Mr. and Mrs.

This past Thanksgiving, my mom and Richard finally said I DO. After being together for 5 years, they tied the knot in Eldora, Iowa where he is from. We went with a fall theme. Warm colors, sunflowers, leaves, and lots of candles. It was absolutely beautiful. Even though the weather was frigid, our adrenaline kept us going. My parents drove from Tucson with the RV and truck to Iowa and my brother, the baby and I flew into Des Moines. With many delays we were left with one day to decorate. Luckily it was a very intimate ceremony and my OCD was in overdrive. As maid-of-honor, makeup artist, decorator, and photographer I had my hands full! My mom and I began decorating at 7 am the day of the wedding and didnt stop until 330. The wedding was at 5. Needless to say were were a tad late...okay like 20 minutes. But it was worth the wait. My mom was stunning in her dress and tiara. She finally got to have her happy ever after and I could not be happier for her.

 My Speech:

I want to start by saying congratulations to my mom and Richard and a big thank you to the rest of you for joining us on this special day. For those of you who don’t know me I am Arielle, Darlene’s daughter. My mom and I have always had a special bond. Our relationship is more like best friends than mother and daughter. Although she has had to pull the mother card more than once. For as long as I can remember my mom has been the most stable part of my life. I watched her struggle as a single mom and raise us with as much love and energy she could muster. Which wasn’t a lot sometimes. She has always been strong and independent. Two characteristics I really look up to. Most of all she has always been there to support us and be our biggest fan whether it was in theatre, cheerleading or any one of my extracurricular. She put everything in her own life on hold to make sure our lives never felt empty. 5 years ago my mom met Richard and she’s told me that right from the start she knew he was something special.  He is of course in order to put up with our dysfunctional family. Richard has placed a piece of our family back together that I never knew was missing. He has loved my mom fiercely and took me and my brother in, as we were one of his own. I never knew the love of an earthly father until Richard. He is everything I have always hoped my mom would find. Together they balance each other with a love I can only hope to find one day. As you begin your new life together as a married unit under God I hope you keep this verse in mind. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “Though one may be overpowered, 
two can defend themselves. 
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” I wish nothing but love and happiness for you two and pray that God blesses your marriage and y’all always remember that a marriage founded on faith is not quickly broken.