Wedding Details: The Staff

I know it's kind of a strange thing to write about, but the issue of the staff was a pretty big one for this wedding.  The venue for the ceremony and reception, The Historic Train Depot in Newnan, GA, doesn't have staff, so I had to conjure up a workforce to serve the food, take out the trash, and do all the other things that needed to be done.  If "handmade wedding" describes a wedding where your hands are in almost every aspect, this was a very handmade wedding, and I needed extra hands for the actual event part because my own would be busy putting a ring on Caleb's finger.

I had no idea what to do.  I wanted my friends and family to be able to enjoy the wedding and to not have to work.  Thankfully, my mother-in-law had a brilliant idea.  What if I used kids from the homeschool group Caleb's siblings graduated from?  They've helped in loads of events before, she said, and I could make a donation to the school.  They've done great work at their previous events, and my mother-in-law knew exactly who to talk to.

So, I hired 10 KONOS students from Fayetteville for $50 each and everything got done!  The kids had their own coordinator who gave them certain tasks to complete.  They picked up the food for dinner, moved chairs from the ceremony to the reception, served popcorn during the cocktail hour, set up the dessert table and served pies, made sure the serving tables were full and that trash got cleaned away, moved wedding gifts to my parents' van, directed people toward where they needed to be, prepared to-go boxes for Caleb and I, prepared the send off confetti, broke down and cleaned up everything when the reception was over, and who knows what else.

The kids were great.  They were professional and friendly and fun and I was so glad they were there.  Some of my favorite moments from the wedding involved these guys.  Right before the wedding was to start, the wedding party was in the foyer ready to walk down the aisle, and I was in the storage room alone waiting for my dad to come get me.  I hated that, being alone and jittery.  I peeked out of the storage room toward the kitchen and talked to the nearest KONOS student.  "Hey, what's your name?  James, will you come in here with me?"  I thanked James for being there and asked him what he thought of the wedding.  He complimented the design and said he was glad to help.  I asked him if I looked okay, and he adjusted my necklace so it was centered.  Then my dad came, and I introduced him to James.  They shared a firm handshake and big smiles, and it made me very happy.

Thank you, KONOS!  And James, I'm sorry for forgetting your name!

Another fun part was watching half of the KONOS group getting jiggy with it during the dancing.  They've got the moves.

Everyone who interacted with the KONOS staff really enjoyed them.  When Caleb and I came back from our weekend in a cabin in the woods, my mom told us over and over, "They were wonderful."  I agree.  They couldn't have done a better job.  I loved how personable they were.  The girls who told me they'd been praying for me, the one who got me a cup of water, the one who giggled when I grabbed a small piece of pie with my fingers on the way to the getaway car, it was just so good to have them there.

This is the only picture I have of the KONOS kids.  You guys were so perfect!