Our Wedding: The Ceremony

We were blessed with amazingly great weather on Sunday the 30th of September, 2012. It was cloudy all morning and I feared for rain. The clouds did keep the day slightly cooler than it might otherwise have been, and this was a good thing, a very good thing for an outdoor wedding. The sun popped out for good around noon and except for a single black cloud that dropped a few sprinkles minutes before the ceremony, the weather was sunny and mild.

Carter Escorts his Mom Outside

The ceremony got off to a bit of a late start. We were going at 1:30pm but Ann's parents still hadn't arrived by then. At 2:00, I finally called them and found out that Mary was very ill and that they had called the house phone and left a message on the answering machine earlier that morning while Ann was out getting her hair done and I was at the restaurant fetching the cheese and all the decorations for our cake. In the excitement, we failed to check the answering machine.

On finding out that her parents wouldn't be at the wedding, Ann was understandably distraught and it took a while for her to talk with them on the phone and then to compose herself. I had planned to ask Bob if I could marry his daughter just before the ceremony. He didn't know until he talked to Ann on the phone that we were getting married: it was to be a surprise for him as well. He told Ann on the phone to tell me that he said "Yes!" though I didn't find this out until after we were married.

Ultimately, the female coterie came downstairs absent Ann and herded everyone outside with a glass of sparkling wine and I got my first glass (of many) of the day. Until then, I had been so busy hosting that I hadn't even had a sip of wine. As you can see in the photo, everyone formed a circle around the patio where I waited under the pergola with my friend David McLaughlin, who just happens to be licensed to perform marriage ceremonies.

Carter escorted Ann out of the house and down the steps to where David and I were standing. It was as Ann was coming down the steps that I first got to see her crazy royal blue shoes!

Doesn't Every Wedding Start with a Salute?

I am not exactly sure how we ended up saluting each other, but it was a mock-serious funny moment, in keeping with our low-key event! You don't see here that I am wearing shorts and flip-flops. I loved Ann's very simple, very classy dress.

Sharing a Laugh before the Vows

David is a long-time friend of mine and as it turns out long-time friend of my mother's family. David's cousin Henry was sweet on my mother during high school, but I didn't know that until I saw my mother and her sister Susan yacking away with David after the ceremony. He asked us about what we wanted our vows to be. I told him to keep it simple and to check with Ann about anything she might want. We really hadn't given it any thought. The entire ceremony took about 30 seconds, much to the glee of the assembly of friends and family!

The Rings: We Forgot Them until after The Ceremony!

Going in for the Kill!