So there are a lot of hunts this time of year. The hunt I am thinking of is one of my favorites though. It is not just any hunt it is the hunt. This hunt happens at various times throughout November and December for different families, but for us, the hunt happens as soon as possible after the Thanksgiving holiday. I usually count it as part of our Thanksgiving celebration really.
Have you guessed what the hunt is that I’m referring to yet? Tromping through the snow, trees, mountains, forest? It’s that time of year for the Christmas tree hunt! We spent Thanksgiving at the ranch this year with My Cowboy’s family so four out of the five couples, including us, went to search out our Christmas trees from a canyon nearby.
The climbing.
This little cowboy even brought his sled to help carry his tree down the mountain.
Of course there were some snowball fights.
We raise self-sufficient cowboys around here. This little cowboy chopped down his own tree for his own room.
We found one!
This is why we love Katelyn.
One of the best parts of Christmas and other holidays to me is tradition. Traditions bring us together in a special way, especially families. I am grateful for the traditions my family had growing up and for the sweet memories I can look back on from those times. I am also grateful for the traditions My Cowboy and I have and the ways they bond us. My grandpa passed away earlier this month so I have been feeling especially nostalgic. Reminiscing on traditions from my childhood and those that we have formed or carried on into my adulthood, has been a way to keep loved ones close, including those who have passed on.
I have officially finished decking our halls now that the Christmas tree is up. Merry Christmas season to all of you! I feel so blessed each year as we celebrate the Savior’s coming into the world and marvel at His selfless life and sacrifice on behalf of each of us. I sincerely hope your Christmas is merry and that the true Reason we celebrate this season brings peace to your neighborhoods, homes, and families.
As I mentioned in my most recent post, My Cowboy’s brother and his bride tied the knot this month. He is the youngest cowboy in the family and the final brother to take the plunge. For the rest of us ladies, this means our bride tribe is complete. No more being outnumbered by boys in this family.
It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t be happier for the newest couple in our family. It is so refreshing to witness two people so in love start their life together as husband and wife. For more thoughts on that topic, click here. Now that all the cowboys have claimed their brides, I can share something I’ve been wanting to share for a while without spoiling any surprises for future sisters.
I am all about traditions. I love them. They can be especially meaningful and unifying when shared in our families. Plus they can be super fun. I love fun. This tradition just might be one of the most fun wedding traditions I have ever encountered. The nature of this tradition totally suits these cowboys too. What’s more western than a kidnapping? In our family, each bride has been kidnapped and held for ransom on their wedding day.
This is my kidnapping on our wedding day. Fortunately, our photographer captured it all.
Oh and no worries, because we always wait to kidnap until after the ceremony has been performed. Kidnapping the bride before then would just be mean. The kidnapping generally takes place during the luncheon, after the bride and groom have finished their meal. In our case, it happened while we were thanking our guests for coming.
I love that unsurprised look on My Cowboy’s face.
Wait, what? Where are you taking me?
So what happens after the bride has been taken hostage by the cowboys? The boys leave a ransom note which is read aloud to the luncheon guests. In that ransom note, they generally require the groom to beg, plead, sing, or all of the above, for the money to get his bride back. The boys then head towards the nearest store with the bride (Wal-Mart preferred). Soon after, the sisters-in-law bring the groom once he has gathered the ransom money required. Here is an example of a ransom note, from another brother’s wedding a few years ago.
(Back to my kidnapping photos)
My Cowboy was required to procure a wheel barrow to push me around the store. Unfortunately/fortunately, the grocery store we shopped at didn’t have any wheel barrows! So he had to visit the neighboring store and barter with them to borrow their wheel barrow. To prove he wouldn’t steal it and would return it when he was done, he had to give up his car keys :D.
Once the mode of transportation for the groom to push his bride is procured, they are given a shopping list. This is where the money the groom gathered comes in. The groom then wheels his bride around the store (preferably wedding dress clad) as they search for each item on the list. You know, items needed for a wedding night. If the money they gathered isn’t enough, then they beg some more, this time to complete strangers in the store.
Honestly, one of the best parts of this whole ordeal are the looks strangers give the bride and groom. Some offer congratulations, some look confused, some appear annoyed, and some are pleased. One lady even commented, rather unkindly on the bride’s wedding dress. Fortunately however, most onlookers are plain amused! It all adds to the enjoyment we take in this tradition.
Another kidnapping I took a few pictures of. I always thought the cardboard sign was a nice touch. Especially outside of Wal-Mart!
What made our most recent kidnapping even better was when we discovered the grocery store didn’t have pregnancy tests out on the shelves. The groom had to push his bride in her shopping cart up to the pharmacy and ask for one. Other wedding night valuables were also nowhere to be found on the shelves. Where would they be? Behind the counter, with the cigarettes. Red-faced, the groom wheeled his bride up to that counter and inquired after the items needed. Fortunately, the youngest cowboy in the family was the best sport. He was definitely the most willing of all the brothers to do everything we asked.
This tradition really is so fun. I find it one of the best parts of the wedding day!
Does your family have a fun wedding tradition? I’d love to hear about it!
As a blogger, you continually have ideas of future posts running through your thoughts. We always hope to be creating material that interests our readers and keeps them coming back. I tend to categorize my ideas in regards to priority. Some posts I know I will eventually write and aren’t time sensitive, so those get put on the back burner, so to speak, usually until I get just the right photos to go along with the words. Other ideas are totally time sensitive, as in perhaps an event that only happens once. I am good at prioritizing writing those right away. Usually. However, there is one event we had in September that I completely forgot to write about- a day all about a cowboy and his bride!
My Cowboy’s younger brother and his little lady were married last month and I had the pleasure of helping out with some of the photography. This is the first time I have had anything to do with a wedding shoot. I was a little scared, but really had a blast! Fortunately this cowboy and his bride were so darn easy to work with.
When it comes to being young and in love, a couple doesn’t even need all that much direction from the photographer. The kisses, the tender touch, the love that permeates their glances, and that warm glow from a happy bride- it just comes natural.
Being present with a cowboy and his bride who are so freshly in love rekindles within me my own sweet memories, memories from when My Cowboy took me to be his bride. I was so totally and completely in love with him then, but once you begin to progress through life as a married couple, solely committed to one another and God, you begin to feel and understand a deeper kind of love. As years pass and life continues on, you pass through the exhilarating highs, coupled with the inescapable lows-together.
I’ve found periodically reminiscing on where it all began can bring needed perspective for moving forward. It always brings me an appreciation for how our story began and of the fulfillment our marriage has brought me. I am also reminded of how important it is to continue the ride we started, the way we started it- together.
The women in our family are just happy as can be to have this lady for a sister! When you marry into a family of all boys, the additional girl power brought with each of our cowboy’s new brides has been especially exciting. She even entrusted me with the task of making her bouquet. I have a horticulture degree, with special attention to floral design, and a fresh flower bridal bouquet just happens to be my number one favorite thing to design. So naturally, I said heck yes.
I wish I could say I posed them myself for these next two photos, but this was one of those ultra sweet “it just comes natural” moments I was telling you about. One moment I was thinking how to pose them and the next thing I knew, the groom scooped up his bride and started twirling her in circles. Swoon sigh…
We are so happy for this cowboy and his bride. Love is sweet. I am extremely grateful for My Cowboy and the blessing it is to be his bride and the opportunity we have each day to share the ride together.
