It was a most beautiful wedding. Our daughter, a very independent professional, was married on the West Coast. She married a widower with two almost-grown daughters.
We rented a house with our sons and their families for 5 days and that provided a base for the many events. Her friends hosted a Ladies lunch (at her home) on Thursday, where we shared food, stories, and poetry.. Then my husband and I hosted a rehearsal dinner for just about everyone who was in town on Friday. Her friends and his friends introduced themselves and again shared stories. It was enjoyable and heartwarming. Unlike the weddings of many 20 somethings, our daughter and her new husband had a history that included childhood and other long term friendships and for him, friends he made as a couple with his wife. One daughter stood up and explained how, when she learned her Mom was dying, she thought "What will become of my Dad?", then how she found the idea of his new relationship challenging. She expressed herself beautifully, explaining that our daughter was so open hearted and welcoming to her and her sister that she immediately knew the new marriage was the right thing.
I never thought our daughter was the type to make much ado about a wedding but she did it up with elegance and sophistication, hiring a wedding planner and attending to exquisite details like what kind of votive candles to purchase and sprinkle throughout.
The wedding itself was more storybook than any wedding I have attended, held in the evening at a winery in a bucolic setting. As the sun set they were married by an old friend who acted as officiant. Family members on both sides walked slowly down the isle (we had to count to 20 and then start down the aisle). My husband walked our daughter and our two sons walked with me. A family friend walked the grooms' mother. There were no bridesmaids but there were flower girls (our granddaughters) and two brothers as ring bearers. We walked down a path to a grassy area for wine and appetizers, then up to a tent to eat outside. She had beautiful place settings - grey tablecloths and gold beaded chargers and cream, white and blush roses and hydrangeas as flowers. And many candles on the tables and throughout. A grouping of large white vintage lights (rented) hung way above, strung on the tent.
That's when the wedding planner came in handy. Bored, the flower girls and ringbearers started to play, climbing a tree and doing whatever kids do when adults aren't paying attention. The youngest flower girl started to swing around the tent post and the vintage lamps started to sway. A disaster was averted when the wedding planner stopped her before the tent fell down on all of us.
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