I often use my blog to write about special family events, and I didn't want to wait too long to draft a post about my son's very special wedding.
About seven years ago on New Year's Eve, my son met the love of his life in a hot tub. Since that time, Megan has brought our family so many lovely and wonderful gifts. First, she's made Ryan, my son, very, very happy. Next she's introduced us to many new ways to prepare and enjoy healthy food and live life. Her artistry, creativity and knowledge have enriched our lives considerably. And, Megan has introduced us to her family who have become our good friends--people who we enjoy adventuring with and learning from.
Now with the wedding almost a month past, I'm actually able to think about that wonderful occasion--an occasion more than two years in the making. There was the wonderful engagement in Larz Anderson Park, a park that held great significance for Megan's family and a beautiful natural setting with a view. After that, Ryan and Megan made plans for a summer wedding a year later. During the year of preparation, however, the pandemic struck and all wedding plans were postponed for over a year. It was a long wait, but we all made the best of it. Megan used that time to add many, many personal touches to the wedding.
While we would have liked to invite everyone we ever knew and loved to the party, that is impossible to do so for so many reasons. The guest list included our close family members which is no small number when you have a family as large as our family. I was so happy that we were able to include all of our immediate family members who were able to travel to the event.
The wedding took place at the Omni Mt. Washington Hotel, a location that held significance for both families since we have all enjoyed many special times in the White Mountain region throughout our lives. Some people stayed at the hotel and others rented nearby condos or reserved local motel rooms.
During the weeks prior to the wedding, Megan and her mom led a number of special efforts to make the wedding meaningful. They bought lots of plants so they could give interested guests plants to take home after the wedding. This was significant because it represented our families' interest in nature, my son's career as a plant specialist and Megan and Ryan's awesome gardening and natural food efforts. They also collected pictures of every guest with the couple or families as a symbol of the personal connections they enjoyed--these pictures were matched with table numbers. The wedding color theme of golden yellow, rich greens and white was evident on the beautiful table settings, bouquets, programs and guest bags. The guest bags held goodies representative of each family--treats enjoyed and shared over time mostly by grandparents such as candy, cookies and other snacks. The program relayed stories of our connections to the mountains and rememberances of treasured family members lost to illness and death prior to the ceremony--people we miss dearly.
The wedding was extravagant. I often shy away from extravagance for many reasons, but in this case, I thought it was perfectly appropriate given the history of the families, the experiences endured, the families celebrated, the couple's long COVID wait, and the bright future ahead. Leading up to the wedding there was a pre-covid, traditional bridal shower (glad we were able to have that), an intimate backyard dinner celebration complete with COVID-protections, lots of small family get togethers during COVID mostly held outdoors, a fun bachelor-bachelorette weekend celebration for the bridal party and their significant others, cookie/gorp/goody bag making/assembling and more.
The celebration began with an afternoon luncheon and rehearsal at the hotel's Jewel Terrace. The weather was good and the view spectacular. As we ate, I could easily see the Presidential Range and remember the many wonderful hikes I took with family members in those mountains. I especially liked the way the bride and groom recognized each member of the wedding party as well as the parents. They had special gifts and handwritten notes for each person. Then as parents, we met with the couple to have an intimate moment before the big celebrations began.
After the rehearsal luncheon, there was a Welcome Party that welcomed all guests who arrived on Friday night. The Welcome Party had a video of the couple's lives, celebrations to date and romance as well as a toast, dinner buffet and drinks. It was an indoor-outdoor setting, but thanks to the weather most people gathered outside with many sitting around a beautiful fire pit. The historic hotel was lit up in the background. It was a wonderful opportunity to see and talk to almost everyone who was able to come to the wedding.
The next day, I joined the bridesmaids for a hair and make-up brunch. I was thankful for the attention and it was a lot of fun to be surrounded by the fun-loving, happy, beautiful bridesmaids and mother of the bride. Later I returned to our condo and prepared to welcome the groomsmen and father of the bride to a men's brunch. The men ate in about ten minutes and readied in about five, then they hung out until the shuttle arrived to bring us to the pre-ceremony photos. The first photo was named the First-Look--I had never seen this before. The groom is photographed as he sees the bride all dressed up for the first time. I thought it was very touching and was happy to see it. Then there was the traditional wedding party photo shoot, back on the shuttle, and up the gondolas to the wedding ceremony location on top of a ski mountain.
The gondola ride was beautiful as we rode on top of the colorful trees with the hotel behind us and the lodge ahead of us. Upon arrival I watched the bride and groom pose for some mountain top photos and then we gathered on the patio for an intimate wedding ceremony conducted by the bride's brother. The clouds were dramatic with a bit of distant thunder and a few gusts of wind during the ceremony. I especially loved the bride and groom's vows which gave us an intimate look at their relationship and their commitment to one another. The bride's brother also provided a meaningful look at the context of their marriage including both of our families, their friends and their lives together now and into the future.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom happily arrived and the dancing began. The band was awesome! Then there was time for the parents of the bride, best men, and maid of honor to give their thoughtful, caring toasts. A delicious dinner including salad, rolls, chicken, polenta or salmon arrived. There was also a roast beef and pasta station. Later, after the bride and groom cut the cake, we all enjoyed the delicious carrot cake for dessert. And the dancing continued. The bride created a drink for every groomsman and bridesmaid, and many enjoyed those drinks as well as others. There was a photo booth, napkins with the bride-and-groom's favorite pets, and tattoos too. Mostly people just danced and danced and danced.
The after party was filled with games, pizza, mozerella sticks and good cheer. The predicted stormy weather held off all weekend until the very end of the evening when we road down the gondolas during a dark, rainy night. The next day the parents of the bride hosted a wonderful brunch at their lakeside home--it was a good chance to relay the stories of the night before.
I don't want to forget this magnificent event. My only regret is that there was so much going on that I didn't have the chance to sit down and talk with every guest at the party, but that's to be expected at celebrations like this. It was a wonderful way to start a couple's life together and a terrific way to celebrate the family ties we've enjoyed and relied on over time. Onward.