Leigh's wedding was supposed to be on the beach...but we were in the middle of a tropical storm! It was rainy, windy, and over all kind of miserable. My family and I stayed on the beach in a beautiful (but kind of quirky beach house..I mean, what kind of house doesn't have an electrical outlet in one of the bathrooms?!), which meant that we were experiencing the storm head on! There was a night where we were worried we would be stuck because the ocean was flooding over into our section of the street. We had patio furniture blowing around, and at one point over night, we lost our patio table...lucky that it didn't smash through the glass windows in the front room! It was an angry ocean, too...huge waves.
So by the time we gathered at the restaurant where the wedding was to be held, there was literally NO BEACH to stand on! So we had to be creative and flexible, which meant that the ceremony was now going to be held inside. The room that was going to be used was not available for the night of rehearsal, so we had to rehearse outside the restaurant under the awning and on a board walk type thing while people were walking through to eat there. It was definitely the strangest wedding rehearsal I've ever done and will probably ever do! But...it worked.
The next day was spent getting ready for the wedding. When the time came, we all rode in a limo to the restaurant. The florist had set up a beautiful archway for the ceremony in the restaurant. My family worked it out with the restaurant manager that the ceremony could be held in part of the restaurant with long windows where the ocean could be seen, so at least we could see it if we couldn't be out there. I know that Leigh was initially disappointed that the wedding couldn't be on the beach, but I personally thought it was all very beautiful right where we were, and we didn't have to worry about the weather, everyone could hear everything being said, and the focus was more on Leigh and Mike. The ceremony, while not my usual type wedding liturgy, was great and very meaningful to them.
The reception was great- the band was awesome and played a variety of songs, everyone was having a great time, the food was good, etc. The most meaningful part was when my dad got up and played guitar and sang a few songs for Leigh and Mike. He played for my wedding, too, but during the ceremony, so it was a little different. It was a very special moment for our family. As I was standing there listening to him sing and play, and watching Leigh and Mike take it all in, I kept thinking how proud I am of my family. One of Leigh's friends had said at some point during the night, "There is so much love in this room," and I couldn't agree more.
Congrats, Leigh and Mike! I am so excited to see where your future takes you :)
No comments:
Post a Comment