All You Need is Love!

By Kathleen Swift

All You Need Is Love is more than a venue name. Although Chelsea and Jeremiah Thieman held their wedding reception at the venue of that name, it also says worlds about their relationship.

“Our parents knew each other through work, and we knew of each other for a long time, but we’d never really met until we both attended a fishing tournament and fish fry,” said Jeremiah.

Four years later, Jeremiah popped the question. “Chelsea doesn’t like being the center of attention,” said Jeremiah, “so I chose a private time to ask her to marry me. We were feeding hay in the snow, and I acted like I was struggling to get the net wrap off of a hay bale. I asked Chelsea to get off the tractor and help me. When she came around the tractor, I was on one knee and asked her to marry me.”

“Of course, I said yes,” said Chelsea, “but I stuttered around because I was surprised. But I also thought, it’s finally happening!”

The couple were intentional about making their wedding day stress free.

“Our friends had said that your wedding day can be a complete blur,” said Jeremiah. “We wanted to be able to try to find some calmness and soak in the experience of our wedding.”

Chelsea said, “Our local vendors helped make it all possible. Gina Smith and Sharla Wilkerson at Turn of Events were great, as were our other vendors. They took away all of our stress. We didn’t have to do anything, and everyone could enjoy the day.”

Jeremiah and Chelsea were married September 17, 2022, at the United Methodist Church in Lamar, Missouri. It was a traditional ceremony, and they each were accompanied by five attendants. The groomsmen wore pressed jeans with gray shirts, and Jeremiah also wore a vest. Chelsea was gowned in a white dress with a stunning lace-trimmed train. The bridesmaids each wore a black dress of her choosing.

Chelsea made a point of carrying the traditional something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The old was her grandmother’s broach attached to her bouquet. Her dress was her something new. She borrowed jewelry from her aunt that had been her grandmother’s. Something blue was a blue heart made by Jeremiah’s mother that was made from his baby blanket and had the couple’s initials and their wedding date on it.

The couple did a first look at the church before the wedding.

“Chelsea was absolutely stunning,” said Jeremiah. “I was reassured that the woman I was marrying was not only beautiful but the love of my life.”

“I had to walk through the line of groomsmen,” said Chelsea, “and I was so nervous. But when I saw Jeremiah, all my nerves went away.”

As this couple knew, all you need is love to carry you through, and after the ceremony, they headed on a shuttle bus with the wedding party to the reception venue.

Under the pavilion, tucked into the edge of the woods with trees lit with lights, All You Need Is Love was the perfect place for the celebration reception.

“We started with our introduction and the meal and cake and our first dance to Randy Rogers’ ‘Who Am I,’” said Jeremiah. “We danced until dawn.”

Chelsea remembered, “We did have one thing that was the talk of the town for a while. Compton Coffee Brew Bar was one of our vendors, and they left at 10 p.m. But I forgot that when they left, we wouldn’t have any water, so after 10:00, we only had alcohol to drink!”

It was a memorable wedding and reception, and for Chelsea and Jeremiah, all they will need for the years to come is the love they celebrated that day.

Vendors

Venue: All You Need Is Love –Lisa Kingsley

Event Rental and Coordination: A Turn of Events – Gina Smith

Food: Nolting Family Catering –Scott and Kelli Nolting

Coffee Service: Compton Brew Coffee Bar – Dana Compton

Cake and Cupcakes: Finn’s

Photos: Andy Neher Photography –Andy Neher

Music: Show-Me DJ and Karaoke Service –Jared Jeffries

Sanitation: Southwest Waste Services – Jarod Gardner

Walk for Autism Nearly 1,000 adults and children – some decked out as aliens and astronauts – participated in the 16th Annual Freeman 5K and Walk for Autism April 22. Per tradition, Freeman Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker launched the 500 registered runners and walkers, many of them wearing specialized shirts or themed costumes. Hundreds more cheered from the sidelines while taking time to purchase autism awareness items and raffle baskets or participating in a nearby vendor fair. The combined run and walk serves as the Leffen Center’s largest fundraiser of the year. This year’s event raised $30,000, which allows Leffen officials to provide important diagnostic treatment and educational services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.