random thoughts – Day 1,549 – (Saturday) – family wedding

Farm wedding ambience.

After a couple sunny days, Friday turned up with a morning downpour. And some afternoon rain. And a forecast with evening rain. Oh, and a farm wedding to attend. Wishes were sent to the Universe for dry conditions during the ceremony, which did not seem like too much to ask.

The morning was spent relaxing and mentally spinning through the contents of the closet. The originally planned outfit for the wedding had been tried on the previous weekend with disastrous results. The high waist, wide leg teal pants imprinted with orange flowers which fit a few weeks ago would have required a serious illness with rapid weight loss or highly successful crash diet to have any chance of fitting in the week leading to the event. The plan B outfit of bright green vintage wide leg pants paired with a pink vintage jacket with embroidered flowers fit and was called to action.

Dad and I at Kim's wedding.

The wedding venue  (Wildwood Farm), set in the rolling hills of north central Mass, is spectacular. The site features barns with horses, an indoor equestrian center, outdoor riding ring, and historic buildings. On the modern side, there is an outdoor bar, patio, and fire pit. A trailer holds clean, modern toilet stalls. A large event tent contains the dance floor, bar, and dining tables.

As for the ceremony – the weather remained precipitation free. The bridesmaids were lovely in pale green gowns. The groom and groomsmen wore beige suits. As the matron of honor came down the aisle between the two sections of benches, I choked up. She is the eldest of my two half-sisters and looked beautiful (not a surprise).

When Dad and his wife walked the bride down the aisle, the tears were a bit harder to hold back. She is the younger of my half-sisters, and was beautiful (not a surprise) in an elegant white gown with embroidered lace overlay and a train. She looked so happy. So did the groom.

Just married.

There were a few raindrops during the cocktail hour. Later, rumbles of thunder sent the guests scurrying to the big white tent, which I kidded was the “fitness portion of the festivity.” A bit later, the bride was on the patio, smiling under an umbrella. It was all good. 

The bridal party was introduced and dinner was served. Somewhere during the dinner proceedings, it rained harder, but inside the enclosed tent you couldn’t tell unless you were looking out the clear vinyl windows.

Later, the DJ asked everyone to step outside for a group drone photo. As the guests gathered, a herd of cows meandered across the fenced-in field to stand behind where we stood. 

Beautiful even under an umbrella.

It was magical. All of it. The beautiful setting, the cows, the bridal couple, family, and the other guests, several of whom I got to chat with and a couple of whom had traveled from as far as California and Florida to attend.

It was such a fun wedding. The setting, the food, and the vibe were all perfect. Congrats to Kim and Gerry, and their beautiful wedding and reception. Best wishes for a happy future together.