We just wrapped a weekend of wedding festivities for Brett and Sandy. We took a lazy Saturday and headed to the rehearsal shortly after lunch. We did two full run throughs of the the ceremony so we could see what the cues were as well as see how things would be laid out. I had a reading near the beginning of the ceremony. I read the following piece, and after the wedding ceremony I received many compliments for the piece, although I did not choose the selection.
Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together
that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness,
it is not excitement,
it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being “in love,” which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground,
And when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches,
They find that they are one tree and not two.
(Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres)
There were many tributes to Brett and Sandy from friends and family. Of course I was expected to say something and ended up being the emotional one for the evening. Well at least I tried to speak from the heart. After the dinner Mac, Brett's dad, took a small group of us out to Dave and Busters for some beers and to shoot pool.
The big day was Sunday. The morning started early with a wedding breakfast. The group was a little larger than the dinner the night before and I was able to see Nicole, a college friend of Brett's, who I hadn't seen in years. I also met her husband and they ended up sitting with us at the breakfast. The breakfast provided a good opportunity to talk to Linda, Brett's mother, about the infamous fire incident. After all these years she had never heard that story. I was also able to catch up with many other of Brett's family and friends. My mom and Marvin were also there so they were making the rounds with Jacki. Brett showed up early and left after about 30 minutes and Sandy showed up after Brett left for the last half.
The wedding was in the afternoon. We arrived about 30 minutes before the wedding. Mac escorted Jacki to her seat and Darian was escorted as well. I followed them and we were seated on the third row. Frank, a friend of Brett's from highschool, also sat on our row. The ceremony went off without a hitch, I was able to get through my reading without problem and then Brett and Sandy were officially married. It was great to see how happy the two of them are.
The reception ended the night with dinner and dancing. For those of you that know me well I'm not much of a dancer. I enjoy myself by taking pictures and just hanging back. Well after much prodding by my family and even Brett I had to give in when the last song of the night ended up being "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain. This was mine and Jacki's wedding song and afterwards we talked to Brett and he mentioned that he liked that song from our wedding and wanted it to be their first song at his wedding. Sandy ended up picking the first song so Brett made it the final dance of the evening. It was very touching to know that we had touched his wedding in such a special way.
We said our goodbyes to Brett, his family, and to my Mom and Marvin. A very rewarding trip and we are grateful to have been included in both the wedding itself and all of the weekend's festivities.
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