It was a beautiful day for a wedding. After all the rain we had it was nice to see a sunny day again. Thank goodness it wasn't the week before.
The week leading up to this day was extremely busy. The bride's mom could not be there until the Thursday before as she was flying up from Va. So on Thursday when she arrived we spent the whole day decorating the reception hall which basically was our sanctuary in our church. This is the second wedding we had there. On Wednesday night we stayed after bible study to clear up all the chairs and wash the floor. We cleaned the whole kitchen and threw out many mysteries both refrigerators held. The ovens sparkled and all was set to begin the decorating the next day.
As I was the groom's mom, I pretty much left it up to the bride and her mom to let loose. The bride's mom was unfamiliar with our church, but the bride to be dated my son all through HS and worshipped with us every Sunday during that time. We started at 10 am, and I was the last to leave at 9:30 pm on the phone trying to get last minute help in the kitchen for the big day. Boy was I tired.
When I got home I got a distress call from my son David. He went to the airport to pick up my eldest son and supposedly Aly would be there as well but as a surprise for David. He had no idea. The conversation went like this:
D: "Did you know Aly was coming up for the wedding?" (distress in his voice)
Me: "Yes."
D :Great, cuz she's in NY stranded right now. She's freaking out. She's all alone and no one is there. I'm going to drive there right now and get her. When guys see her they don't leave her alone. She can't stay there" (his voice is rising and he's starting to freak out)
Me: "Calm down, drive home. It's at least six hours to get there and the van will never make it. It's on it's last legs. Give me her phone number and I'll call her. We will work something out." Thank goodness for cell phones I'm thinking.
So I call Aly and she is crying in panic mode. No one is there for her. I got her calmed down by reminding her the same God that had just protected her the week before was also watching over her now. How easy we forget sometimes. By this time it's 10:30 and all is shut down. She's in NYC and has no where to go. She can't even find security. She missed her connection because she sat in O'Hare for five hours in an airplane that had 50 other planes on the runway ahead of her. She was supposed to have a three hour layover with my eldest son in NY but the delay in Chicago ate up all that time. Now in NY when she first landed they told her no flights until 8:30 the next night and there was no flights back to Chicago. So she was in limbo. Her dad had been on the phone for hours trying to get help from Chicago where they live.
So now we have David, Aly and her Dad freaking out and I'm trying to stay calm but I'm feeling really bad for Aly. So I start calling all around to find out if anyone knows anyone in NY. No luck there. So we start calling hotels. Finally she ends up in one that jacked up the price 50 bucks (don't you just love NY?) when they found out she had nowhere to go. A shuttle came and got her.
Long story short. She went back to the airport at 7 am after getting very little sleep only to find out the flight her Dad found for her by staying up all night was canceled yet again. So after her dad called the airport every 20 minutes she finally got on a plane in the late morning arriving here at 12;30 or so. They actually put her on an overbooked flight to do so. So she hits home here late afternoon after David went to get her, but I was out getting all dolled up for the wedding. It was then I bought my shoes and pocketbook to go with my fresh new nail job. Nothing like waiting until last minute.
Friday night we had rehearsal and it was there my son finally named his best man. For weeks he wouldn't say. He was having difficulty with this decision. His bride to be wanted his friend from VMI, Mike, I wanted him to pick one of his brothers. But the day of the rehearsal I told him it had to be his decison. I wanted it to be his decision. When he was asked by the preacher....who is the best man? We all waited to hear what he's say and without a word he pointed to......Garth. Smart move. This was another friend from VMI and a fellow AF Lt who will join him in Ohio. This way neither his mom nor his bride can get mad at him. Very diplomatic. So the head table had to be changed. The bride had put Mike in that place hoping I suppose that Mike would be the guy named.
The rehearsal dinner was superb put on by a couple in our church that has a specialty for entertaining. They had a house built just for these occasions and could seat 28 with no problem. The food was delicious. We left my son in the company of his VMI buddies who had come up that afternoon to be with him. These boys would be staying at this couple's home. I told them in no uncertain terms that there would be no booze here, that this was a dry house. Later I heard what they did that night. They left and went out. I'm not happy about it but what can I say? At least they didn't do anything at Bob and Judy's home. They are sowing their oats and wanted my son to enjoy his last night of bachelorhood. They started by giving him a tee shirt with a picture of a bride and groom and in big letters it said.....GAME OVER. They stayed out until 4:30 am.
The morning of the wedding was uneventful for the most part except we left the CD that I had bought a month before for my dance with my son at home. HC's husband went to fetch it and missed the wedding ceremony. I had a friend come in and she did my hair up beautifully. She enjoyed the antics of my boys as they were running around getting their stuff together. The house was a shambles. The afternoon before when the guys from VMI showed up from all over the states, they all used the showers in my home using every single towel I owned. When the last one showed up I had just called the house and told my husband I was on the way home to unload groceries and supplies for the wedding before we headed back out for the rehearsal. He told that last boy he had 5 minutes to take his shower before the Mrs came home. He did it too. No wonder the bathroom floor was soaked.
Brian and Amanda did great. No tears. They said their vows flawlessly. She said later she struggled not to cry especially when we had Jeff do a solo for them. My mom whispered to me that she thought they made a beautiful couple. I swore I wouldn't cry and I didn't. The bride's mom said she would cry but I don't think she did. She did okay. Maybe cause they have been dating such a long time it seemed so natural.
Nothing goes perfect at these things but for the most part our mistakes were a well kept secret. We discovered we had no bottle opener for the bottles just before the toast. How could we forget that? We had no one really in charge for the DJ job so my husband had to jump to the occasion. The sound guy was having a bit of trouble with the sound for the dances but he ironed that out. That was the most noticeable. No one exactly knew if we were supposed to have the toast before or after the meal. We chose before. We were also supposed to have HC sing at the Chapel. Somehow she got skipped during the ceremony so we added her at the reception which turned out for the better anyhow. She sang beautifully as usual and I got great pics of her doing so. and her husband who went to fetch my CD didn't miss it afterall. No one would have guessed that was a mistake. The bride and groom were suppose to stand behind the table for the cake cutting so the archway we so beautifully decorated would be a showcase for them to be under. They stood in front of the table instead. Amanda totally forgot that.
Then there was the song. I guess months ago there was a bet that a certain cadet from VMI would sing at Brian's wedding. He can't sing but the promises one makes drunk are kept I guess at VMI. So after the dances this cadet was announced, to his surprise, as the next act. He came up to the front and belted out a song. The other cadets made sure they brought the music and gave to the sound guy earlier. Near the end all the Cadets came up to help him get through the last stanza, and it sounded even worse but it was fun to watch.
So after the VMI guys showed me how to do the chicken dance (I guess I don't get out much) the bride and groom left for their honeymoon. Of course in big letters painted in blue on Brian's car were the words....GAME OVER. So off they went with water and beer bottles tied to the back of their car into the sunset of a beautiful day to start their brand new life together.
It was a good day.
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