Sixteen Years

It was a day almost exactly like today. The day dawned cool and dry, breezy and sunny, without a cloud in the sky - perfect weather for a wedding. To think we almost eloped.

It wasn’t that we hadn’t wanted a ceremony and a celebration. We just hadn’t known how best to do it. When we called our family to tell them of our intentions, they were all very supportive and all very disappointed. We called everyone back the same day. We would have a wedding, pot luck, at our home, at high noon, on September the first. That was sixteen years ago today.

We wrote the ceremony and the vows. I hand wrote the small number of invitations. We cleaned the house, ordered a cake, bought a camera, made reservations for a honeymoon. My Mom, my sister Gail and her family, picked up the flowers on the way to our house, arriving in time to set up the buffet and make the whole thing come together. Dear Uncle Gilbert arrived and promptly got himself locked in our only bathroom. Chuck had to disassemble the doorknob and lock and a paper plate, with a smiley face drawn on it, was taped over the opening. When we were all assembled just before the ceremony, we sang “Going To The Chapel” a la Bette Midler. We didn’t have a chuppah, the roof of our little home served as our wedding canopy. Carrie and Kate cued the music; Vivaldi (the Andante from the Concerto a 2 Choeurs ”con violino discordato” in B flat Major) and before we knew it, Chuck was breaking the glass under his foot with such determination that the house actually shook. We were married - officially, legally, happily-ever-after, married.

It felt like a not so little miracle. Everyone applauded. Kate and Carrie cued our recessional; Frank Sinatra singing “Let’s Get Away From It All”. Champagne was poured, toasts were made. We ate gorgeous Nova Lox on bagels with cream cheese. There was shrimp cocktail and corned beef and a marble cake with chocolate frosting and toasted coconut on the side. Music played all afternoon. One song after another, playing from a tape Chuck had made of all our favorite songs, with all the lyrics that spoke to our hearts.

It wasn’t that we hadn’t wanted a ceremony and a celebration. We just hadn’t known how best to do it. Clearly, we figured it out...