ANATOMY OF A WEDDING - Part 1 of maybe 7

THE REHEARSAL

FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: On or about July 4th of 2009, my nephew Ben proposed to his girlfriend Courtney at Victoria Falls in Zambia, Africa. In order to surprise her, he had to enlist the help of various family members, and one of the principal conspirators for this covert operation was my Emily. It was she who secretly bore THE RING throughout the long, arduous journey from OKC to Zambia. So basically this engagement, and hence the wedding, could not have happened without her, or without me for that matter since she’s my child. So you’ll forgive me if I put a personal spin on almost everything that happened at the wedding of Ben and Courtney several weeks ago.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN: We hit town mid-afternoon on the day before the wedding, just in time to check into our motel, freshen up a bit, greet a few extended family members milling about the place, and head out to Courtney’s house for the rehearsal dinner. We saw no sense in getting there any earlier...in fact, it’s customary for me and my immediate family to arrive just in time for the actual festivities, and never early enough to help with anything, and this wedding was no exception.

MOTEL MEMORIES: A word about the motel wouldn’t be out of place here. This was reportedly the finest motel in H-town ($64/night worth of fine) and it did not disappoint. Although Dave noticed that the breakfast attendant tended to put only one banana or one muffin out at a time. And the pool was a bit on the small side, so I decided not to join the swimmers for fear of displacing most of the water. But aside from those rather minuscule flaws, the place was lovely...very clean...and we only had to ask for more towels and toilet paper once.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: We missed most of the rehearsal (in trying to arrive just in time for the food) so I have very little to say about it. We did catch the tail end though, and noticed that everyone seemed to be doing what they were told. Although I heard a rumor that the ring bearer and flower girl went renegade earlier and SPRINTED down the aisle after being told to WALK. Who knew that two-year-olds could be so unpredictable? I also noticed that Zach (Ben’s brother and the minister for this occasion) was directing things, sort of, and this worried me a bit since I have personal knowledge that he didn’t know that was his job until shortly before the rehearsal began.

A SETTING SUBLIME: But as I looked upon the scene as a whole, I saw that nothing could or would ruin this wedding for Ben and Courtney. I mean, they couldn’t have a more perfect setting. The ceremony would take place in Courtney’s front "yard" which consisted of several lush, green acres of lawn with a spectacular view of undulating hills and the distant mirror of a lake. (I know that sounds like a cheesy travel brochure, but I can’t help it.) A bank of white chairs had been set up for the guests on this lawn, and were aligned PERFECTLY, thanks to the mathematical genius of one of the groomsmen (Luke). The whole scene fairly glistened in the late afternoon sun, and promised to do the same the next day for the actual ceremony. Can you say idyllic?

WEDDING PARTY: But there was another element of the scene that was even better than the venue...and that was the people there. Eight pretty bridesmaids in colorful sun dresses (from Africa!) and eight sweaty groomsmen in polo shirts and khaki shorts. Okay, I’m sure the guys were handsome too, but I had a hard time getting past the beads of sweat on their foreheads. But whether they were pretty and/or sweaty, I could just tell they all loved Ben and Courtney, and were happy to be a part of their special weekend.

OTHER PRETTY PEOPLE: Besides the wedding party, other friends were present and lots of family members. All were either helping with something or sitting around like me waiting for the food to be served. The musicians, a guitarist and the cutest little violinist you ever saw (Rachel), were busy setting up their stands and music under the shade of the porch in front of the house. The parents of the groom were flitting here and there, still putting an occasional finishing touch on the rehearsal dinner...which was about to be served in the back yard.

THE PRETTIEST PEOPLE: Last, but not least, the parents of the bride were busy finalizing details for the big day, but also taking time to greet and get to know their guests. I admire them greatly for their courage in having this wedding at their house, and also for their calmness in the midst of it all. They seemed to genuinely be enjoying the moments and not worrying about little things that probably didn’t matter. They managed not only to be gracious hosts, but also to be loving parents enjoying their only daughter’s wedding weekend as much as anyone.

So that’s it for Part 1. In Part 2 we will delve into the inner workings of the rehearsal dinner...with commentary on everything from the table decorations to the "sharing" time.

Meanwhile, I had leftover pizza, a grapefruit, and a watermelon slush for lunch today.