I have finished this wedding blog in just two days as I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone. John is Chris’ uncle from his Dad’s (Dan) O’Connell side of the family. When Chris and I first started dating I heard many many great things about his UNCLES. That was how I met John…it wasn’t just John by himself. It was always John and Jim together. The first time I met them they instantly made me feel comfortable, loved, and part of the family (even though Chris and I had only been dating a short time). Anyone who meets them would probably say the same thing! Three years ago John and Jim bought a lake home in northern Indiana. It has been such a fun place to go and relax with family and friends! We all gave it the nickname Lake JimmyJohn! If you look through my older blogs on here you may run across a few about Lake JimmyJohn.

John and Jim have been together 22 years so it was only fitting that they would make it “official” by having a marriage ceremony! They called Chris and I right after they got engaged. They wanted to make sure they set a date in July that I didn’t already have a wedding scheduled so I could come to the wedding. After they called, I made a point to say that I wanted to take the pictures as a gift for them. I was SO excited! They set the date for July 25 but found out that date wouldn’t work. July 4th became the final date.

I will admit I am a sucker for signs and the whole “meant to be” stuff. So this next little story I had to share. John shared this story at the reception as well (I am sharing the whole story and some parts may be shared differently because I was not there. I am sharing how my memory remembers hearing it.) J and J had rings that were just plain bands. They were out with the O’Connell clan on their 10 year anniversary. The O’Connells were out shopping at a mall and ended up in the jewelry store. It was there they decided they wanted to get new rings in honor of their 10 year anniversary. The O’Connell women loved the idea of J and J getting new rings so they gave their input. The rings ended up with one small diamond in the middle. As J and J were getting ready for their wedding, they started talking about what they wanted to do with their rings. They talked of getting new rings altogether but Jim stopped John. He said, “Your family members helped us pick out these rings and we should keep them!” John agreed and decided to have their birthstones added next to the diamond instead. John’s birthstone is a ruby (red) for July and Jim’s birthstone is tanzanite (blue) for December. When they got the rings back…what do you know…red white and blue….and getting married on the 4th of July! SUCH a great story to tell! And talk about perfect timing on their wedding…in the newspaper (Ft. Wayne’s Journal Gazette) the main page was all about the recent Supreme Court ruling that makes same sex marriage legal in all 50 states. John and Jim’s wedding announcement was in that exact newspaper! You will see John showing two of his friends the newspaper in one of these pictures.

Okay I think I have shared enough…Here are many pictures from their absolutely gorgeous and loving day full of friends and family. P.S. My husband, Gwendolyn, and I do make an appearance throughout these photos. The fact that I am even in a few is a first ;P. ENJOY!!!!!!

What an amazing day it was and we all will remember how perfect it was in every way! I’m so so happy to call you family! We all love you both very very much!

~Emily O.