We have set the dates for our Receptions / Open Houses (not sure what to call them!). Please email us your mailing address if you want an invite mailed to you. If not and you are reading this please consider this an ‘official invite’!

We are going to have one open house in Cedar and one in Kanab. We have decided not to organize anything for Vegas at this time so if you want to get out of the heat and you can drive up (crash at our place if you want… could be fun!) or even make a trip to Zion if you have never been there its worth it and now is a good time of year.  Otherwise if you cant make it up and want to get together just email us and lets plan something.
Our open house in Kanab is going to be September 27th at Grandpa and Grandma Stirlands house from 3pm - 6pm.  For link to a map and more information please see event details.

Our open house in Cedar City is going to be October 4th at Lin & Debbies house from 3pm - 6pm.  For link to a map and more information please see event details.

Hope to see you all there - we are looking forward to enjoying a great afternoon and evening with our family and friends!  Call or email us if you have any other questions.

Our wedding was perfect, everything was amazing. Our friends and family were a huge support of helping hands to make everything come together. I will be working on photos - between our personal cameras I have over 900 photos. I will go through and post some of the great ones up on our gallery. Also we are getting a CD from our professional photographer and will be putting those up. Meanwhile our photographer has put up about 250 of her favorites on a site where you can view and order prints. You can click here to visit her site. Thank you all for being a part of our special day…. as i said before it was perfect because of you.

Grady and Katie Wedding Ceremony

August 9, 2008

Wedding Prayer

Today the 2 of you will promise to dedicate yourselves completely to each other, with body, speech, and mind.
In this life, in every situation, in wealth or poverty, in health or sickness, in happiness or difficulty, you will work to help each other.
The purpose of your relationship will be to attain enlightenment by perfecting your kindness and compassion toward all beings.

Vows

Graydon and Katie are happy today not only because they can share the joy of their love for each other with friends and family, but also because they have the opportunity to express their aspirations for the future.

Do you, Graydon and Katie, pledge to help each other in developing your hearts and minds, cultivating compassion, generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiasm, concentration and wisdom, as you age and undergo the various ups and downs of life, and to transform them into the path of love, compassion, joy and equanimity? “We Do”

Do you pledge to support each other’s journey, to continually shine light on each other’s virtue, and support individual intuitions, even when it doesn’t directly benefit yourself? Do you pledge to reinforce and complement each other’s virtue? “We Do”

Understanding, that just as we are a mystery to ourselves, each person is also a mystery to us. Do you pledge to seek to understand yourselves, each other, and all living beings, to examine your own minds continually and to regard all the mysteries of life with openness and joy? “We Do”

Recognizing that the external conditions in life will not always be smooth and that internally, your own minds and emotions will sometimes get challenged by negativity; do you pledge to see all these circumstances as a challenge to help you grow, to open your hearts, to accept yourselves, and each other? Do you pledge to avoid becoming narrow, closed or opinionated, and to help each other to see various sides of situations? “We Do”

Do you pledge day to day, to be patient with yourselves and others, knowing that change comes slowly and gradually, and to seek inspiration from your teachers not to become discouraged? “We Do”

Do you pledge to preserve and enrich your affection for each other, and to share it with all beings? To take the loving feelings you have for one another and your vision of each other’s potential and inner beauty as an example, and rather than spiraling inwards and becoming self absorbed, to radiate this love outwards to all beings? Do you pledge to expand your family to include all living beings? “We Do”

Exchanging of Rings

At this time I ask that you place the marriage rings in my hand.

“The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in partnership.” May the lord bless these rings which you give as your sign of love and devotion.

Graydon, as you place Katie’s ring on her finger I ask that you repeat these words: “With this ring I thee Wed”

Katie as you place Graydon’s ring on his finger I ask that you repeat these words: “With this ring I thee Wed”

Pronouncement

“By the power vested in me through the wishes of Katie and Graydon, as well as the blessing of the lineage of their Spiritual Friends, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Presenting and Congratulating the Couple

“Ladies and Gentlemen please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Meeks.”

Grady, the girls and me have been at the ranch now a week and getting everything prepared. We are enjoying our selves, relaxing and being productive all at one time. I think time is flying by and i cant believe a week is already passed. The big day is coming so quick and we have so many activities to do before. After today our days are full from morning till evening with final touches. Graydon’s parents came in last night and it is great to have them here to enjoy a week before with us. Dad, Rick and Rod are on their way today and should be here tomorrow along with my girlfriend Jen. The rest of the crew will be flowing in late Wednesday up until the Ceremony on Saturday. Toni tried on her dress this morning and it is beautiful - Tanya is in the bus doing final touches of sewing to help make it all perfect. We have had some major water issues, and actually ran out of water the second day we were here. We saw papa relax and all happy when my uncles showed up and by the end of the day the boys had it all fixed. The water is probably one of the largest obstacles out here. Jack made some amazing outdoor showers that are just ‘fun’ to take a shower in. He also bought us 52 cases about 1,300 bottles) of bottled water as a wedding present with our own personalized labels that are really cool. The rest of everything is just daily doings… Gina making me all girlie, final plans and more. Dad plan on a daddy daughter horse ride before the wedding and i cant wait for that. The spa day on Friday is filling up and is going to be a great time. Graydon and i plan to go to town by ourselves tomorrow to spend the day together and write our vows (i guess we should get on that….). The rest is just falling into place and we are getting excited.

I am taking every day at a time and trying to enjoy every minute of it. I am soaking these moments up and loving it. I have also been trying to add photos to our pre-wedding photo albumn almost every day for all of you that want to see what we are up to.