PERFECT wedding!

I’m posting a day early—I can’t wait to tell you about Courtney and John’s wedding. If you’re landing on my blog for the first time today, scroll down to last Tuesday and read up from there. It’s hard to believe my little hippie girl and her beloved pulled this off in 1 week’s time.

Everything was perfect! The festivities started, as planned, at 9:30 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the Rensselaerville firehouse. This is what the bride and groom looked like 1 hour before their wedding. With them is Courtney’s son, Connor, whom John asked to be his best man. That gesture alone tells you why I’m so thrilled to have this guy as my new son-in-law.


After breakfast we all headed over to John’s parents’ house. Here’s Courtney and Connor just before the barefoot bride made her grand entrance. Quite the transformation, huh?


As planned, “Joanne the Buddhist from down the hill” performed the ceremony, and she did a fabulous job.


Her words were personal and meaningful, and we all had a laugh when Courtney got in John’s face after he started repeating his vows to Joanne instead of to her.


Laughter through tears of joy… it’s a beautiful thing.

John’s parents, Bill and Jeanette, live in their sailboat these days; they flew up from Florida for the big day. They’re lovely people—really, really cool—and can you believe they hadn’t even met Courtney until the night before the wedding?! Do you think they liked her?


Here’s the happy couple with the parents of the bride. I was afraid my dress would be a little too Wednesday Addams for a wedding, but this was clearly an “anything goes” event.


Cake and champagne followed. Note to those of you planning a wedding on a budget: When your guests fill up on a pancake breakfast at the firehouse, there’s no need to put out an elaborate spread.

Courtney: “I’m drinkin’ whiskey, so you know I’m not knocked up.”

Soon the guitars came out.


Courtney serenaded her groom with two of her songs, “One Rock, One Soul” and “Sweet Darling,” while he backed her up.

Oh, your sparkling eyes,
The way you say goodnight.
Hold me close, my dear
And whisper in my ear.
Two hearts, one rock, one soul…
Two hearts, one rock, one soul…

-- Courtney Blackwell Rice

As Courtney sang, John’s mother took my hand and as we watched our childern play together, I couldn’t imagine feeling any happier than I did at that moment. Kleenex, anyone?

As planned, that evening a bunch of us headed to the Palace Theater, a grand old venue in downtown Albany, to see Willie Nelson, who was backed by Asleep at the Wheel.

The newlyweds sat a few rows ahead of us, and I think I watched Courtney resting her head on John’s shoulder, his arm draped around her, more than the performers on stage.

What a perfect day. It’s amazing what you can pull off in just 1 week!