A friend of mine recently had the opportunity to attend two weddings in one week. The story is emotionally rewarding so am sharing it with you.
The first was a beautiful, elaborate wedding held at an elegant country club with all of the festivities you’d expect at a celebration that took more than a year of planning, with hundreds of guests and costing tens of thousands of dollars.
The second was a last-minute celebration that was small, intimate and totally delightful.
Marriage on Short Notice
The second couple became engaged a week before and, deciding that they would rather spend their money on paying off student loans and building a nest egg for a down payment on a house rather than a big reception, chose to get married without any fanfare in a civil service at City Hall followed by a small luncheon of close family and friends within a week after their engagement.
But since this was a close-knit Italian family, the thought of a simple luncheon was deemed not festive enough for such a special celebration so the family spun into action and created a beautiful surprise reception for the happy couple.
Wedding Planners Galore
Invitations were sent by phone and e-mail. The groom’s brother-in-law made arrangements with a favorite Italian restaurant for a private room. The bride’s sister-in-law made bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages for the small bridal party and special family members.
The groom’s grandparents hosted the luncheon as their wedding gift and the groom’s aunt decorated the couple’s chairs and created charming centerpieces that served as décor and wedding favors with items found at dollar and party stores. A cousin who also was the maid of honor took pictures throughout the ceremony and reception. In short, it was truly a family affair.
Vicariously Attended Ceremony
Since the couple wasn’t able to invite everyone to the ceremony in the small wedding chapel at City Hall, the photos of the ceremony was set up as a scrolling scrapbook on a laptop at the reception site so everyone who couldn’t attend the ceremony still had a sense of being there.
An Intimate Spectacular
A wedding cake was hastily ordered from a local supermarket but was as lovely and delicious as one created with months of planning.
The bride wore an exquisite white cocktail dress with a decidedly bridal feel complete with “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” and the groom was handsome in a dark suit.
When they entered the beautifully decorated restaurant room as the guests waved ribbon wands, they were overcome by the spectacle that their family created to make their wedding day even more special.
Food and drink flowed, and laughter, toasts and stories abounded. And while the only music that was there was piped in from the restaurant’s sound system, not one of the 20 guests or happy couple missed the dancing and traditional wedding fanfare.
Their budget was under $1,500 so I guess it’s true that all you need is love to have a wonderful wedding that will be fondly remembered always.
