Ivey & Josh pt. 2

Bremen, GA.

journal entry no. 9

04.30.22

en route de paris.

chapter 1

it was the day of the wedding. all hands were busy, but a stillness accompanied the chaos. cheese flown in from paris sat on thrifted butcher blocks on the kitchen table, buckets upon buckets of florals scattered across the property. sounds of sweet cows & their young slowly chomping on the spring grasses in the front yard. Ivey’s mother’s painting studio, tucked right off the kitchen with the light still on, & the getaway car parked out front, patiently awaiting its debut.

chapter 2

soft hues of sunlight welcomed the morning, from Ivey’s bedroom. the very same room she was brought home from the hospital in, many years ago. today was her wedding day. dressed in her grandmother’s honeymoon nightgown from the 50’s, she got ready in her parents bathroom suite, set facing the garden where ivey would soon be wed. she slipped into her dress in the same room where her father took his last breath, her mother by her side. while encircled by the gals she loves most, she waited patiently as guests began to make their way down the driveway.

chapter 3

nothing beats a dining room full of groomsmen playing go fish, drinking beers, with sizzling veggie patties on the stovetop. meanwhile, in the room next door, josh was on his twentieth try in getting his wedding day tie just right. once the tie was put in its place, we gathered outside under oak trees. sipping on something cold, pinning bouts, and by josh’s surprise, receiving a private note from his bride. enclosed was a journal entry, dating back to the very first day they met. studying these words resting on worn paper, josh’s eyes slowly began to fill with tears. it’s always been him, always will be.

chapter 4

nestled in the backyard of the farmhouse ivey grew up in, on the only day of the year when all the garden florals are in full bloom, ivey & josh were wed. they wove together a ceremony filled with creativity, love, and expression. their close friend, Annika, performing an original song. another friend, Maxx, sharing a poem. a remembrance candle, lit by Ivey’s brother, in honor of her father. and an original score, written by josh, for his bride to walk down the aisle to. we laughed freely, cried softly, & cheered with no reservation. as blush rose petals flung high into the air, they proceeded back down the aisle. married at last.

chapter 5

the day was passing quick, but felt like it could never end. loved ones sipping on old fashioned’s and French 75’s in the front yard. remnants of a petal toss carpeted the floor. that just married feeling, sweeter than honey.

chapter 6

from ivey- “moments after our ceremony, in the back pasture. an exhale kind of moment. it was supposed rain, and it didn't. all of our closest friends and family were busy sipping cocktails in the in the front yard in the distance, a jazz band playing. and josh and i walked together in the quiet pasture at dusk, married. a long awaited, much anticipated feeling. together. a party about to start. paris, just 24 hours away.”

chapter 7

they were welcomed back like heroes. platters of food were flying out to the tables one by one. a grand family style feast on a 100 foot long table lining the front driveway, dressed with repurposed window curtains ivey & her mother sewed together. handmade plates thrown by her cousin all sat in a row, and the finest food in Georgia cooked in the farmhouse kitchen 50 feet away. they sipped on sweet red wine under moonlight, while the cows grazed nearby & the candles dripped til’ they dropped.

chapter 8

they shared the final moments of their wedding night tossing their heads back in laughter on the dancefloor and joining hands with the ones they hold dear. the cake cut, the fiddle played, the confetti thrown, paris just on the horizon. mr. & mrs. warren, at last.