Todd & Sally Tied the Knot!

I was blessed with the opportunity to witness the marriage of Todd McClure and Sally Heckthorn (McClure) this past weekend in Tennessee. I am so happy that I could attend this wonderful and memorable event, which was loaded with love, fun, food, and a little bit of dancing!

Before I even reached the first of many festivities, I had an episode worthy of its own movie scene during my travels from Madrid to the USA. Before my IBERIA plane landed in Chicago, I realized that it was not on schedule and that our 3:00 PM landing time would not give me sufficient time to make my 3:15 PM boarding time for my flight to Memphis. Despite the Spanish flight attendants’ condemnation of missing my connection, I decided to make a run for it anyway. The adrenaline kicked in, and I sprinted through the Chicago airport, faster than I’ve ever run in my life, which was a God-sent miracle since I had been sitting on a plane for 9.5 hours. Even though I was one of the last ones off the plane, I passed everyone and made it to the front of the passport control and security check lines. In what might have been record time, I dashed up to the designated gate (in a different terminal, mind you) only 30 minutes after disembarking my previous plane. By the grace of God, my Memphis flight was delayed about half and hour, and I arrived at my gate minutes before boarding, albeit sweaty and out-of-breath. Extremely relieved and exhausted, I was overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude for this stoke of luck, which my disoriented and sensitive brain could barely handle in public!

My flight to Memphis allowed me to gain control over my excited and over stimulated emotions. By 8:00 PM CST Thursday night, I was happily reunited with three fabulous Furman friends: Alex Snyder, Jessica Slagle, and Anna Beth Bonney. We rented a car and drove two hours in the dark and in the rain. Finally after almost 20 hours of traveling, I made it to my final destination: Dyersburg, Tennessee. That night my carpool crew was welcomed by an attack of friends and a surprise dance-party in a Holiday Inn Express hotel room. As people were tackled onto beds, shouts of laughter and enthusiasm erupted from everyone. What a joyous gathering it was! Among a handful of some of my closest Furman friends, Todd and Justin were also at the hotel to welcome us. Later, we drove to the country house where all the wedding party was staying for the weekend, and I rolled into my bunk bed to get some much needed sleep!

Friday was a rainy and relaxing day-- and it was Justin’s birthday! He was a faithful Best Man and drove to Memphis to pick up another groomsman. While he was gone, I spent the afternoon with some of my favorite people in the world. With several hours free to entertain ourselves, Miller asked the lady at the BP gas station what was the most fun thing to do in Dyersburg. “Applebee's,” she responded immediately. We ate lunch at Applebee's. Afterward, we wandered through a pumpkin patch that was more like a pumpkin swamp, and we drove the length of the town, twice, in about 20 minutes. Despite what may seem like an unexciting afternoon, I enjoyed every second with these dearly loved Furman friends all the same.
As the Best Man’s date, I was invited to be at Friday’s Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner. Watching the rehearsal made the impending nuptials all the more real, and listening to the many toasts at the dinner made my heart smile. After the dinner, the rest of the Furman gang was invited to have dessert with the other guests at the Country Club. Above is the fantastic portrait of my friends with Todd & Sally on the eve of their wedding (Sally and Todd are the two tall ones in the middle!).

On Saturday morning David, Todd, Justin and Marius (not pictured below) showed off their manliness by playing on the rope swing at the pond behind the country house. Todd took the plunge into the chilly waters before taking the plunge into married life… brave man.

We went to the Saturday brunch at the Country Club, mixing and mingling with mimosas in hand. Some of my favorite Southern-style dishes made the menu: shrimp-and-grits and warm cheesy biscuits. I think eating fantastic food with friends and family helped ease Todd’s and Sally’s nerves… it sure helped mine! ;-)

While the wedding party had their photo-shoot Saturday afternoon, the rest of us changed into more comfortable attire and had a spontaneous dance party under the hotel awning before caravanning to the local park to soak up some much-welcomed sunshine. At the park, we swung on the swings, threw the Frisbee, climbed on the children’s playground, chatted together, and simply took pleasure in each other’s company.

Erin and Myles got engaged last weekend! Congratulations to my two dear friends!

At 7:00 on Saturday, Sally Heckthorn walked down the aisle with her father. Shortly thereafter, she and Todd swapped rings, said their vows, and kissed each other for the first time as man and wife. Hooray for Mr. and Mrs. McClure!

The reception was elegant & classy and revolved around the fall season. I loved the gourmet chocolate-covered apples, the gorgeous bridal cake, the tomato-shaped grooms’ cake (Todd’s in the tomato farming business), and the abundance of oranges, reds, yellows, browns, and greens.

The gourmet apples were a hit... but I don't think Mae and Edward realized that they were being served in slices, not whole.

Sally, the beautiful bride, posed for a cake-cutting shot.

I wonder if these are the same tomatoes we planted on Todd’s farm back in August!

Furman’s Chi Omega encircled Sally and sang a special song for our newlywed sister.
Casey (my little XO sister) and I just can’t believe Sally is, in fact, married!

Above: Todd and Justin. Groom and Best Man. Two very special guys.

Below: We sent off the happy couple in a shower of crackling sparklers. Brian, fellow Furman alum and official photographer, worked hard all weekend to capture all those priceless moments!

To wrap things up, Justin, Marius (Todd’s childhood friend), and I left Dyersburg early (like before dawn) on Sunday morning. They were driving Todd’s car all the way back to Florida and had almost as long of a trip as I did. They dropped me off at the Memphis airport, and I was sad to say goodbye to Justin. Fortunately, I had no problems getting back to Madrid—except for the fact that the Iberia flight attendants went on strike. However, I was so exhausted that I stretched out across three seats in the back of the very empty plane and passed out for most of my second trans-Atlantic flight of the week. And now, I’m back in Madrid, teaching English to Spanish children and fighting off the jet lag. Thus far, life is pretty normal here.

Todd and Sally’s first dance was to “Cheek to cheek.” Check out my video of this sweet moment. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE McCLURES!