ANATOMY OF A WEDDING - Part 7 of who knows how many?

THE CEREMONY - Well...almost.

THE COOL-DOWN: The guest reception table was ably manned by a small army of the groom’s cousins. Emily and Abbie greeted the guests, asked everyone to sign the picture frame, and handed out the programs...which were cleverly printed on fans with sweet lavender bows tied to the handles. Meanwhile, next to the guest table were two good-sized buckets of ice filled with bottled water which David and David Paul toweled dry and handed to the arriving guests. This was the first time I’d been to a wedding where I was offered cooling agents before I sat down...but it made me feel like a pampered guest at an exclusive resort...so I liked it.

THE WARM-UP: So the story, as I understand it, goes something like this. A few months before the wedding, Ben and Courtney have no music planned for the event. But then this guy named Trevor moves into the house where Ben lives...and lo and behold, he’s a pretty decent guitarist. So naturally Ben and Courtney say...hey would you play some songs to warm up the crowd before our wedding...and he says yes. Then at some point they remember that Rachel can play violin...so they ask if she’ll do Canon in D with this guy for the procession. And she says yes...and so they think they’ve got everything covered. But then at some point (perhaps the night of the wedding), it becomes clear to at least one person that an additional singer might come in handy...for harmonizing of course...and fortunately one of the groomsmen was able to step up to the plate. And that’s how the wedding music came to be, folks.

THE VOCAL STYLINGS OF TREVOR AND COLE: So while we were busy trying to stay cool, the musicians were told to WARM UP that crowd. And that’s what they did. They sang and played a selection of those breezy, crazy-in-love songs...perfect for any warm summer evening but especially this one...with love in the air. Of course, it doesn’t pay to analyze the words of those songs too much. I find myself wondering what kind of guy would "sit and stare" while some girl "thoughtfully thumbs through her hair." And what kind of girl would fall for a guy who "sits there slack-jawed with nothing to say". But when Stephen Speaks sings those words...or even two random guys like Trevor and Cole...somehow we don’t see it as two young lovers who act like idiots. We just believe in the sappy, happy ending. Or the sappy, happy beginning...in this case...

Oops. My time's up and once again, I have to quit just when things are beginning to get interesting. I bet I could write soap operas...if I had a mind to. But I better get this wedding series finished first.

I have so much on the family to tell you too, that I’m worried that I’ll never catch up. But I will persevere. I had this chicken and broccoli croissant thing for lunch, which I had to heat up in a little cardboard pocket in the microwave. And it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. I also had some fruit cup. But to make up for that lunch, I had some green beans FROM OUR GARDEN for dinner, with a turkey sandwich, and both were...delectable.