify” as Christian, but men and women who – at least the overwhelming majority – follow Jesus as intentional disciples and live consciously as grateful, committed, children of God.

To that end the dinner included a liturgy of Thanksgiving, where we all participated.

After eating, people stood up to share from their hearts. Stories, memories, hopes, promise, love. Our daughter Naomi spoke, and it made my heart smile.

Boat Tour!

Late in the evening, after our long, relaxed, most excellent dinner wrapped up, there was “The After-Party Surprise.” Four pontoon boats showed up at the dock to give us all a nighttime tour of Winter Park.

We traversed canals we didn’t even know existed, that joined three different lakes. We saw unbelievable mansions and Rollins College, and we learned interesting history. All very cool.

I processed the photographs, edited, thinned them down, and then went through them again to select just a few for this post. But there are still too many. But here they are! Take the time to go through them all, I urge you. You won’t be disappointed.

One grouping of photographs is a series of selfies I took with the bride, with her maid of honor Jordan, with our beautiful daughter Naomi, and then – in the garden – Jesus. Like I said, everybody who is anybody was there!

In love, and because love is such a beautiful and powerful force for good – DEREK