This past weekend, in Columbus, Ohio, we married off our last child.
As I think back, I realize each of my kids’ wedding was unique and a reflection of them.
The Weddings
Meghan had a big church wedding and reception with a live band, catered food, and limos. She was the Queen of her day.
Next was Matt, who married Sara on the lawn of a historic home in downtown Little Rock. For their reception, they hired a karaoke DJ. It was a crowd that loved a performance. During Matt’s song, he jumped off the stage and ripped a hole in his pants.
It was during COVID that son Gray married Drew, so a big wedding was forfeited. Because of quarantine, we weren’t permitted inside the courthouse, so we stood on the sidewalk and watched as the couple signed their marriage license and handed it to the security guard to deliver. In attendance was just a preacher-friend to sign the document, Drew’s parents, Grady and me. True to these newlyweds: no fuss, no muss. I’m not even sure we went out to lunch afterwards.
The Last Wedding
Now the last child, Jack, married his bride on a flower farm in Ohio. To save money, it was a family affair. Jack, with a PhD in horticulture, grew most of the flowers in his backyard and his siblings arrived a day early to harvest and make flower arrangements. The bride’s family pressed napkins, ran errands, and filled the gaps on the “to do” list.
The day of the wedding we all went early to the venue to set up. Then back to the hotel to dress. Then back to the Alton Homestead and Flower Farm for the wedding. Sounds hectic, but it wasn’t. It was communal.
Oldest son Gray, by “the powers vested in him by the Universal Life Church and the State of Ohio,” officiated the ceremony. In front of friends and family, the couple read their handwritten vows from a little wedding book they brought. We listened as they confessed their heartfelt love and commitment to each other. Though outdoors, it was intimate. Along with the couple, we cried sentimentally, laughed nervously, and remembered the power of love. Son Jack cried more than anyone.
Afterwards, Jack’s grandmother said, “Well now that they’ve written their commitment in their little book, if either one of them starts acting up they just have to pull out the book, point to the vow, and say, “right here in black and white you promised …”
Maybe all marriages should come with a little handbook.
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