We did it! We finally tied the knot! Yes, allow me to REintroduce myself – I am now Mrs. Kirksey.
On Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 5:00pm – Tim & I gathered with our closest friends and family in Preston, Georgia (his hometown,) at Preston United Methodist Church.
This was the church he grew up in, and where his parents married and where their parents and so on and so forth. It is the quintessential little country church, right in the center of town, diagonal from the Webster County Courthouse.
About 40 people gathered together to witness our quirky little union. There was nothing traditional about this service, and that was exactly how we wanted it. I ended up wearing a navy blue evening gown and glittery gold shoes. He wore a black Vera Wang tux with a navy vest and tie. I carried a brooch bouquet that my mother made (complete with a brooch that belonged to my great-grandmother.)
Our processional was a song that he and I fell in love with a very long time ago. We have both been down the aisle before, and we were both burned before. The song we chose had lyrics that we could relate to.
A Thousand Years
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I’m afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer
I have died everyday, waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything, take away
What’s standing in front of me
Every breath, every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died everyday, waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed, I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
One step closer
One step closer
I have died everyday, waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed, I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more.
We had a gentleman play the instrumental version on the piano. As the song started, my Tim’s sister, Paige, and his mother, Ann, walked down the aisle together and stood before a photo of Tim’s father, Jerry. Mr. Kirksey died a few years back from Lymphoma. We both wish he could have been there, and decided this would be a nice way to honor his memory.
Jerry apparently was the life of the party! Always laughing, always smiling, and he was even the Mayor of Preston for several years. According to my friends, when Tim made it down the aisle, he paused for just a minute and looked at his father’s picture. *sob*
Next down the aisle were my parents, Mae & Jack Thurston, followed by my sister, Heather Busby.
After my sister made it down the aisle, my niece, Autumn and Tim’s niece, Micah, walked side by side down the aisle.Autumn carried my Grandma Thurston’s bible with Tim’s ring on it, and Micah carried Tim’s father’s bible down the aisle with my ring on it.
Next was Tim’s daughter, Kaitlyn, her husband Miles, and their daughter (my now) grand daughter, Cotton.
Then Tim’s daughters made it down the aisle with us following right behind them. He and I decided to walk down together – it was a statement that traditions were thrown out the door, and we were in this together. Two adults, in their mid 40s, making a promise.
My dearest friend for almost 2o years was our minister. Tonya and I had met back in 2000 at the Girl Scouts of Middle Georgia, where we both worked. Many years later, I would return to Macon and she and I would work at the Tubman Museum, and during that time, she got her Master’s in Divinity and got ordained. We were her first wedding. Not only was she my minister, she is truly one of my best friends.
She started the ceremony off with a prayer and our intention. We loved how when she asked the congregation whether or not we should be joined – Cotton made a noise and everyone started laughing. It was the perfect moment to break the ice!
We started off with a poem by ee cummings. My sister recited it.
[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]
BY E. E. CUMMINGS
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
Following the poem, Tim’s sister, Paige, read a verse from the book of Ruth.
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.
—Ruth 1:16-17
Following that, my dear little 10 year old niece recited a poem she had written for us. It was so sweet and beautiful! This was the one time I teared up a bit.
After that, we had a wonderful “vowed” moment with Tim’s daughter, Kaitlyn. It was basically a promise that the only “step” in our lives would be a step toward more love, etc. You see, Tim’s daughter is actually his ex-step daughter. (legally speaking.) But in this family, Tim is Daddy. He will always be her Dad – and for that, we were recognizing how important she and her little family unit were to us. It was a very sweet moment.
After that part, we made our promises to his two biological daughters – Karen-Ann & Alex. They are still young and live with us more than 1/2 of the time. Again, the promises we made to one another were very special.
After this, we finally recited our vows to one another. We made the crowd laugh and cry! It was a very special moment. The girls brought up the rings, and we exchanged rings and were announced husband & wife!
And of course, in fine Nicole fashion… I did THIS:
We walked out to the instrumental version of Don’t Stop Believing by Journey.
Seriously…
We did.
After the ceremony, we made our way to Plains, Georgia and to the little downtown area. Our colors were navy blue & gold – A Starry Night in Paris. We danced, we partied, and I even had a taco bar and the best DJ ever – DJ Deck. Life was grand!
Yes – you see an Eiffel tower, with Wonder Woman being proposed to by Superman!
My super cool bouquet
We served petit fours!
When we arrived, over 100 people were already in the reception hall! Our minister jokingly said she was going to re enact the wedding… and suddenly the DJ cues up the “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince opening and everyone died laughing! It was a hit. Tim’s best friend Tag came up and gave a great light hearted toast, and my bestie, Telisa, came up and gave such a touching toast that she cried, and I cried (which I NEVER cry,) and so on and so forth. After that, my friend Qaijuan led us in the blessing!
None of these pictures will ever do the party any justice. We had such a great time! So many good friends from all stages of both of our lives.
But we did it!
If you have been following my stories – from my old blog to this one. You know this new blog is about a new life. I have closed the old volumes and I am writing a new story – a new book.
And so it begins!
