Fairy Tales Can Come True

Photo by Ronnie Betor

The day after my daughter Tricia was married (last Sunday, October 14th) one of the guests of the wedding (friend, Pete Valenti) sent me a slideshow of photos he shot, set to Jimmy Durante's "Young at Heart."  It precisely reflected moments of that special day, which I will treasure forever.  To capture time that way is a wonderful thing. You can follow this link to the video, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

We woke Sunday morning, the wedding day, to rain.  It wasn't just rain, it was a downpour.  My friend Annie, aware days ahead of my concern for the forecast, hung a rosary in her Vermont window to bless the upcoming day and clear the skies.  I was hopeful, saying to myself, "c'mon Annie, hope it works!"  From 10 days out, I continually checked weather.com for the extended forecast, and reluctantly decided that we were going to be dealing with rain.  Resigned, that Sunday morning I backed my car up to the garage door so I could put all the parts of the wedding cake in the cargo section of my Jeep.  Each tier was in its own box, but I didn't dare to try walking in the rain to my car.  This cake was too important, too special, to take any risks at all.  The move from my kitchen to the car was all done under cover.

I had planned to be at Jimbo's, at Point of Pines (the location of the wedding, about an hour north, on Brant Lake) by noon, and to leave home around 11 am.  Katie, Bill, my son Jeff, and the little boys were leaving in a separate car at the same time.  Russ planned to head up later in the day, closer to the time of the ceremony.  I couldn't imagine him waiting while I did all the cake set up, got myself dressed, and helped the girls with make-up, hair, gowns, etc. -- all the lovely moments women share preparing for the ceremony and reception.  So, it was just Meghan and me, which provided a bonding hour for the two of us, something we haven't really had enough of since she moved back from California, and I loved that. We, of course, solved all the world's problems on the way, and chatted excitedly about the pending wedding, since we can both talk!  Still, it was raining so hard I was losing hope for a lovely day, weather-wise, but also thought, que sera, sera.  We'd make the best of it.  But on our way north on I-87 toward exit 25, I sensed a brightening of the skies ahead, gold tones were visible beyond the grey clouds, even though it was still raining, and hard, I just knew it was going to be OK.  By the time we arrived at Jimbo's, the rain had stopped (thank you, Annie, for arranging the divine intervention!).

There were so many special moments on Sunday, starting with waking and the awareness "Today's the day!," to the preparations, to the ceremony, to the happy hour, to the first dance, the father/daughter and mother/son dances, the anniversary dance, and toasts by the best man and maid of honor.  I cried through most of it, but happy tears, which are understandable. There was so much emotion and visual stimulation to process.  The venue was so beautiful in its Adirondack glory, with wood, and stone, and lights, and rustic decor.  I savored the vision of the room; the ambiance was so perfect, it was almost overwhelming.  October 14, 2012 is a day now engraved in my heart and memory.  In addition to witnessing the marriage of my daughter and the love of her life, I was able to spend time with my kids, my siblings from near and far, and in-laws (even though we've been divorced for years, the relationships still flourish, even with my ex-husband Gene and his lovely wife Kathryn - we're unusual, I know!), all Tricia's and Jeff's good friends, cousins, and now new family members.  Together, we all shared the joy of their day.  (Photos at the end of the post can relay the day's story better than my words, so please check them out.)

And then there was the cake - my major project of the previous week.  The wedding cake was so well received, most importantly, by Tricia and Jeff, but also by wedding guests who took many photos and seemed to love the flavor combination (pumpkin and dark chocolate cake layers joined by cinnamon buttercream).  Before cake, we all enjoyed a fantastic dinner of chipotle barbequed chicken, gourmet macaroni and cheese, sweet and savory baked beans, potato wedges, salad, and rolls. The food, served buffet style, was incredible!  Once Tricia and Jeff chose the chicken dish, everything else seemed to fall into place, culminating in a simple yet elegant presentation of basic, wonderful food.  Everyone seemed very happy with their meals.  (I payed attention!).

At 9:30 sharp, the party moved outside to a campfire on the beach, where a double ring of Adirondack chairs encircled the fire pit.  It was damp and chilly, and while all the young people had energy and enthusiasm to keep going, I was fading fast, and soon retreated to my room (on-site) where I slept like a log until the sun streaming in the window woke me to a beautiful new Monday, and it wasn't long before I said "good morning" to Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Ayers!

Here are some "Kodak moments" of that very special day!:

Henry and his bevy of beauties!

...and all the king's men (!)

Looking up 

Little men

The Vows

Just married!...

Shoes!

Tricia and Caitlin, her maid-of-honor

My loves...

My baby and me xoxox

The parents

Anniversary Dance

My gift...

The glorious morning after....

There are so many more happy memories, in my mind and also in photos, that I may add to this post at another time, but for now, these are the few I want to share with you before too much time has passed.  Thanks for following along on my family's wedding adventure.  It's been great having you here with me!

Photos:
Pete Valenti
Jeannie Eddy
Ronnie Betor (photographer extraordinaire!)