destination Destin & happy tears

Whomever said that a destination wedding
is less tiring, or is less work is totally WRONG!
After a wedding week away,
I need a vacation! lol

With multiple carloads of needed stuff,

and a 15+ hour drive down to Destin, Florida, 
my Sonny-boy tied the knot!
So excited for both him and his new bride!

Sonny-boy has always been a contrary child,
so when he fell in love,
got engaged,
had a baby,
had another baby,
then got married,
I was only a little surprised.

I've had 4 years (since engagement) 
to think about his wedding quilt,
and for this contrary child, 
I wanted to make a wedding quilt that was a little different...
a contrary signature quilt.
So I had Sonny-boy draw his 
true love's initials and a heart 
(like the time-honored tradition of carving into a tree).
I then quilted through his drawn paper, 
and used three colors of thread to carve/thread-trace it onto the quilt top,
and added some 'bark' lines to complete the quilting.

I finished binding it on the condo balcony the evening of arrival in Destin:

(It's not as dark brown as it looks in this picture.)

 And though the quilt was not pressed in the above picture, 

I think you can see the 'bark' quilting lines.

I think it turned out with just the right amount of contrary.
I provided black pens for the wedding guests to use to sign their sentiments,
and there are now signatures and well wishes written all around his 'carved' heart. 

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs....
my sonny-boy and his beautiful family:

Beautiful, just beautiful...
The ceremony, the families, the weather, the unplanned three doves that did a fly-through after the kiss (which I believe are family members in heaven approving of this union), the  pink sunset and then the full super moon that arrived for the reception. 

Happy tears were shed.