This past Saturday, for the first time in 14 months, we got dressed up (which we practically forgot how to do altogether and were pleasantly surprised and relieved to find that our fancy clothes still fit us and weren’t covered in a thick coating of dust) to attend a truly gorgeous and wonderful celebration of the marriage of our friends Ali & Emily.
We were honored beyond words to share in one of the most joyful and loving weddings we’ve ever witnessed. I cry at everything (just ask Ted: live animals, sick animals, dead animals, baby animals, senior or disabled animals, happy or playful animals, happy TV commercials, sad movies, happy movies songs, pictures, funny jokes, birthdays, gifts, memories, joyful things, stressful things, surprises…the list goes on). I cry at everything except weddings. I did not cry at my own wedding. I did not cry at any of the past several weddings we’ve been to. So I didn’t even occur to me to throw tissues in my purse before we left the house to drive an hour southeast into the beautiful Finger Lakes region for this wedding, but boy did I burst into tears at least 4 times on Saturday, including when Emily walked down the aisle (which I doubly did not expect since Ali is the bride I’ve known the longest and am closest to). The ceremony was an abundance of natural beauty, blissful happiness, and pure passion and joy-filled love (and, honestly, also sheer overwhelm at the simple act of being around more than 3 people in a social setting in over a year – I’m sure that was a contributing factor to my emotional state as well).
We were so thankful for such a stunning day for this small, outdoor, open air wedding. It was simply gorgeous out. You could not have planned more perfect weather. 70 degrees, sunny, light breeze, no bugs, no humidity, and a beautiful venue full of soft, lush green grass, towering shade trees, a pretty little river in the background, plenty of quiet places to sit outdoors in the sun or in the shade along the water, and a beautifully renovated open-air barn for the reception with soft romantic lighting and vintage, rustic charm.
The food was excellent (we may have filled up on shrimp and bacon wrapped scallops before dinner service even began). The drinks were plentiful (we stuck to a sensible selection of margaritas, gin and tonics, and jack and cokes). The highly personalized and intimate ceremony itself, the delightful and meaningful vows the brides wrote themselves, the toasts from their loving families, and first dances between brides and with their dads at the reception were all so beautiful and abundantly overflowing with love and joy. The two other couples we were seated with at our dinner table were also vaccinated (which was highly welcome and reassuring news), and we enjoyed some nice conversations with them here and there throughout the dinner and toasts. Fortunately, we were able to snag the brides for some hugs (our first hugs with other people in 14 months!) and a little bit of chatting and dancing. We also enjoyed a slow dance or two together as well, which is one of the things I always look forward to most at weddings.
It felt SO GOOD to finally be able to safely hug people you love and cherish, sip a margarita and share a laugh or a dance with other humans, experience a communal and synchronized heartbeat with other people (like you do at the theatre or at some other important or emotional event) when the music swells and the bride starts her walk down the aisle, and to actually socially celebrate love and wonderful things again. My heart is full from the brilliant love these two brides radiate, loving slow dances with my own silly sweetie, and a day so beautiful that my heart could hardly stand it. Overwhelming says it all.
Because we were either outdoors the whole time with plenty of space between families or groups of people, or in the barn (but with the barn doors all wide open all evening), we really only wore our masks when going up to a bar area to get food or beverages, and it was honestly somewhat weird being maskless (even though we’re vaccinated, even knowing most others were probably vaccinated, even outdoors, even with a fairly small wedding). We’ve been in masks so long when around literally anyone (much less multiple anyones) who isn’t the two of us that adjusting to not feeling the obligation to wear a mask to keep ourselves and others protected was unnerving and a little strange.
We were exhausted by the time we made it home at 10:30pm. We clearly haven’t had a late night out in a very long time considering just how tired we were and how our eyes had a good degree of difficulty adjusting to the brightness of headlights at night. It’s these odd moments that surprise you the most sometimes and cause you to think “wow, things really have changed, haven’t they?”
And then again, some things – thankfully – don’t change, no matter how many months pass in a “new” reality. Like weddings. And toasts and first dances. And wholeheartedly supporting those you love. And the beauty of nature. And awe-struck moments of wonder where you just sink back and whisper countless silent prayers of gratitude for how wonderful and beautiful life can be. And love. Above all, love.
