An Iowa couple’s wedding day in Des Moines was marked by love, great weather, and a very special family heirloom: a lemonade stand.
Cherished by the bride Lilli Prins and her siblings for years, the lemonade stand was lovingly crafted by her grandparents, Nancy and Joe Wills, in 2010. Both in their 70s, the Wills have long doted on their grandchildren, who spent hours in the couple’s Des Moines home when they were young.
After hearing her mother talk about potentially using the lemonade stand at her wedding, Lilli was hooked on the idea and ended up using the stand to serve children’s drinks.
“My dad and my brothers were kind enough to haul it in the truck [and] bring it to the venue a couple days before, and we just kept it in the basement for one day before the wedding so that we could just roll it out on the wedding day,” Lilli told The Epoch Times.
On June 2, the day of the wedding, when Lilli’s grandparents arrived at the event venue and noticed the stand, they got emotional.
The bride recalls seeing her grandfather bent over with his hands on his knees, sobbing. She and her grandmother were in tears as well, as they reflected on the joy of family, love, and childhood.
“When we first saw you in the distance and then saw the lemonade stand, our hearts were overwhelmed, and we knew right then and there why we made it,” reads the text message Lilli’s grandfather had sent her weeks after the wedding. “Your wedding day was a beautiful day, Lilli, and we love you with our whole heart.”
Lilli said: “I am really lucky that I still have grandparents around. ... I’m just really grateful that I could even share that moment with them because I feel like it’s kind of rare nowadays for people to have the gift of their grandparents. So, it’s just a really special memory.”
Lilli shared that the rest of the day was equally special. The clouds in the sky departed as soon as she started down the aisle, and the sun beamed down on the ceremony as the song “You Are My Sunshine” was played. It was a heartfelt moment for Lilli, who is lovingly called a ray of sunshine by both her husband and her parents.
Today, the newlyweds reside in Des Moines, not far from Lilli’s childhood home in Urbandale. Lilli is an event coordinator, and her husband is an entrepreneur.
A Gift of Love
It began in 2010. Joe had been in retirement for 10 years. A passionate woodworker, he felt that his woodworking shop was “too quiet” and came up with the idea of building a lemonade stand as a Christmas present for his grandchildren. He built the wooden structure while his wife created the awning and curtains.The doting grandparents gifted it to all four of their grandchildren: Lilli and her siblings—Sophie, Sam, and Charlie.
Reflecting on what inspired her grandpa to create the special stand, Lilli shared with The Epoch Times a message she recently received from him:
The Smith children cherished the stand, selling other wares over time—things like brooches and rings—in addition to lemonade.
“I always remember thinking, ‘No other kid in the neighborhood has a lemonade stand this cool,’” Lilli said.
As someone who cherishes traditional family values, Lilli believes it is important to honor loving relatives like her own.
“My grandparents have just poured so much into our lives. We have so many memories,” she said.
Indeed, the creative grandparents have played a special role in both her wedding and engagement.
“I actually got engaged in a tree house that my grandpa built and that my grandma helped decorate and design,” she said.
Today, the lemonade stand remains in Lilli’s parents’ home, but she believes it will soon be put to good use again.
“Honestly, ever since we used it for the wedding, I just can’t wait until I have kids someday and that they get to experience the same fun childhood memories that I did,” she said.
