I can’t believe that it’s been two years since our daughter Heidi’s wedding day. They got married on May 26, 2012. She wanted to have it here at the farm and chose a spot in front of a half-finished barn that we’d been building as the setting for the ceremony. Her fiancé Casey was a wonderful young man that she was crazy about and we were proud to be welcoming him into our family and also to see his sweet family welcoming Heidi into theirs. I don’t think I realized how organized and thoughtful Heidi really could be until a day or two before the wedding, when all of her bridal party and a bunch of friends arrived to help set up for the big day. Heidi not only thought through every detail… she took special love, and care to find or hand-make everything. And she did it all on the small budget that she and Casey had.
When the day arrived and the ceremony started, the weather and the evening were perfect. I’m not sure how many people were there, but it seemed like a lot. All were seated on hay bales as the sun was setting. Our longtime family friend Manuel designed her wedding dress and she looked so beautiful. Some of her friends performed Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling In Love” as the guests were seated and I wrote a song for her that I sang. It was probably the toughest song I’ve ever sung.
The day they got married, we didn’t really know Casey that well yet. We liked him a lot, but in the two years since, we’ve come to love Casey deeply. He’s a character, like myself. He’s not afraid to go his own path. He is passionate about his art and life and he’s passionate about his bride Heidi. It’s been so neat to watch their love for each other grow since their wedding day. With his dreams of painting and her dreams of music, they’re perfect for each other. More than anything, you want your children to experience real love. And I think Heidi has that with Casey.
During the last couple of years, while we were filming our tv show, it was important to me to try to capture important moments in our lives. I’m so thankful that we captured this one, so we can relive it forever. Joey, Hopie, and I watched it together today with tears in our eyes.
