A wedding down south

Weddings are always fun. In the South they have special traditions and happenings that make them even more memorable…

This is my mother and father's home. Surrounded by 40 acres, pecan trees and pastures it is the perfect gathering place for 13 of the 14 siblings to celebrate the wedding of our dear sister, Allyson.

Similar to the scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" we had a hand in altering Allyson's dress. See above, Valorie to the left and Sarah to the right of Allyson. Good thing we have seamstresses in the family!

Allyson was thrilled with her new lingerie. Purple is apparently a favorite color of Jacob, the new groom to be.

After getting all the preparations ready we headed north 3 1/2 hours to Birmingham. Here is Sleeping Beauty, I mean Kelly, in the car with Sarah and I. Someday, I'll look that beautiful when I sleep too. First, I need to stop drooling. :)

Ah, the South. Prominently displayed along the highway the biggest Rebel flag I have ever scene. Apparently my brothers Jake and Joe were also impressed and inspired and took their own picture as well!

Another Southern tradition - Whataburger! What yummy burgers. And part of our Pledge of Allegiance too! And just in case you were wondering, it's 100% American beef too. There's no doubt we are proud to be American in Alabama!

The happy couple. Allyson and Jake at the Birmingham temple.

In the South relatives are an important part of the equation of life. Here the nephews are sitting guard outside the temple. From the left, Brayden, Lucas and Carter.

Dressing up and posing for pictures is integral to weddings. Here starting from top left; Alex and Taylor (not dressed up, but together at Grandma's), Meg and Valorie at the reception, Allyson and Sarah with Allyson's newly modified dress, Wendy and her dark stockings Mom picked up for her, Marcus and Allyson, Diana - Jonathan - Claudia.

The Schiessers, always fashion conscientious. Jessica with furry boots and David with a great, orange tshirt. I'm telling ya, it's all about dressing up in style. . .

At the reception there were leftovers. Uncle Jake challenged Logan (left) and Johnpatrick (top) to eat the entire plate of pickled stuff. $10 if they finished it. Cousin Carter stopped by to help, but David soon warned him off. The bet didn't count if they had help!

Joe and Jaxon chillin' at Grandma's after the celebrations. Jax was happily singing in Joe's arms during the football game. Ain't nothing better than your daddy and football!

Storytelling comes naturally to Southerners. Here we are gathered around the table we grew up with, telling stories.

Of course, with the multitudes there is always bound to be a birthday! Here we are, 4 people deep, lighting the candles for Jonathan's birthday. Yes, it's not a cake, it's Cherry 'O Cream Cheese Pie - 5 of them!

Hope you enjoyed some of our traditions. We shore luv 'em!