the Halloween wedding recap
Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:17 am
I should start by pointing out that my son and his new bride are wonderful people but neither of them are particularly gifted with the skill of organization. Thus most of the day was spent in trying to manage chaos. There were transportation issues to deal with - none of the other bridal party members or friends had cars (or were willing to spend the gasoline required to come) so they had to be picked up. My oldest son also had car problems so he and his girlfriend (who was a bridesmaid) had to be picked up also. I ended up riding the bus to the church, where we all met to don our costumes before going to the park for the ceremony. The reception was also going to be there (a picnic lunch) but there wasn't room for the food, so it wasn't until after the ceremony that someone went back to the church to get the food, and the cake never made it at all (a communication problem between the baker and my son - she thought it was an evening wedding). My sons dressed in pseudo-medieval/Renaissance/fantasy garb, while the bride wore a wedding dress that looked suitable (it was really lovely).
We had one minor pre-wedding incident. One of the friends of the couple came dressed as a box of tissues, with the words "Blow Me" as the brand name. The minister thought this was an inappropriate costume and asked my son to ask the friend to remove the costume. There was some discussion, but the friend acquiesced.
The weather was ideal - temperature in the mid-60s and slightly breezy. The minister (my pastor) carried off the service with a great deal of dignity and sanctity despite the costumes - at one point he even put on a Groucho nose-and-glasses. There was the exchange of vows and rings, and all the usual accoutrements of a wedding. If I had any misgivings before, I came away convinced that they really do love each other and this wasn't just a whimsical act on their part.
The reception was, as noted above, a picnic lunch prepared by the bride and groom, featuring sandwiches, chips, drinks, and desserts, so even without the wedding cake there was plenty. Unfortunately some of those in attendance left before the food could be brought back, so there were lots of leftovers. The bridesmaid bouquets didn't get used - they were at the wedding but someone forgot to take them out of the bag and distribute them; we did get pictures of the bridesmaids with their flowers later.
All in all it was a very nice ceremony.
We had one minor pre-wedding incident. One of the friends of the couple came dressed as a box of tissues, with the words "Blow Me" as the brand name. The minister thought this was an inappropriate costume and asked my son to ask the friend to remove the costume. There was some discussion, but the friend acquiesced.
The weather was ideal - temperature in the mid-60s and slightly breezy. The minister (my pastor) carried off the service with a great deal of dignity and sanctity despite the costumes - at one point he even put on a Groucho nose-and-glasses. There was the exchange of vows and rings, and all the usual accoutrements of a wedding. If I had any misgivings before, I came away convinced that they really do love each other and this wasn't just a whimsical act on their part.
The reception was, as noted above, a picnic lunch prepared by the bride and groom, featuring sandwiches, chips, drinks, and desserts, so even without the wedding cake there was plenty. Unfortunately some of those in attendance left before the food could be brought back, so there were lots of leftovers. The bridesmaid bouquets didn't get used - they were at the wedding but someone forgot to take them out of the bag and distribute them; we did get pictures of the bridesmaids with their flowers later.
All in all it was a very nice ceremony.
