Country Wedding; A Beautiful Joining of Families, Farm-style Happiness

Happiness and a Country Wedding

About a year ago, I found happiness. I don’t mean a little happiness, I mean true happiness; the kind that you search for your entire life.

…until you finally find it.

..and then you know.

…then a country wedding was on the books!

On March 28, 2014, I married the love of my life and my very best friend, Kristopher Allen Bell. I could go into so many stories of why he and I are so perfect together; how we met, why we go so well together, and what we have in common, but I choose to tell this story by letting you read our vows. They truly do tell the story.

Great Minds Think Alike

Kris and I, early on in the planning process, decided we would write our own vows. We did so, never discussing them at all. We wanted it to be a surprise and to be special for that day.

The only thing that we did was to each show them to my daughter, Paxton, so that we would know if they were comparable in length. We should have known that something was up when all she would say is that we are in for a surprise.

..and what a surprise it was.

Kris’ vows to Amy:

Amy, when we first met, I had no idea how much you would mean to me or that we would have so much in common. Your beauty caught my eye and our conversations were an instant connection. It blew my mind and now I can’t imagine life without you.

You are my everything. You are my light in my darkness; the reason behind my every smile. You make me happier than I ever thought possible.

Explaining how much I love you with words is impossible but I will spend every day making sure you know how very much I do.

I promise to always be here for you, to always hold your hand, to open all your doors and to walk your sissy dog.

I will always strive to make you smile ’til your cheeks hurt and make you laugh every chance I get.

I promise to get for you anything out of your reach and to kill any spider that dares to cross your path.

I promise to never tell anybody how girly you actually are and I promise to stand beside you always and forever.

From this moment on, as long as I live, I vow to be honest, to be sweet, to be faithful, to be supportive and caring and most of all love you with every breath until my last.

Amy’s vows to Kris:

When we first met, I was struck by how attractive you are–gorgeous really. When we talked, I was struck by how much we have in common and how easy the conversation was.

When you came into my life, it was like a breath of fresh air…a very relaxed breath of fresh air. You were everything that I have ever wanted and never thought I’d find.

A Southern Oklahoma boy–some would say a redneck. A very strong, masculine, confident man, with a kind heart and a soft side that you only let me see…(Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone)

There are so many things that I love about you that it will take me a lifetime to tell you…but I will. I promise to spend my life telling you every day how very much I love you, how much you mean to me…I will tell you every day, but more than that, I will show you.

I promise to always hold your hand and be by your side, to always cherish every moment, to never take your love for granted, to always know how special it is and how lucky I am. I will wake you every morning with a kiss and I will tell you goodnight with the same.

I promise to always sit beside you in the truck and to let you open my doors. I promise to be your fishing buddy and hunting partner for life.

I promise that I will always have your back…especially in the zombie apocalypse.

Until we met I didn’t think I was capable of being in love and I didn’t feel worthy of being loved, but you changed all of that for me. Kristopher Allen Bell, standing here today, I vow my love to you for the rest of our lives.

A True Joining of Families

Our country wedding itself was absolutely beautiful, not just the décor but because it was such a truly meaningful event, for so many reasons. This wedding wasn’t just about two people getting married, it was a joining of two families. Between us, we have five children and they were all a huge part of the ceremony–that is what made this wedding so incredibly special.

My oldest son, Christian, was a very busy man during the wedding. He played the guitar and sang along with two other beautiful young ladies that I have watched grow up. He was one of Kris’ groomsmen and he stood in my late father’s place to walk me down the aisle and dance the father/daughter dance with me.

My daughter, Paxton, was my Maid of Honor, and her best friend, Elisa, (whom I also consider my daughter) was my bridesmaid.

Logan, 8, was our very enthusiastic ring bearer and Mason and Kobi, both 5, led me down the aisle carrying a sign that read “Here Comes Your Girl”.

After Kris and I exchanged vows and rings, we turned to our children and each of us pledged vows to them and honored them with a gift. I knew that it would mean a great deal to them, but even I was stunned at how incredibly significant this gesture was to them personally. There were many wonderful aspects of our country wedding, but this, by far, was the most special and meaningful for our family.

The Country Wedding Celebration

The reception included a barn dance and pasture party, complete with a bonfire that everyone seemed to love. It was a wonderful celebration of a love and a family that would truly be beginning a new life together.

God has blessed our family so incredibly much and He continues to do so. We are embarking on an amazing adventure together; down a path that God has chosen.

My next post will be somewhat a continuation of this one. I will go into much detail about the planning of our country wedding, offering a great deal of helpful information for anyone looking to plan something similar. In business, I spent many years designing and planning weddings, therefore I had a bit of a leg up on the planning process. But if you are looking to do the same, I can offer some tips and information to help you create your own special event.

Check out the details of our beautiful country wedding here!

—Until the next post…God Bless!

More Ways to Connect

We also, as a homesteading family, have three additional blogs that might interest you. Two Oaks Farm Talk concerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials!

Farm Raised Family is basically a hub for everything under the Two Oaks Farmstead umbrella. You can learn a great deal about all parts of the farmstead there. The Farm Raised Family blog focuses on financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and more and on current events affecting families.

You can also have a more in depth look at all that we do by visiting our Two Oaks Farmstead YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss a thing!

Farm Life and Freedom is the new podcast we are in the process of launching! It is going to be so much fun!

Two Oaks Farmstead is the farm store… the one that holds the umbrella! Check us all out and join us, not only on our blogs and Farm Life and Freedom podcast but come join the fun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… wherever you get social!