2020

Favorite Moments From Our Wedding.

~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

This is one of those posts that I am writing for myself, to remember long down the road.

My favorite, unexpected moments from my wedding.

Want to know something weird? I was actually looking forward to seeing what would go “wrong” on the day-of. You see, where most brides would dread the cringe-worthy, strange, or unexpected, I am different in that I LOVE a good story to laugh about with friends for years to come. That being said, we really had a pretty smooth day. So instead of sharing the “bad memorable” with you, I’ll share the “fun and unexpected” memorable.

  • We were married in February, so cold and dreary weather was basically just the name of the game that month. I was fine with whatever, as long as I was marrying Creighton, but wouldn’t you know…the day of our wedding was sunny and in the 70s. Glory Hallelujah! I actually stayed the night before the wedding at my in-laws house (a whopping 100 feet from the Country Club where my bridal party got ready and we had our reception), so I decided to walk down to the venue all by my lonesome and enjoy a few moments of calm before the storm. As I walked, I felt so overwhelmingly thankful—for the Lord’s providence in getting us to that day, for the loving friends and families who were celebrating with us, and for having a springy day in winter, our very unexpected gift.

    (And in case you were wondering, yes I did walk down to the club in my getting-ready pajamas with my dress in tow. No shame.)
  • I wouldn’t call myself a “crier,” but I’m also not-not a “crier,” if you know what I mean. In other words, I can bring the waterworks if the moment is right. And let’s just say that the moment must’ve been RIGHT as I walked down the aisle—the only time I cried all day. Truth be told, I was a tad embarrassed later about my red nose and whimpering lower lip, but I later found out that my mom and sisters did the same. Guess it’s just a Williamson thing, which made the spectacle a lot more endearing in hindsight.
  • One of my favorite moments of the ceremony was the gospel choir that sang a beautiful song at the beginning of the service and “Oh Happy Day” during the recessional. Walking out of the door to such beautiful voices singing the most triumphant song was one of the coolest moments of my life. My only qualm was that I wanted to listen longer as the rest of the wedding party departed…so I did what any good bride would: I creaked open the church’s side door and listened/watched until the very end. Oh happy day, indeed.

    I am sad to say that we have no pictures of the choir (how did that happen?!), so the following picture will have to suffice. Just imagine that happy couple pictured below being serenaded “Sister Act 2 style” as they left the church.
  • My brother-in-law Hunter is a former professional musician, so imagine our delight when he hopped on stage and played along with the band a rendition of “Purple Rain” by Prince—one of his very favorites. We were all in awe and it made for such a special surprise!
  • One of the first wedding decisions I made was to offer peach fried pies to our guests in lieu of wedding cake as a way to honor my late Grandma Williamson (read the card below for a little more info about her + her famous fried pies). She raised five wonderful boys, all of whom were able to attend the wedding—such a treat since many of them live far away. I know this picture of my grandma’s boys in front of the pies would’ve made her smile, and thus this moment will forever be a favorite part of my wedding.
  • And finally: I couldn’t forget our “surprise” musical talent as we made our grand exit from the wedding reception. Oh, this one is fun.

    One of Creighton’s ushers, a nice young gentleman named Taylor, happens to be an incredibly talented musician/singer. Well, after a cocktail (or six), Taylor took advantage of a piano conveniently located right next to the exit doors. He played/sang “Don’t Stop Believing” as we exited our reception beneath the glow of sparklers and smiling faces. Isn’t it funny how some background music can make an already good moment downright magical. Three cheers for Taylor’s somewhat drunken (but also awesome) contribution to the ending of our day.

KAT
Currently listening to “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone (fun fact: if Creighton and I could redo our first dance, we’d do it to this song!)

Our Wedding.

~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

Well, a whopping 14 months after our wedding, I have finally sat down to share some photos and thoughts.

Truth be told, I dragged my feet. Creighton and I barely snuck our wedding and honeymoon in before Covid shut the world down. And though we feel so very thankful to have gotten those experiences, it’s felt awkward and even cruel to share a lot considering the 2020 world/social + political climate. There was a lot of trauma last year, but our wedding day was a small sliver of joy—one that we never mean to rub in anyone’s face, but one that we also want to celebrate and remember when appropriate.

That being said, I think it’s now time to share.

We got married on February 22, 2020 (02-22-20…gotta love a palindrome) in Austin, Texas on the most lovely 70 degree day. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I’ll tell you this: one year later and there’s not a thing I would change.

So without further ado, our wedding…

Whew! There you go. A photo summation of our wedding.

It was a beautiful day, but little did we know that soon the world would get a little darker and scarier. Maybe this is a “no, duh” statement, but getting married on the cusp of a worldwide pandemic brings a lot of things into perspective. Do we need hundreds of people around us to find joy? Do we need fancy clothes to make us feel worthy? Do we need pomp and circumstance for life to feel special? The answer, we found, was no—those things, though fun at times, are not the recipe to a beautiful, meaningful life.

2020 gave us a gift in that it striped down our marriage to the essentials—the Lord and each other. And you know what? We wouldn’t trade that for the world! I constantly think back to the words of one of my favorite hymns (which I also walked down the aisle to), “O, God Beyond All Praising.” Particularly the second verse meant so much to me this past year, and my prayer is that we always remember in our marriage to “marvel at God’s beauty” through the “triumph” and “sorrows.” To God be the glory for 02.22.20 and every day we have as the Drydens.

O God beyond all praising,
     we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
     that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
     at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
     and mercies without end:
we lift our hearts before you
     and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
     our great and mighty Lord.


Then hear, O gracious Savior,
     accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favor
     may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
     be filled with good or ill,
we'll triumph through our sorrows
     and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
     and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
     our sacrifice of praise.

All photos c/o the wonderful and talented Ann Mark Photography!

KAT
Currently listening to “You’ve Got The Love” by Florence + The Machines

Weekly Rundown.

~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

A lovely Friday to you!

Covid has obviously not cramped Princess Beatrice’s style at all. Who needs thousands of wedding guests when you can have thousands of flowers? Still daydreaming about this pretty scene.
  1. For those in need of a fool-proof summer recipe, look no further than this: turky + feta meatballs with lemon orzo salad (c/o Hello Adams Family Blog). It’s easy, summer-y, and consistently good. Honestly, I’ve never been much of a meatball fan, but I do like these (and Creighton says these are top-notch, while still feeling light). What really gets me is the lemon orzo salad. If dinner parties were a thing in 2020, I’d be making a side of that all the time!
Image c/o Hello Adams Family Blog

2. Creighton sent this article from Apartment Therapy my way last week, and it’s too cool a story not to share. The article features the home of a woman who has a rare disease called Grapheme-Color Synesthesia, or in other words, her “brain “sees” letters and numbers as having specific colors.” So, her brain associates specific colors with words. For example, here are some color schemes associated with the words that best correlate to each room in her house…

Image c/o apartment therapy

Check out the article to see how the homeowner decorated each room of her house with colors that “meant something.” My favorite of her rooms was the sweet little sunroom below.

Image c/o apartment therapy

3. My beloved sister Sarah is moving home to Texas after an 8 year detour in Birmingham, Alabama. She’s set to arrive in her new home of Austin tomorrow, and believe me when I say that I’ve been counting down the days. Here’s to you and your new adventure, Sarah!

4. I’ve worn this cute new headband every day this week. How much do I love it? Let me count the ways: it is not too big or bulky; it covers quarantine hair; and it looks like the Mi Golondrina ones that fancy girls wear, but it’s cheaper. win, win, win.

5. This last Sunday night, we experienced the most beautiful, full double-rainbow while grabbing some ice cream at Andy’s frozen custard. Just a small, but timely reminder of hope.

KAT
Currently listening to “Seven” by T-Swift

Weekly Rundown.

~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

It’s Friday, friends! Here are some highlights from this week…

Photo from aloral.com
  1. It’s no secret that the band formally known as The Dixie Chicks has been a love of mine since the single-digit years of my life. Well, the girls are back with their brand spankin’ new album “Gaslighter,” and I’m here to tell you it’s good. Even if you’re not a fan of country music, you should give it a listen. The song “My Best Friend’s Weddings” is so sad and wonderful all at the same time.

2. A few weeks back I took a stroll around my favorite Marshall’s in Dallas (which also happens to be sketchy as heck) and found these whitewashed wicker ottomans for only $50. I love a good deal, so they made their way back to the Dryden home (though I still haven’t decided if I’m keeping them for good). Currently they’re living at the end of our bed, but I think they’d be cute under an acrylic console table too.

3. It’s been a minute since I’ve loved anything I’ve read, but I am definitely intrigued by “The Guest List,” a thriller written from five different perspectives. Only 30 pages in, but so far I’m hooked. That Reese Witherspoon really knows what she’s doing, huh?

4. Not much else is going on here in Dallas, Texas. Our city’s Covid numbers are shamefully high, so Creighton and I are hanging at home a lot and enjoying time together. It’s such a funny season of life (and let’s be honest: we’re talking “strange funny,” not “haha funny”), but I keep seeing glimpses of God’s loving kindness and faithfulness during this time. I am confident that He is loving us well through this.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33

These are the glory days, folks!

KAT
Currently listening to “My Best Friend’s Weddings” by The Chicks

And So, We Go.

~ katdryden ~ Leave a comment

Below is a devotional I wrote to coordinate with this sermon from Park Cities Presbyterian Church. The article is a part of their “Every Thought Captive” weekly devo, which you can subscribe to here. Enjoy.

<Photo from Farrow & Ball>

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Today my boss at PCPC asked me to answer the following prompt: What would you ask God about, concerning youth ministry, if you knew He would answer you immediately?

My honest answer was: “How, Lord?”

  • How do we reach students with the Gospel when we can’t meet them through Sunday school or youth events?
  • How do we disciple students when we can’t meet in person for Bible studies?
  • How do we send students into the world when it’s not safe to go anywhere?

Perhaps you can relate to such “how” questions in your life or personal areas of ministry as well.

It is not that God has not left us without any guidance. We know many things to be true:

  • As Pastor Mark said on Sunday, we know that our nature and mission does not change with our circumstances.
  • We know that wilderness seasons are a part of God’s glorious design.
  • We have learned to trust Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s guiding as we navigate uncertainty.

And yet in our sinful flesh, we still may not be satisfied. We desire to know the “hows” behind our mission as His followers. And those holes in our understanding can lead to doubt, frustration, and apathy (this one is especially prevalent for me).

So, how do we face our unchanging mission when we don’t understand the “hows” that accompany our situation?

The words from our closing hymn on Sunday brought a lot of comfort to me:

Facing a task unfinished
That drives us to our knees
A need that, undiminished
Rebukes our slothful ease
We, who rejoice to know Thee
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee
To go and make Thee known

We first go to our knees in prayer, and in those moments, our faith that God knows the answer to all of our “hows” is renewed. And so, we go—praying for faithfulness this day as we face the many uncertainties in our lives. God’s Spirit and Word will lead.   

KAT
(Currently listening to “Facing A Task Unfinished” by Getty Music)