Saturday evening Kelly and Ryan committed their lives to each other. The rain gave way to a beautiful garden setting that was enchanting. Everyone mingled, no aisles, no bride or grooms side, just one gathering to celebrate the love that these two young people share.
I first met Kelly B. and her brother Ian when my kids Michael, Kelly, and I moved to Washington ten years ago. Larry was renting a home next to their parents on the Straights of San Juan De Fuca.
The kids went back and forth between the two homes and we included Ian and Kelly in all our family traditions. Michael and Kelly B. became best friends sharing all the ups, downs, good, bad, and best friend’s secrets. So it was fitting that Michael became Kelly’s wedding planner/coordinator for her wedding.
I watched Ryan during the ceremony and he never took his eyes off Kelly, the love of his life. Kelly smiled back into Ryan’s eyes letting him know she loved him completely. The family of both the bride and groom and all their friends shared in this joyous occasion.
God blessed this union and the rain only came appeared when everyone was safely under the cover of the reception hall. The wedding was held at a private residence that rents out the grounds and facilities to weddings and events. The gardens were well tended and flowers bloomed everywhere. There seemed to be no detail untended, and Michaels planning had everyone and everything on schedule.
Larry and I were seated at table #3. This table was family of the groom and close friend’s of Kelly’s parents. Several family members had to leave early and Ryan’s grandmother joined us. When the showers turned into a downpour we were moved to table #20 away from the rain and a much warmer spot. We all began to interact and form a connection. We stole mints from the other tables and we became known as the “unique” table because we had a ring of fire from all the candles that we some how accumulated. Other tables gave us their candles and we spelled out the initials of Kelly and Ryan and we far surpassed table #15 who accused us of being candle stealers. Michael would just smile as he passed us by and the DJ would occasionally mention our table by number.
Michael found a few extra mints and dropped them by our table. A firefighter from another table tried to extinguish some of our candles for safety but we arm wrestled to keep her away. The music played on and our table was clearly the life of the party, well after the bride and grooms table. We were after all there for a wedding celebration.
After the cake was cut and the bride and groom had their first dance, Larry and I left our table to retreat home. It was an evening to be remembered and I am sure it was all captured by the two photographers who just happened to be lurking around catch table #23 in the act. I am sure Michael never imagined when he did seating charts that our table would be the one everyone talked about during and after the wedding. “Unique.”
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