finding Love in all the right places

It only seems right that the first post of the “official” calendar day of summer be saturated with things that positively exude summerish happiness.  Love will be exploding all over this post, just be forewarned.  I am still coming off of that first-wedding-of-the-summer-high, and baby, I could get used to taking hits from that happy pipe.  Without further ado, I would like to present to you the newest, truest, sweetest, most beautiful married couple of Summer 2012.  Ladies and gentleman, Mr. and Mrs.  Matthew Stamper.  

Beautiful is about the only word that works here.  Over and over and over again.  It was truly the perfect day in every sense of the word.  


There was: 


Perfect weather

Glowing-with-pure-joy bride and groom and family

the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass encircling the vows that made them man and wife, until death do they part

my goddaughter in her flower girl splendor, my other favorite niece blissfully ignorant of the rapture that surrounded her, preferring her own brand of rapture: slumber

The perfect house with the perfect yard and a barn and rocking chairs with hearts for perfect pictures

A tent and a reception that, in my humble opinion, rocked father of the brides world and totally owned it (No offense fotb, i still dig you big time). Add old friends sprinkled generously over the velvety green lawn with delicious things cooling their hands in the blazing no-hotter-than-80 degrees-all-day weather (i’m telling you, per-fect) to anything, and you know it will beat all. The house (of love) always wins.

DJ Danny totally rocked the house

Fr. Searby and one of his posse

Kids from long time family friends serving the hors devours (sp?), a-little-bit-older kids from long time family friends bartending (serious cool points for teenage boys)

laughter filling the cup of sweet summer air being poured out all over the joint

happiness at every turn, beautiful toasts, everyone rocking the dance floor from around 6:00 PM and not giving up until 1:00AM (the McCabes let the party go about 5 hours past the expected ending time), fireflies dancing in the trees, everyone dancing everywhere, joy popping up in every corner

It was a marriage of two truly beautiful souls, and that love and joy of theirs was so big, it spilled over into the hearts of all the guests at their celebration.  We all caught the lovebug, and Love Himself was present first at the Mass, and then in the hearts of all that received Him in the Eucharist as well as through the witness of His Love through Adrienne and Matt.  It was the perfect day.  I can’t thank the McCabes and Stampers enough for inviting me to share in their joy.  I was incredibly blessed by it.  We all were.  Cheers to you, Mr. and Mrs. Matt Stamper.  You are beautiful, and your life together, as Father Searby said, will be a work of art.  

"How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the Church, strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing, announced by angels, and ratified by the Father?...How wonderful the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh.  Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit." Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1642