The title of grand
finale wedding in the four weekends four weddings tour goes to Katie and
Mark. I didn't plan it this way, but
it's fitting because Katie holds a degree in Theater. Thanks for that, Katie. The week in between Audrey & Jordan and
Katie & Mark, I got to hang out with my friends Hannah and Sam. We crafted, watched Elementary, and did a
little bargain hunting. (Plato's
Closet!) (Hannah was my roommate in my
senior year of college, and I was around when she in Sam were falling deeply,
madly, truly in love.)
On our way to the
rehearsal dinner, we were trying to guess what the menu would be. The venue was a country club nestled in
suburban Richardson. I guessed we'd be
eating country club chicken or salmon with the standard mixed vegetables and
bread. Sam was quick to say he wished
they'd just serve BBQ instead. Lo and
behold, we walked in to great steaming dishes of brisket! Hallelujah, no chicken breast and green
beans! I didn't make it to the food for
a while because I was too socially distracted catching up with all our college
friends that I hadn't seen in a while.
The day of the
wedding, I hung out with Sarah & Alex, who had driven up early from
Houston. We got ready together at The
Heights Chapel before the ceremony. The
Chapel was the perfect Southern city wedding venue. The tall wooden ceilings arched to form a
peak, and the focal point were the quartet of stained glass windows at the
front. The ring bearer - the groom's
nephew (who had just learned to walk a month before the wedding) made it down
the long aisle without mishap and almost stole the show.
The nine
bridesmaids, dressed in punchy pink satin, and carrying a mix of hydrangeas,
daisies and baby roses stood in couples with the nine groomsmen at the
altar. Katie, escorted by her brother,
glowed in a sparkling strapless dress and classic scalloped lace veil. During this part of the ceremony I like to
watch the groom's face taking in his beautiful bride. Mark, in his usual steady, quiet way, smiled
and couldn't take his eyes off of her.
The service was performed by one of our Bible professors from college, and the text was taken from a letter Katie's dad had written to her as a little girl. You would have been hard pressed to find a dry eye. After that, the bridal party prayed over them. Watching my dear friends exchange vows, it felt surreal, these were my friends Mark and Katie! Now they were suddenly grown up and married. They recessed in a cloud of bliss amid decorous whoops and hollers from their friends.
From the Chapel, we
drove to the reception, a ballroom with a sweeping staircase tucked away
inconspicuously in Carollton. Continuing
the theme of serving unconventionally flavorful food, Mark and Katie treated us
to a fajita bar and Southern sweet tea.
A DJ kept the dance floor teeming by mixing retro and current hits. We wore ourselves out between
feather-boa-swathed stints in the photo booth and kicking it on the dance
floor. (Have you ever tried doing the Wobble in 5 inch heels?)
We saw them off in a
shower of cheers and white rose petals.
They took off for island paradise the next day on their Hawaiian
honeymoon. By now they're settling into
their new Dallas digs and unwrapping towers of eggshell/ecru/champagne - white
wrapped wedding presents.
After wedding #4, I
stayed with my friend Liz for a few days.
Her couch is fantastic. She's off
for the summer before starting her doctorate in English at SMU in the fall. We watched Cool Hand Luke, slept in, went
shopping and I got to sit in on this sermon at the Village while Liz worked
in the nursery. Liz is one of those
slightly scary people that I love having in my life because she knows me so
well. We can talk about anything, and
she can always tell when I'm not giving her the full story. We even sipped sweet somethings through
straws while we increased the melanin levels in our epidermis… ok, we drank
soda and laid by the pool. It was a
great way to end the trip.
I would tell you
that I flew home and started crafting for my classroom next year, but that
would be a lie. I got in at midnight
Wednesday night, got up at 6:30 Thursday, unpacked, did three loads of laundry,
repacked and was back on the road by 1 for Jarrett's volleyball tournament in
California.
C'est la vie, and it's a
good one.
Little Miss Sunshine
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