I cried when I gave Amanda her bridal bouquet.

Suddenly, I had a flashback to some twenty-five years ago when a petite preschooler in bib overalls skipped down the sidewalk at my parents’ farm. The sun was shining, but a late afternoon rain gently fell as my little niece happily enjoyed the elements. I gazed out the kitchen window and asked my sister/her mother, “Do you really want Amanda out in the rain?” Marjorie responded, “It’s only rain.”

May 26, 2012 once again brought the prospect of rain to my family farm as we (by “we” I mean everyone in the extended Buchholz family including our cousins who flew in for Amanda and Mike’s big day…think of it as the rural German version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding) put the final touches on the celebration. However, rain could not dampen our collective spirits. We needed to celebrate and we would do everything in our power to make the day especially deserving of our wonderful Amanda.

Free Spirit Floral “West” had been in production mode, making wreaths, corsages, boutonnieres and table arrangements. Among other things, my sisters, Joan and Naomi, are incredibly gifted floral designers with whom I LOVE to work. We have affectionately dubbed our familial North Dakota-based floral projects as FSF’s “non-profit division!”

But sometimes, it’s not enough to just be a florist and today was one of those days. My brother John, in a moment of self-proclaimed insanity months before, had volunteered to make the wedding cake. So at 6:30 AM, we moved the cake and the last of the centerpieces to the reception hall. By 8:30 AM, I was dining with my cousin Ann at the Country Kitchen before finishing the bridesmaids’ bouquets. At 12:30 PM, I presented Amanda with her bridal bouquet. Minutes later I became a makeup consultant to my niece Mariah; then on to our little Moravian church to finish the floral displays. Back at the farm, the wedding party assembled for an unconventional photo shoot…have you ever seen a grain bin staircase used as a backdrop? By the time I got out of the shower, there was more work to be done: my sister’s slip was showing! Three safety pins later, she was good to go!

Finally at 4:30 PM, surrounded by loving friends and family, our beautifully poised Amanda strolled down the aisle on her father’s arm with the same happy air of the toddler who once danced in the rain. Let it pour.

Photos by Lindsey Herbert and Dr. Ann Strong