This time last week I was in Pennsylvania at Jessie’s childhood home checking off the final to-dos and counting down the hours to Jessie and Troy’s wedding.

I road-tripped up with the happy couple and their pup Dexter, leaving my beloved behind to finish ticking and tying his audit (I don’t know accounting things, but I assume that’s what he was doing). Troy and Dex shared the back seat.

Our first order of business, according to the three-page check-list the bride was clutching, was to assemble the welcome bags for out-of-town guests’ hotel rooms. In the midst of the operation, however, Jessie’s dad alerted us to a herd of feral mini horses with a bunch of foals down the road. Jessie wasn’t impressed, but I begged enough and off we went to visit the baby horses.

Back at the ranch, we packed up the groom and the welcome bags and headed a few towns over where the wedding was taking place to run some errands (lunch, tuxes, etc.) and drop some things — and Troy — off at the hotel.

When Jessie and I returned to her parents’ house, we played with the dogs, went out to dinner, and played with the dogs some more before attempting to get a good night’s sleep (which Jessie failed to get, despite my best efforts not to snore).

Friday morning it was time for nails with Troy’s sisters, nieces and nephew, followed by lunch, reception set-up, ceremony rehearsal, and a beautiful rehearsal dinner.

Jessie was calm and beautiful all day Saturday. We got our hair and make-up done in the bridal suite, Jessie ate chicken fingers, I cried when her mom and I zipped her into her gown and again when I put her veil on … and again when her dad came in for the first time.

And when we got to the church nice and early as the incredibly organized bride had planned, I had time to go double check a few things in the reception space leftover from the first double-check. I ran across a field barefoot in my bridesmaid dress and glamorous hair and make-up, the sheep in the churchyard baa-ed at me, and it was worth it. After tidying a few details I got to scurry back and share pictures with the anxious (in a good way) bride.

And she was happy.

Before I started my walk down the aisle, I turned to Jessie and told her that I love her. The joy between her and her dad in that moment right before the wedding was incredibly sweet.

Jessie and Troy’s ceremony was beautiful, and I was so happy for them that I did the gator later that night at their reception.

I’ll upload actual pictures from my actual camera sometime soon. Probably.