Bon voyage

The bride and groom with the bride's parents

In early August my niece, Joanna, was married in Greenville, South Carolina.

As far as I know, no more weddings are planned for our family in this calendar year.

These pictures were taken with my iPhone and so I apologize for the poor quality.

Joanna is the seventh and youngest child of my big sister Kay and her husband of forty-two years, Philippe. She was born on Kay's thirty-ninth birthday.

Joanna and Susanna

I first met Joanna when she was eleven days old, on Christmas Day in 1994.

We had gone to Quebec, Canada, where my sister and her family lived, for the holidays. There were several feet of snow and a new baby.

Fast forward nearly a quarter-century and Joanna, wearing a dress she made by hand, was a lovely bride marrying her sweetheart, Jacob.

Joanna secures her mother's corsage minutes before the wedding

Both Joanna and Jacob are extremely talented in music. Jacob is in fact a career classical musician. He's currently in graduate school at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

It's hard for me to picture Joanna grown and living on the shores of Lake Erie as a new bride, but that's the way things are.

Meanwhile Joanna's grandmother -- Philippe's widowed mother -- could not be at the wedding. For one thing, she lived in France. For another, she was elderly and in a care home.

My sister and brother-in-law with six of their seven children, plus their new son-in-law

My brother-in-law, who is French, had spent many weeks in France in the late spring and early summer, helping his mother get situated in her new and final place of residence on this earth.

My niece Susanna, who also lives and works in France as a corporate interpreter and English teacher, was on hand to help and has been with her grandmother a great deal in the last few years.

Two weeks after Joanna's wedding, my brother-in-law's mother passed away.

May she rest in peace. I think it was considerate of her to wait until Joanna's wedding was a happy memory for the family, to take her leave.

Dagny chats with three of my brother's four children

Susanna, having returned to France after serving as her sister's maid of honor, was with her grandmother when she died.

Kay and Philippe traveled to his home country early last week for the funeral and everything that comes after.

As my brother-in-law was his parents' only child, they'll be in France until mid-November, dealing with his mother's affairs and settling her estate.

The newlyweds with the bride's parents and maternal grandparents

Funerals are not inherently happy occasions and loss is difficult, but I hope my sister and her husband enjoy some lovely times in that beautiful and picturesque place, in between the myriad tasks before them.

If God is willing and things go as planned, they'll be home in time for the holidays.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Tuesday

Comments

[Mari]

I'm ever so impressed with that dress! It looks like a lovely wedding, and I'm thankful too that the Grandma didn't pass until the wedding was done. I'm sure it's hard to take care of everything as an only child, but even more so when it's a different country.

[Jennifer]

@Mari ... It was even prettier in person. I was impressed too! xoxo

[Sally]

Yes, such a beautiful dress; very classic. I didn't get the sewing gene. One of my cousins made wedding dresses for both her daughter, and daughter in law. She also made little ,exact, replica's. She has them in two separate wood and glass; made by her brother. :)

Well aren't I just talking about myself? I'm sorry.

Prayers for the loss of your brother in law's mother.

xoxo

[Cheryl]

Another lovely wedding! On this one, did you get to just sit back and enjoy? Everyone looks lovely even your little mother.

[Jennifer]

@Sally ... I didn't get that gene either! Or a green thumb. I'm deficient. Haaahaha xoxo

@Cheryl ... I know, right? Mom's a peanut. Yes I did sit back and enjoy, although I was able to lend my niece some decorations. xoxo