It's hard to put into words the joy and stress of the past two days. Let me first set the stage.
Alycia and I have been best friends since freshman orientation at college. We've shared two apartments (one the size of most peoples's living room) and a dorm room. We're like sisters, so much so that we refer to each other as "my sister." We've laughed a lot together, shared secrets and cried together. We've prayed together and comiserated together over men. It was Alycia's shoulder that I sobbed into after I broke off my engagement. Together we've daydreamed about who we might marry someday and we'd both agreed to have the other as bridesmaid in our respective weddings whenever that day might come.
Brian, Alycia's fiance, officially proposed this past July. She asked me to be maid of honor. I knew I'd be living in Washington, but of course I accepted. Never mind the 20 hour train ride from Spokane to North Dakota, how could I possibly NOT come back for my "sister's" wedding. I wanted to be here to share in the joy and beauty of her special day.
The wedding was held at FaHoCha Bible camp where Alycia and Brian met while working as summer camp counselors. It was a beautiful fall day today, sunny and breezy, and the ceremony was beside the lake. Alycia looked absolutely radiant and elegant and beautiful and two tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked down the aisle on her father's arm. I don't know what expression my face conveyed but I felt a tangled flurry of emotion: wonder at the beauty of love, overwhelming joy that this beautiful day had finally come for Alycia and I could be there to share in it, terror that I might drop the ring in the grass, or trip walking down the aisle or do anything that might make the ceremony less than absolutely perfect. (Plus I was shivering in my sleeveless dress. Despite the sun the breeze was chilly.) The ceremony was perfect. It was beautiful and eveything I'd hoped for Alycia and I hope it was everything she'd hoped for as well.
However in the grand scheme of things, the ceremony was a small part of the event that was Alycia's wedding. There was decorating and ironing table cloths and cleaning and setting up tables and steaming the dress and a rehearsal followed by a dinner and so many pictures before the wedding. Planning a wedding involoves a myriad of little details that I would normally deem inconsequential. I tend to absorb the emotions of those close to me and I 've absorbed lots of Alycia's stress this weekend. As far as I could tell the best man was absorbing equal amounts of Brian's stress. (He, however was self-medicateding with the help of a hip flask filled with something potent and frequent nicotine breaks...maybe I should try that if I'm ever asked to be maid of honor again. ....nah, bridessmaid dresses don't come with pockets. I'd have to hide the flask in my bra.)
All in all the wedding was beautiful. I got to see some friends I haven't seen in a long time, and I met some new friends. I even survived giving my toast at the reception. Although I'm strongly considering taking Alycia's advice and just eloping (in the event that I do meet that special person I want to spend the rest of my life with.)
1 comment:
Ah, weddings.
As far as being cold goes, i have yet to be in an outdoor wedding, although last December i was in a wedding where i was the only groomsman in a kilt. And not a 7-yards-o'-wool one either. i guess it helped to share in the solidarity with the bridesmaids during the pictures we took outside.
May the rest of your time home be a blessing!
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