Wedding Whirlwind Part Three

"Part Three" is a little misleading. My Wedding Whirlwind day actually began with us attending this wedding but I chose to save the best for last. My dear friends Ronnie and Jeff were legally wed in Iowa with Jeff's parents as witnesses a few months back. Yesterday, they invited friends and family to witness them be married in a traditional Quaker ceremony with reception following.

The event was held at the Penn Valley Society of Friends which is a charming house on Gillham Road. We weren't sure what to expect, and we soon sat with our friends from Barnes and Noble. Perusing the program, Ronnie and Jeff's wit and creativity were clearly in evidence. The back of the program had a search and find puzzle featuring words that related to the boys and their wedding. This was for folks who weren't sure what to do with all of that silence (Keith completed it). My favorite portion of the program was the Ronnie and Jeff trivia. My friendship with Ronnie has always been filled with raucous laughter, so it was fitting that I found myself in hysterics reading the trivia. One example:

Jeff refuses to patricipate in this activity Ronnie loves:

a)designing figure skating costumes

b)writing and editing Walker Texas Ranger fan-boy fiction

c)singing the songbook to Les Miserables

d)watching horror movies

I knew that one.... Jeff hates horror movies.

Ronnie had told us that a typical service was characterized by an hour of silence. A few moments after the service began, one of the Penn Valley regulars spoke and let us know how the service would progress. She explained that the purpose of the silence was to allow the stillness to calm the mental chatter of our brains and thus invite the Spirit to speak to us. As my mental chatter tends to resemble the screech of a howler monkey, I assumed I would spend most of the service squirming. I had a monstrous day at work waiting for me following this service. How would I let that go?

I soon learned that when said Spirit would move us, we could speak any words we chose to Ronnie and Jeff in honor of this moment. Soon, several of the Quaker members stood and spoke eloquent and spiritual sentiments. Ronnie and Jeff's many friends and co-workers soon shared memories and good wishes for the couple. One of Ronnie's best friends, the lovely Elise who is a trained opera singer, stood and sang like an angel. At this point, there was not a dry eye in the house. Towards the end, Ronnie and Jeff themselves spoke and Ronnie said he was afraid to speak as he"would end up crying like Sally Field in every episode of Brothers and Sisters". They spoke loving vows to each other, exchanged rings and signed their marriage certificate. There was no schedule on when any of this would take place. It simply happened as the couple and the guests were moved to do so.

One of the sweetest aspects of this service was that the guests truly took part not only in their words to Ronnie and Jeff but in also being asked to sign their marriage certificate. We all signed as witnesses. Soon thereafter the reception began and we munched on some tasty canapes and chicken salad wrapped in pita and of course, cake. Chocolate cake with a hint of raspberry and white cake with a touch of lemon.

As we settled into the reception, some interesting thoughts settled in as well. For one thing, my busy day ahead didn't even cross my mind. For two, and I wish I had thought of this to say during the service but the thoughts came too late so I spoke them in brief to Ronnie instead. Watching the ceremony, listening to the words of compassion, experiencing Elise's breathtaking song, and watching one of my best friends marry his soulmate I found my heart was so full. This, THIS was the true definition of a ceremony. In the stillness, every word that was spoken became a profound tribute to Ronnie and Jeff. Not a moment was wasted and instead every single second celebrated their union. This, to me, was the true meaning of a wedding. I soon hugged Ronnie and thanked him for reminding me of that.

I hope your life together will be as spectacular as your ceremony, boys. It was an honor to be a part of it.