To Mr. & Mrs. Smith!

We had the most wonderful weekend and I can FINALLY tell y’all about it since it’s no longer a secret! Our friends Ruffin and Jill decided last week to elope and asked us to come up to the Delta officiate and witness the ceremony.

We drove up Saturday afternoon, Brett did a sweet short ceremony in their sunny, breezy Mississippi Delta garden. Afterward, we  toasted their love and ate cake at their house, and then went to have a celebratory supper at Doe’s Eat Place. (Which, by the way, was the most delicious wedding reception food I’ve ever eaten. Hands down.)

Ruffin and Jill met several years ago at the Alluvian Hotel bar in Greenwood. Though Jill lived in Monroe, Louisiana, and Ruffin was a farmer and mayor of Louise, Mississippi, they immediately began a long-distance relationship.

I’d known Ruffin a long, long time. Although he’d had lots of pretty ladies as dates, it was clear that it would take a special lady to make him want to tie the knot. He brought Jill around to meet us on nearly the year anniversary of their first meeting, and as luck would have it, we went to Doe’s in Greenville for our first double date. ( I love coming full circle!)

Brett and I knew immediately that Jill was someone special to Ruffin, and that she was someone we both wanted to be close friends with.

Now, after multiple joint vacations, weekend excursions, personal happy celebrations, and low-key hang out times, I’m thankful to say she is someone I know and love with my whole heart. She’s one of the most thoughtful people, always remembering as ask about that thing you were worried about the last time you spoke with her, or sending little happies in the mail for no other reason than, “It made me think of you!” Her thoughtfulness goes beautifully with Ruffin’s generosity and fun-loving spirit.  To get to be a part of the day they committed to each other for the rest of their lives was a pretty big honor, y’all.

Because we love the two of them so much, we couldn’t let them celebrate without a cake. Even though it was just going to be the four of us and Wagner, and everything was kind of a crazy whirlwind as we got ready to go, my mama helped me pull together a homemade wedding cake that I hoped would reflect their own love story a little bit. It’s definitely VERY amateur looking, but there was a lot of love poured in and at least it didn’t taste like an amateur’s work.

Jill & Ruffin keep about 15 beehives on Ruffin’s farm, and have been producing the honey for a couple of years. Also, “sweet as honey” is a pretty good metaphor for their love and Jill’s personality so creating something that referenced bees and beekeeping felt special.

It ended up being a white cake with fig preserve filling, vanilla buttercream frosting with a white chocolate outer shell (in the shape of honeycomb), and a honey caramel glaze.  Jill’s flowers came from a nearby florist, she and Ruffin made the drink we used to toast with a lovely ice ring,  and she picked up her lovely dress and shoes the day before in Jackson.

It was such a sweet, lovely afternoon and I know it’s the start of a beautiful, loving forever for the two of them. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith!