A Bride Adorned

A couple of weeks before her wedding, Lissie visited the hairdresser for a practice run on the hairdo she would wear on her special day. Her sister, Natasha, accompanied her to take photos.

Before long, the hairstylist had arranged Lissie's locks just as the bride-to-be had dreamed.

 When she returned home, her sister, Daria, was ready to practice the wedding day makeup. As Daria worked, the rest of Lissie's sisters and I stood in wonder as a radiant bride emerged.

We clamored for Lissie to don her gown and the transformation was complete. Daria then put on the finishing touch...

I couldn't miss that my little girl was all grown up, ready to be a wife.

We shifted the beautiful bride-to-be to another room for different lighting and continued to marvel at what God had prepared for Eric.

...and then Natasha suggested we take some photos outside.

Her sisters gathered her gown and we stepped into the warm glow of autumn sunshine.

During this family event, even Lissie's beloved pooch, Sunshine, got to join in on the joy!

We put the dog back inside and Lissie moved into the beauty of the afternoon. 

We were captivated by how her veil moved poetically in the light breeze.

We finished this practice confident that Lissie was ready for her wedding day.

I finished the afternoon stunned yet again by my great God. I couldn't get over the the wonder of a mother having the opportunity to fellowship with her daughters in this setting. The shared hours had been magical. We'd laughed together as we relished Lissie's joy at this final step in the preparation to marry the man of her dreams. 

The bride was radiant that afternoon as she anticipated her wedding day. Her radiance emanated from love of her savior Jesus Christ. This devotion to Christ had fueled impassioned purity as she had waited in faith for marriage. Lissie was ready now for her first kiss.