April 17, 2008
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The Wedding of Gallant and Lilith
I know I said I would be back the next day after my return but, alas, old age (
) means I require more recovery time than I used to need. It’s taken until today to feel halfway back to normal. On to the wedding…..The wedding was very different from most Catholic weddings I have attended. This one was not a high mass ceremony. The priest that officiated was very laid back and different. My mouth dropped when he told everyone that showing signs of your love in public was a beautiful thing and not to be hidden. That is certainly different from the Catholic teachings I grew up being told. Love and affection was something to be done in private back then…..heaven forbid that a husband would kiss his wife in public! Now it is being espoused as a desirable thing and I almost cheered.
Poor Gallant looked like he was going to have teeth pulled for the longest time. The priest had supplied chairs for Gallant and Lilith to sit down in while he preached about love, marriage and the wonderful thing it is to display your love for each other whenever possible. The bride and groom lit their marriage candle and the vows were spoken. The priest had them sign the marriage license in front of everyone and then the witnesses (best man and the maid of honor) signed. The priest signed and gave the license to Gallant who then broke out in a smile for the first time all day. I guess he was truly worried that Lilith might change her mind until that license was signed and she was officially MRS. GALLANT. It made me cry to see him so happy. He is a good son to my sister, Bee, and he waited a long time to find the woman he loved. He deserves to be happy.
We then went to the reception at a nearby restaurant that caters to such things. The reception was small, only about 50 people and the room was the perfect size for it to be intimate. We all sat down and ordered drinks. The talk was all about how lovely the ceremony had been and how happy the couple seemed to be. Lilith has a daughter, 10, who gave the most touching toast to her mother and her new dad. Those of us that had really not cried a whole lot did after that. It was just a beautiful touch.
The meal selection was wonderful. The choices were a chicken breast in a mushroom/wine sauce, chicken fingers with a truly different and delicious dipping sauce and then there was a Hickory Barbeque Chicken that we heard was very good. We all got soup or salad, our choice of potato or rice pilaf and steamed vegetables. It was all extremely tasty and filling.
We had a few more drinks and ate some of the wedding cake after the obligatory cutting by the bride, groom AND new daughter to Gallant. It was a truly wonderful reception because it was small enough to talk to everyone. There were people there that many of us had not seen in many years. There were disposable cameras at all the tables so we all took turns taking pictures of the people sharing our table. This is a choice many couples are making since professional photographers have become so expensive. One of the brides relatives works for a professional lab and she is having the film developed and turned into either 2 or 3 of each shot so the couple has enough to share.
By the time the reception wound down, we were ready to get home, take off our bras and girdles (if we had any on) and put on our jammies to relax. And relax we did. Dee got on the Internet, which she keeps going single-handedly. Bee and I took out our current crocheting project and worked on it while we threw in a dvd for background noise. I think we watched Lord of the Rings (which we have all seen so many times, we could probably lipsync the whole movie). Add a nice drink and we were in heaven. I think it was really the first time I totally relaxed the whole weekend. I know I slept well that night (although liquor may or may not have had something to do with that, too).
My trip home was relatively uneventful although I didn’t have time to relax between planes. I was forced to make a run for it to get my boarding passes and make it to the proper gate in time. When I got on that last plane in Atlanta, heading for home, I was ready for my own little slice of heaven. It’s always nice to get back into your own routine as I am sure my sisters, Bee and Dee, were also. I did enjoy the time with my sisters and look forward to seeing them again in September for another wedding of a niece this time. We will all probably be in motel rooms rather than have to make the trip back to our respective residences after the reception. It IS a distance to drive and most of us don’t like driving at night any more.
Well, it’s late and time for me to get to bed. The Beast did that a while ago and we both were busy today working outdoors. He cut grass and helped me to plant some flowers. I also planted some seeds of wildflowers and asters.
There is a bird trying to build a nest in my Topsy-Turvy planter so I had to cover the hole on top of it to discourage it. I have to pour a gallon of water in it each week and I don’t think that would do any eggs much good. Better to cover the hole and make it find another spot. But it makes me feel kind of mean doing it. *sigh*
If I don’t get back for a couple days, have a great weekend. We are expecting weather in the mid-70′s and rain on Monday night. By next week Thursday, we should have gone up to the 80′s ! (Mouth drops open here).
Love you all. And give your love to those you do as often as possible. It’s okay to show your love and affection in public these days so….have fun~
