Friday evening, after the rehearsal dinner, Jeremy called a square dance for a large group of family and friends of the bride and groom. It was a great evening of fun and fellowship, and a chance for the family to relax and forget about wedding planning for a little while! 
Alice (Maid of Honor) and Elise clapping along to the music, Anneke in the forground.
Alice (Maid of Honor) and Elise clapping along to the music, Anneke in the forground.
Emma Jane (6)
– the adorable flower girl.
The Bride and Groom.
I'm Trina, and I'm so glad you've stopped by. Here in this space we encourage each other to Nourish our Families, Celebrate the Beauty, and Choose to Thrive. See you in the comments.... 
Wow, I find this really facinating! I live on the west coast and the only people I know who square dance are, well…elderly. Would you say this is part of your church "culture", or is this just how you all celebrate in that part of our country?
I'm not trying to be rude. Im just really curious!!!
OK…now I feel bad! Really, I'm just an ignorant west coast city girl!!! I'm NOT making fun of the square dancing – I'm just curious about the part it plays in your life. Please don't keep me in suspense!
sorry, Sarah! I haven't forgotten your question – just wanted to give it a good answer and hadn't had time to get on the computer much this week!
The dancing all started when several homeschooling families in our Church were doing a unit study on the civil war about 5 years. They decided to put on an authentic ball as part of the study. So the young people set about researching and learning dances, and the girls began sewing ball gowns as well as outfits for their brothers. Actually, whole families were involved, and the much anticipated evening was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun.
Originally a Baptist church, it was a big step for us to come to realize that dancing was not just a sensual experience that happened in bars, but COULD be a healthy, fun social activity for the whole family. That realization inspired us to start The Society for the Restoration of Historic Ballroom Dancing, and we spread the word that we would be willing to come and teach dancing to other homeschool groups, as well as call dancing for various celebrations, such as graduations and weddings.
Since then, through hosting a few balls or square dances a year, the word has spread, and we have traveled all around our state to call a wedding reception, prom-alternative dance, a father-daughter dance, etc. When we go to teach a large group we usually take a few of our siblings along to help teach, but Jeremy is usually the caller, and has worked on learning more dances each year to add to our repitoire.
In conservative circles, the fun – and exercise – in a traditional squared dance has often been judged as too worldly. We emphasize proper etiquette and discreet hand-holds so that the dancing is not as much a romantic event, but rather just a good time for everyone.
OK…this makes so much sense!
And it sounds like a lot of fun!!! How lucky for you Jeremey has learned to call all of these so that you get to go along! 
In our community of churches (non-denom., but with a Reformational foundation) we have Hebrew type men's and women's dances at our weddings. They look similar to the dances in Fiddler On the Roof, though at times we have incorporated Irish or Austin Era dance movements.
Thanks for the update…:)
Sorry…Jeremy, NOT Jeremey…And I teach Spelling