I don’t have a lot of regrets but this is one: I wish I had kept notes on of all the – what should I call them? – unusual, things I’ve seen at weddings.
Here are some I remember:
- A wedding in which there were no religious songs, no prayers or verses from the Bible — no mention of God. That’s unusual? It is in this neck of the woods and, besides, the groom was the son of a Baptist preacher, and he was there.
- A reception with a “Baptist” punch bowl that was full and a “Catholic” punch bowl that was empty. You know why, don’t you.
- A couple that allowed photographers to hover around them at the altar — one even laid on the grass next to the minister, snapping away — while they took their vows. Why? The bride was a photographer. They were her friends.
- The bride’s much beloved dog, Zoey, sitting next to her, barking, during the marriage ceremony.
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Zoey, assisting at the marriage of Mandy Locke and Alex Granados A bride, standing outside the church in 90 degree heat, sweating along with scores of guests waiting to throw rice, while the groom combed his hair.
- A rock-ribbed Baptist father-of-the-bride holding a bucket of holy water for the priest.
- A wedding with a “Best Woman” instead of a “Best Man.”
- A fall wedding where the groom announced the wedding would be delayed a few minutes. He and his bride had made it to the church on time but some guests had not — they were caught up in football traffic.
- Police at the reception, investigating a theft at the wedding.
- A popcorn machine next to the reception line so guests could snack while they waited to greet the wedding couple.
- Two grown men, a brother and a cousin of the bride, serving as flower girls. Did a good job, too.
- Bouquets of honey suckle in mason jars sitting beneath the pews to make the church smell good.
- Baptist weddings that were much shorter than the last two minutes of down-to-the-wire University of North Carolina basketball game.
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Chelsea and Jim Waddelow A bride who wore a patch over one eye, like a pirate. She had injured it a few days before the wedding.
- A groom, a former Marine aviator with more than 200 combat missions in Viet Nam, with his hair in a pony tail, adorned with baby’s breath.
- A bride and groom who washed each other’s feet during the ceremony.
- Bridesmaids wearing masks. Oh, yes, remember the pandemic of 2020?
- And, top this: A bride and groom who married themselves. They exchanged vows; signed the marriage certificate; had it witnessed, and then pronounced themselves man and wife.
Coming Monday: No Name Peak
At the beginning of a wedding I attended, the groom walked to the altar and he looked really scared. He looked so scared, the entire congregation burst out laughing at him (many of the guests were fraternity brothers and college friends). Then he looked even more scared. When my cousin got married, my mother made me go have a talk with him at the rehearsal dinner because he was so scared, he wouldn’t stop crying. I told him that if I were in his place, I’d be crying too. Both of the weddings had happy endings. A couple of decades have passed and the grooms are still married to their brides.