WELCH FAMILY: Ford & Shiala are sealed

Monday, August 17, 2015

Ford & Shiala are sealed

We headed to Provo on the 14th of Aug to prepare for Ford and Shiala's temple sealing. It was a day we had been hoping for for quite a while and we were thrilled it was here. There is just nothing like being in the temple with your children, and being there when they make those sacred promises, covenants and commitments.

Shiala and I had been making preparations for a while, including making the table decorations on the cheap and deciding on a menu and getting it ordered and ready to go. Then the time came and we just hoped we had taken care of everything we needed to take care of.

They had chosen to go to the temple for their endowments prior to the sealing. So that event took place here in Monticello on Aug 11. What a special day. A day that we thought at one point could be years in coming, so we were so happy when the it didn't take years to reach that point.

Shiala, Ford, Kassie and Curtis-Monticello Temple

For the sealing we got to the SLC Temple, along with a zillion other people (**Including the Piano Guys, who were in the marriage waiting room the same time we were!) on Saturday morning. Finally our group was called and we went up to the sealing room. It was awesome to see Ford and Shiala come in dressed in their temple clothing. The sealer spoke to them for a bit and then sweet Kami was brought in. The ladies in the children's room had done a good job of dressing her up and taking care of her. She was so cute, smiling and saying hi to everyone. She was being very friendly and had all of us smiling and chuckling. However, when they sat her on the altar she instinctively knew that it was a sacred moment and she became quiet and actually laid her little head down on top of her parents' clasped hands. Such a sweet tender moment.

One other tender mercy was that Shiala's mom was able to get a recommend and be there for it. She thought for a time that she wouldn't be able to be there, and it was a hard thing for Shiala, but she had decided she was going to go ahead anyway. So when we learned that she was going to be there, it made things just that much more special. Shiala's friend, Bronwyn and her husband were there, as well as Shiala's brother, Bryan and his wife, Heidi, and a couple of aunts and uncles. And she thought she'd have no one there.

We went to the east side of the temple to take a few pictures on the steps, but I didn't get one. We didn't take many because there were other newlyweds waiting. Then we headed back to Orem to get the reception/dinner ready to go.

Shiala wanted to have a little reception/dinner after the sealing since they hadn't had a reception when they were married. We didn't have much of a budget, but tried to find inexpensive ways to give her what she was longing for. She wanted decor in shades of lavender and silver/gray. Live flowers are so expensive, so we opted for these pomander balls that we made, using a flower punch, styrofoam balls and pearl headed pins. We got the glass candlestick holders at Dollar Tree. We also bought a bolt of lavender tulle off amazon, as well as some silver tulle. We asked Nicole if we could use her pewter serving pieces and she helped us find an arch which we decorated with silk wisteria that we ordered off Amazon. What would we do without Amazon?!? We ordered all the food from BYU Food to Go. It was so nice to not have to prepare all the food, just pick it up and eat it. I think it all turned out very nice, but not overly fancy. I hope Shiala was happy with it. It was nice for them to have a place to be greeted and congratulated by their family and friends.

Pomander balls we made
lots of time spent punching out flowers and pinning them on

some of my crazy boys at the SLC Temple.
I did not get any other pictures at the temple, sadly.

Isabelle made a cute chalkboard sign for the reception.

Wisteria arch

We had the reception at Nicole's ward building
What would we do without Nicole for party advice and help?!?

Food table on the left, ice cream sundae dessert table

We are so thankful for the love and support of all who made the time to be there for Ford and Shiala. Family and friends are so good to us and we are so blessed.