Country family wedding ‘perfect,’ rain and shine

When Dawna Hall said yes to the dress, it took her four times to get it right.

But when it came time to say the big “yes,” that one she only did once, and it was beautiful — the dress, the day, the moment, all of it.

“You know how in the movies they make all the background sound go away and you just see the bride and groom? That’s what it was like,” Dawna says of her “I do’s” with husband Cade Hall. “I forgot anyone was watching us. It seemed like we were in a bubble and all I could see was him.”

Dawna, 26, and Cade, 30, were married July 11, 2015, on a property in Everson. The theme was rustic DIY, with handmade signs and barbecue buffet.

“It wasn’t the most expensive or extravagant or fancy wedding, but it was so perfect for us,” she says.

Rain and all.

“I was freaking out a little bit,” Dawna says. “Everyone kept saying it’s a good omen, it means good luck, but I was a mess. But it all worked out. As soon as I walked down the aisle I didn’t realize it was raining.”

“It stopped raining right as we kissed and it didn’t rain at all after that,” she says. “It seemed a little romantic and magical at the time.”

Unlike her dresses, 200 of which she tried on (“I am obsessed with wedding dresses,” she admits), she knew that she loved the man she was marrying.

The Lynden couple has been together for seven years and have two sons; Paxten, 6, and Treyton, 2. Cade is a plumber in Lynden; Dawna works nights cleaning a farm equipment office.

They knew they were going to get married and had been talking about it for a few months, when Cade got down on one knee Christmas morning as Dawna was changing the baby’s diaper on the floor.

“He wanted to make sure I got an actual proposal,” she says, “that we didn’t just agree on it.”

Their engagement was long, on purpose, so their youngest son would be a little older and able to be involved in the ceremony.

The 2-year-old was supposed to walk down the aisle carrying a sign that said, “Daddy, here comes Mommy,” but he fell asleep on grandpa’s lap, oblivious to the big day. But like any mother of a toddler, wedding day or not, Dawna wasn’t about to wake him. He’ll get to go on the honeymoon, though.

“We’re calling it a familymoon,” she says.

What she cherishes most about the day, aside from finally becoming husband and wife, are the wonderful family memories — sleeping toddlers, passing around a bottle of sake with a snake inside from her husband’s military side of the family, and getting to spend a night with loved ones.

“My favorite are the memories of the father-daughter dance and my mom helping me get ready,” Dawna says. “The biggest reason I had a wedding and didn’t go to the courthouse was to walk the aisle with my dad and do the father-daughter dance. He’s really special to me.”

What became of her four dresses? Well, they’re off to consignment. Her husband though, he’s a keeper.

This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 10:30 PM with the headline "Country family wedding ‘perfect,’ rain and shine."