When Your Daughter Gets Married-The Day We Gained Another Son

We now have two sons, and we couldn't be more excited! Nate and Rylee were married on July 2, 2026 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Welcome to Part Two-the wedding! The glorious event was already eight days ago. It is hard to believe, and at the rate I am going with finishing this post they will be celebrating their month anniversary before I complete it. These posts take me hours to finish, and when the subject is something this monumental, they take even longer because I want them to be perfect—for the sake of our family's history, so we can look back on them for years to come.

The memories are always so important to me. That is one of the reasons I am constantly taking photos. It helps me remember, and it is my prayer that it also does for everyone in them. This event, although small and relatively unassuming, will hold such a special place in all of our hearts forever.

As I said in Part One, Rylee and Nate wanted to have a small courthouse wedding this summer. Because of the short engagement, and all of her commitments it made the most sense. They have talked about having a big celebration next year, so we shall see what God’s plan is with that, but regardless of what happens then, they are now married. And it was all absolutely perfect!

None of us really knew what to expect since we have never been to a courthouse wedding ceremony before. In the days leading up to it Rylee was even unsure about how many family members could actually attend. Thankfully, our household, Nate’s household, and all the grandparents were able to come inside the courtroom, and that was all of the guests they wanted for this simple ceremony. So, without much planning on our part at all, the five of us joined the Symens family in Bismarck North Dakota the evening before. They welcomed us with open arms. Words cannot express how grateful we are that Lisa, Jeff and Lyd are all just as amazing as Nate is. It is no wonder Rylee fell in love with all of them almost exactly one year ago when she met them for the first time. They are awesome, and by the end of the weekend we were all remarking about how thankful we are that we get along so well, and simply just love hanging out together.

Frankly, they spoiled us. As the mother of the bride I had tremendous guilt that Lisa was the one doing everything, hosting, decorating, feeding, and entertaining us. We tried to pull our weight, but even so, it was their home, and they are amazing hosts. As another bonus Lisa even ordered the flowers for Rylee’s bouquet so that they would be ready to put together on Wednesday night. With that came a miraculous bonus–hundreds of roses and greenery were there waiting for us because of some mix-up at a floral shop with a different relative’s party. So, we put together dozens of bouquets to decorate their home for the week. By the end we were honestly getting tired of arranging because there were SO many flowers! Olivia was in her glory though. She is an amazing floral designer, and she truly put together a fabulous bouquet for her big sister.

Once we wrapped that up we did a short sunset cruise on their boat. They live right beside the Missouri River, which is awesome because I grew up not far from it myself in South Dakota. Interestingly enough, the similarities between Eric's and my story and Rylee and Nate's continue to surprise us, making the whole experience even more meaningful. It was a lovely ride, and then we headed back to the hotel. We girls all stayed in one room while Bridger and Eric were in another. Looking back, I don't think I'll ever forget getting to spend Rylee's last evening as a single woman with her. We were all exhausted, so it wasn’t too crazy, but it was very special.

Thursday morning came quickly and bridal preparations began. Claire ran to get everyone caffeine, Olivia did Rylee’s hair, the boys stayed away and also checked out of their room, and I documented.

In Bismarck-Mandan everything is roughly 15 minutes apart, and the goal was to get to the courthouse by 10:30 so we could all figure out where to go before the wedding at 11 a.m. There was a bit of rain, which unfortunately came back after the ceremony, but thankfully it never poured. Going through security for a wedding was a new thing for us, but we made it to the right spot in plenty of time. While we waited we had great conversation, and some great laughs.

The laughs continued after the judge came in and asked for the paperwork and money for the ceremony. Turns out there was a bit of miscommunication so the couple was 10 dollars short and had to ask their crowd for money to complete the wedding. Eric stepped up and paid the judge with some humor, so now that will be a family joke for years to come.

The wedding itself took 8 minutes according to the time stamps on my photos. My eyes were too teary to even think of looking at the clock after they kissed as husband and wife to actually remember the time. Despite the brevity of the service, Judge Amanda Harris was absolutely fabulous. She truly made the courthouse ceremony very special and shared some beautiful words, in addition to some humor. My favorite part was when she was talking about two trees growing together and she looks up at Nate and Rylee, pauses, and says, “Literally like two trees. You two are so tall!”

After Lisa and I signed the marriage license as their witnesses we took some photos. Since Rylee had made it very clear that very few photos were going to be taken that day I really didn’t know what to expect in that regard either. Thankfully the sweet judge even asked if she could take photos of our entire group, and we have her to thank for that piece of history. We planned to take group photos outside of the building because the facade is so cool, but when we got out there it was raining, so God had different plans. The plan of going to the Chief Looking Village overlook for group photos also changed, so half of our group went there and the other went back to Symens house.

beautiful new bride gets dipped by her groom in front of a county courthouse and almost gets dropped so they laugh

beautiful new bride gets dipped by her handsome groom in front of a county courthouse

beautiful new bride gets dipped by her groom in front of a county courthouse

Once the rain stopped the lighting was perfect for photos at every location. It is probably not surprising that I took a lot more pictures than either of us planned, but it turns out they were so happy that newlyweds were very willing to be photographed.

So many elements of the day were just absolutely perfect. After photos at the lookout we all convened at the house for the beginning of an Italian style afternoon of feasting. Because of their engagement in Italy Lisa had the idea to plan a multi-course meal to celebrate our beautiful children. We all worked together to get things situated and then we started with charcuterie while Rylee’s Grandpa Roger Woller did a devotion for them. It was beautiful, and absolutely perfect. Sitting outside in the sunshine surrounded by our family who now has become bigger was just absolutely amazing.

In true wedding fashion there was clinking of glasses, and toasts. Every one of us said a toast to the happy couple. It was precious and something I will never forget. We sat there enjoying each other’s company long after our bellies simply couldn't hold another one of the wonderful courses that had been prepared. So, we took a break from feasting to play games at the beach, take some kayak and boat rides and just get to know each other.

It was the simplest wedding I have ever attended. It was relaxing, tremendously enjoyable, and overflowing with love and admiration for everyone present. It was an awesome reminder of what a wedding represents and that it doesn't have to be expensive to be meaningful. I am thankful for its simplicity, but even more thankful that Rylee has found a soulmate who loves Jesus and will clearly cherish her for the rest of her life.

Those of you who are reading this and are married know the road isn't always easy. Their first challenge as husband and wife is Rylee taking the MCAT tomorrow. I'd love it if you'd say a prayer for her as she takes this huge test, and for both of them as they begin this new chapter together. Medical school, coaching basketball, and whatever else God sees fit to bless them with will provide challenges and lots of adventures. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for them and am so excited to have another son and an even bigger extended family. Welcome to the family, Nate. We are so thankful God brought you into our lives!

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