August 19, 2015

Shaggy Hair Boy gets married

WeddingVenue

I’ve had a fantastic summer, with lovely trips and good family news. My brother-in-law’s cancer is in remission, my youngest sister’s twins were born healthy and beautiful at 38 weeks, and my eighty-something parents are still both in good health. The summer ended with an exciting event: my son Shaggy Hair Boy and his girlfriend Smiley Girl got married. I’ve gained a daughter-in-law. I’ve known Smiley Girl since she was my student at Little Green five years ago, and she’s a perfect match for my middle son. Everyone in the family is thrilled.

They got married on a farm. It’s a working farm, with goats and chickens and several big shaggy dogs. The reception was held in a barn strung with white Christmas lights. A bunch of us gathered there the day before to arrange the flowers the bride’s mother had bought at the farmers’ market. We used mason jars leftover from another wedding. The caterer served food grown locally. The men in the bridal party wore navy blue dress shirts and grey pants, and the women wore navy blue dresses, all clothes that they could re-use. The dessert was gelato, made right on the farm. The bride and groom are very environmentally conscious, and that showed in every decision they made.

The photograph above shows the field where the ceremony was held. As we were all commenting how gorgeous the view was, one of the bride’s friends said, “You can even see a wind farm in the distance. That’s so perfect.” The guests sat on planks of wood balanced on bales of straw. My brother played the guitar. My daughter did a reading. The maid of honor sang. The wedding party included all of the bride’s nieces and nephews, a bunch of adorable kids.

The reception included live music, of course, mostly jazz. My son With-a-Why sang “These Foolish Things.” Drama Niece warmed up the crowd with “When the Saints Go Marching In” while the groom took a turn at the keyboard and my brother led a conga line. Skater Boy, whom we’ve known since he was a tiny kid and who, despite the pseudonym I gave him years ago, is a respectable young man who develops computer software, gave a toast that was touching and funny. The toast was interrupted briefly by a sheep wandering into the barn and right up to the microphone. Then the maid of honor, who has known the bride her whole life, gave another toast while the musicians played with the baby sheep.

The guests were mostly family, but for us that includes our long-time extra kids, even the ones who live in far-off places now. They all showed up, young adults now rather than teenagers, all of them looking so grown-up that I felt nostalgic for the days when they hung out in my living room, jamming and playing games all night. And of course, even in the midst of so much happiness, I felt sad that Blonde Sister, who died last November, couldn’t be with us to celebrate the wedding of the nephew she’d helped raise.

The bride and groom, like most young people nowadays, kept the traditions they liked and discarded outdated traditions. The little kids (and many of the adults) walked down to see the goats and wandered about the farm looking for chickens and dogs. Young people played Kan-Jam and a giant set of Jenga outside the barn. Old people and young danced to jazz music. Everyone stood around talking, eating gelato. And the best part of the whole day was the realization that Smiley Girl, whom we all love, is now officially part of our family.

21 comments:

Gail said...

What a wonderful place to celebrate vows together.

Congratulations on the wonderful happenings in your life.

Elephant's Child said...

That sounds like an absolutely perfect day. Hooray for all the good news.

EG CameraGirl said...

Congratulations for gaining a daughter-in-law. The setting sounds delightful and you must be extremely proud that they care so much for Mother Earth. I really like the seating in the photo too. What a fantastic wedding!

tracynicholrose said...

Congratulations! What a beautiful way to end the summer, by gaining a daughter. Enjoy.

DJan said...

How fine this all is! I love all your pseudonyms and hope they enjoyed them as much as I did. Congratulations to everyone in this wonderful event, well told my a true wordsmith. :-)

37paddington said...

Oh, this sounds like the most wonderful pairing ever! I love your mention of your long-time extra kids. I know that scene and love that scene. It's so weird that they are mostly young adults now. What a beautiful wedding your Shaggy Hair Boy and Smiley Girl made.

Far Side of Fifty said...

What a pretty place! Congratulations! It sounds like a wonderful wedding with a very practical bride and groom...way to go! :)

Mwa said...

Congratulations! I love the sound of that wedding. Absolutely perfect.

Janey and Co. said...

I love it when couples step outside the box and have the wedding that suits them!. Sounds lovely.

Thanks for the visits to my blog. By the way I have been in that house, I help with the interior home tours.
About twenty yrs ago the owners remodeled the inside with a southwest look. It was horrible. I am happy to report the new owners have restored it to the Victorian era .

L said...

Awww... what a lovely description that goes so well with the beautiful pics I've already seen. Sigh... time goes by with a vengeance, and with it come the sad events, such as your sister's death, :-( and happier ones such as this lovely wedding. I do look forward to the day my sons get married and... obviously, to grandchildren! ;-) I know I'm way too young to be dreaming of that, but I do love babies and young children. And, having only sons, I hope and pray for lovely daughters-in-law. I hope that if we raise our boys well, we'll be "rewarded" with good DIL. At least I hope so! ;-)

TexWisGirl said...

a beautiful tribute to a wonderful day and celebration of family. :)

Anonymous said...

This is such wonderful news. I love the environmentally conscious couple and their wedding in a barn. When a sheep joins the festivities, you know it's a party! Congratulations all around! Mazel tov!

Lomagirl said...

Sounds like a wonderful wedding that really celebrated the couple well.

Kendra Leonard said...

This is beautiful, although I cried for Blonde Sister, too. Much happiness to the couple, and all who know them

Liz Miller said...

Mazel tov!!!

Dawn Gerrity said...

Congratulations! What a wonderful way to end the summer!! :)

Jeanie said...

This sounds exactly like the kind of wedding I love to attend -- a little off center with all the traditions that matter and new ones that may or may not surface again but completely reflect the couple to whom it matters most. It sounds so warm and personal and fun. And I love the setting. Congratulations to you and to the couple!

undine said...

Congratulations on a beautiful wedding.

BrightenedBoy said...

On the one occasion you and I were able to meet in person, you brought Shaggy Hair along, and in just a few short hours he left the impression of being an uncommonly bright, fun, and friendly person. It's wonderful to hear that he's found happiness with Smiley Girl. And the venue, of course, just fits everything to a tee.

Anonymous said...

So happy for you and your entire clan.
kinderny

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!