Our wedding day - Aug. 19, 99 

     The day was beautiful!  The sky was overcast so it wasn't too hot...only in the low 80s I think.  We woke up a little later than we had planned so all we really had time to do was get our showers.

     We went to Fantastic Sam's in Affton, where my girlfriend Jana works, for haircuts and styles for Sara and I.  I was very relaxed while we were there, not frantic like I imagined I'd be.  Over 2 hours later, my hair NEVER looked better!  Jana wouldn't let me pay her either, it was her wedding gift to us!

     It took longer than we thought at the salon though.  My girlfriends were suppose to come over to the house at 1:00 so *I* was in a panic...Arvid was...well ...ARVID...cool as could be...thankfully HE was driving!  We dropped Sara off at the house so she'd be there when my friends got there and we continued on to get the flowers from Kruse Florist in Mehlville.

     The flowers were amazing!  A lot more beautiful and bigger than I expected!  My bouquet was actually heavy!  It was a cascade style and contained more than a dozen fresh white sweetheart roses and about a half dozen fresh daisies.  There were also blue roses, baby's breath, more daisies, stephanotis and ivy all in silk with white ribbons trailing down.  I had purchased a separate yellow silk rose to put in the bouquet as a remembrance of my Mom and Dad.  The two bridesmaids bouquets were smaller versions of my bouquet but all in silk.  Arvid's boutonniere was a single fresh white rose with baby's breath and ivy surrounding it.

     By the time we got home, my friends Kyna, Susan, Joanie and her daughter Jennifer were already here and I'm running around like an idiot...threatening to just get married in my shirt and shorts!  I was having fun though...<grin>  The girls helped me get organized.  My dress was tea length, shiny royal blue material.  I wore my mother's wedding set on my right hand and her pearl necklace.  I had a sixpence in my shoe that a good friend in England had sent to me for luck.  Arvid looked really handsome in his suit, that was the first time we'd seen each other that dressed up!  His suit was dark blue and he wore a white shirt and his tie had a blue pattern in it.

     I had the florist make a single white rose in a vase and I took it next door to Mrs. York.  She's my 80 year old neighbor who was my Mom's best friend and who I've known all my life.  I told her that since my Mom can't be with us for me to give the "mother's rose" to, I wanted her to have it and she was just so thrilled...she must have hugged me 12 times!  I really felt good doing that.

     So...we were then off to the chapel.  Everyone piled into Arvid's van.  We had made a tape of "our" songs and we played that along the way.  Of course, there were several songs by our friends, "Men Without Shame" on that tape!  The wedding was at a great place called "Simply Beautiful Weddings".  Wylene, the co-ordinator, couldn't have been more fun to work with or any sweeter!  Things were a little hectic when we first got there, setting everything up, talking to Wylene, but we got through it.

     The wedding started as Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary played.  At every break in the song, I tried to start up the aisle!  Wylene had to almost hold me back!  Since my Dad is no longer with us either, I walked up the aisle alone to Wagner's Lohengrim Bridal Chorus, aka "Here Comes The Bride".  Arvid walked down to meet me halfway and we walked up to the minister together.  Sara and Kyna were already up there.  The minister talked a lot...but what he said, I'm already not too sure of!!!  He did things a lot differently in that HE said our vows and we just said I DO.  We did say something to each other when we gave each other the rings though.  Then the minister said the wonderful words..."May I introduce now, for the very first time, Arvid and Lynn Arngrimson!"  Arvid had the sweetest, more caring look on his face when he turned to kiss me...so of course...I had tears in my eyes as we walked back down the aisle to Mendelssohn's Wedding March.

     We took many pictures...I think there was a total of four cameras there!  Good thing too, turns out one of the cameras, the one used for the main pictures, wasn't working properly.  At least we have SOME pictures though...could have been a lot worse.  The cake was nice, just white dough, white icing and blue silk flowers.  I had made the cake topper...two small computers with the American and Canadian flags on the monitor screens in front of a white lattice heart with small flowers all around it and "Arvid and Lynn" in beads across the front.  We had champagne...quite tasty too and I usually don't like champagne.  We just talked and took pictures for about an hour...did a lot of giggling...then we packed up.  I thought everyone was already in the van, but when Arvid and I walked out, they were all outside throwing rice at us!  I didn't expect that.  I found rice in really odd places the rest of the night!

     We then drove to the "Olive Garden" restaurant.  A really nice Italian place.  Great food...great wine...lots of chatting...it was really a good time.  I think we were there almost 2 hours!

     All too soon, the day was coming to an end.  Sara went off with Joanie and  Jennifer to spend the next couple of days.  Arvid and I enjoyed ourselves just unwinding.  My friends thought we were both crazy because we spent a little time on our computers...but I "had" to tell a couple close friends about the day!  <grin>

     It was a wonderful day even if it was over too fast.  It feels great to finally be married after all we'd had to go through to get to this point.  I know we'll always remember what it took to get us where we are now and that will only strengthen our bond.  We'll never take our love for granted.

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