Journal of a Living Lady #172

 

Nancy White Kelly

 

Everybody wants to hear about the wedding of Charlie and Tori. On a scale on 1-10, the often repeated response from those who attended was that it was a 10. The marriage ceremony was unusual and paradoxical. Traditional, yet unique.

 

Though Charlie contributed his part, including a romantic piano prologue, it was the bride's day. Tori made the most of it. During her childhood, Tori collected scores of dolls. On this special day, Tori was the personification of a Barbie doll, adorned in white satin and petite pearls in a fairy-tale wedding. Charlie was the handsome counterpart in his black tuxedo. The bride maids were beautiful; the groomsmen well-groomed and statuesque.  Hollywood couldn't have done it any better, not even as well.

 

The nuptial ceremony elicited every emotion humanly possible. Yes, I cried. Momentarily I even sobbed when the bride and groom returned to the pews to each set of parents, giving us  roses and special, handmade candles embedded with pictures and notes of loving appreciation.

 

We, the  Hooks and the Kelly parents,  had done our part. We birthed them, loved them, disciplined and educated them. We did our best to impart moral and spiritual values. Now it was time to let our fledglings fly, with our blessing, to establish their own nest. We four parents had given them roots. It was now time to give them wings.

 

The congregation of family and friends responded to the palpable joy of the couple with smiles, laughter, even applause. Video clips, collected from old home movies and photo albums, played on the screen in the background. Tori spontaneously sang the words of a love song to Charlie as they knelt facing each other.

 

On rehearsal night Charlie turned crimson red when the preacher instructed him  to kiss the bride. On his wedding day, Charlie not only kissed the bride, he impulsively swept Tori off her feet into his arms  and shook her like a victor with his prize.

 

After quoting Scripture and sharing some marital wisdom, Tori's pastor happily pronounced them husband and wife. Nobody objected. This marriage was made in heaven.

 

Though I often relate how I asked God to let me live to see our son graduate, Charlie told me the night before the wedding that his prayer has been that I would live to see him married. God answered both of our prayers.

 

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nancyk@alltel.net

To view a wedding picture on the Internet, go to https://www.angelfire.com/bc/nancykelly/CTwedpixjpg.jpg