Happily Every After

We had a wonderful family event at the beginning of August. Tommy's oldest daughter got married! It was a wonderful day with family, church, food, dancing, and a little science thrown in for good luck. The bride and groom were radiant and happy, with just enough coy sweetness to make the day perfect. 

This wedding will be remembered for everything, so carefully planned, that went off without a hitch; the beautiful Catholic mass, the bride in her stunning ivory wedding dress, the perfect reception venue (at the world famous Museum of Science in Boston), the proud parents, the toasts, the dancing, the museum with so much to fascinate young and old. And our memories will be peppered with the laughter of mishaps, obviously not planned, that became part of the day too.      

Like leaving Greg, his fiancee and their daughter in the dust when leaving the hotel for the wedding. Greg mentioned he didn't have a GPS, but I didn't realize he also didn't have the church address, or any idea where we were going. 

And how Kitty & her husband took a walk down the street after church, only to see the charter buses bringing us to the reception whiz by, leaving their only option to catch a taxi. 

Oh, and watch that first step if you go into Kitty's room at the hotel - it's a doozy! 

So after the exciting and wonderful experience of the weekend, I started thinking about my own wedding, 38 years ago (today!). It was the summer of 1975 and I was the first one in the family to be married. Mom and Barbie planned everything - I had no idea what to do or what was needed. But with their help, and Dad's checkbook, I had the fairytale most girls dream of. 

My sisters were all in my wedding. Barb was my maid of honor, Cheryl, Margie and Susie were bridesmaids, and Kitty (age 9) was the flower girl. And Tommy was an usher, along with two of my fiancee's brothers. The best man was his nephew (and best friend) and the ring bearer was another nephew. We were a great looking wedding party.  

Earlier that summer, Barbie and Cherie made dresses for all my sisters to wear on my special day. It wasn't an easy task -  Susie & Kitty kept growing and Sue actually ended up with lace attached to the bottom of her dress, so it could be turned under for a hem. She seemed to grow at least 1/2" every time the dress was fitted. Barbie also arranged for flowers and threw my wedding shower. And to make sure I had nice pictures of the day, she starting dating a semi-professional photographer who she invited to be her date, and "Oh, by the way, will you bring your camera and take some nice pictures?" 

Other ways it was different getting married in the 1970's - Barbie did my hair, and I did my own makeup. My dress and veil were purchased in one trip to The Elegant Lady in Wilton at the whopping cost of  $600. Roses and daisies were standard for weddings - my bouquet was fragrant pink roses with greens and babies breath. The other girls carried white baskets with daisies dyed to match the different pastel sashes on each of their white dresses.  In general, bridesmaid dresses were the same price as a regular dress (if a bride didn't have talented sisters to make them). Wedding favors were books of matches imprinted with the name of the bride and groom (because who didn't smoke and need matches?) The reception venue provided the bar, the food and the cake. Our place, The Longshore Country Club, even included a room after in a 5-star Greenwich hotel with breakfast the next morning before leaving for our honeymoon. 

Not that everything happened without a glitch. Barbie and Kitty accompanied me to the church in a borrowed Lincoln TownCar that Tommy drove. We were followed by my parents, Greg and Rick in Dad's car. When we arrived at church, it was discovered that while shuffling the cars in the driveway that morning, Tom and Dad had the keys to every other car in their pockets. My grandmother, Cheryl, Margie and Sue were stranded at our house (about 20 minutes away). One of my girlfriends offered to pick up my grandmother, not knowing my three sisters were also there. So she got to our house in her little 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, to be greeted by four ladies in long, formal dresses with everyone but my grandmother in white. They all squeezed into a very small, and not particularly clean, car. But they made it! They got to the church and we could finally start the ceremony (at least 40 minutes late!) 

Our wedding ceremony included the verse on Marriage from The Prophet that was part of almost every wedding in the 1970's. From that point, everything that happened that day is a blur. But I know it was wonderful! I only had eyes for my handsome new husband. We danced (my hubby and the best man even took over the band for a complete set), we kissed whenever our guests tapped on their glasses, and it was the happiest day of my life to that point. 

So from new marriages thru standing the test of time - Best Wishes to my niece and welcome to our family to her adorable new husband.  And Happy Anniversary to me and my still handsome and wonderful husband.