Not ones to dilly-dally around about moving forward with plans once we decide to do something, Angie and I have decided upon the date for our wedding: September 6. On her blog, Angie goes into a lengthy explanation about all of the factors that went into our decision. Her verbosity requires no reciprocity...
I'm jazzed that my best friend, Kevin Harrison, is going to be performing the ceremony at the church he pastors in Waco, TX. Kev is probably about the coolest minister there is. He's the kind of guy that...when he moves to another city...people who were in his previous church pick up their family and follow him to his new church. It happened when he was a youth pastor, and it has happened now that he is a senior pastor. He is just that kind of guy. If he wasn't, I don't think our friendship would be as close as it is.
Angie is doing most of the planning for the wedding. It's not that I don't care about those details; it's just that those sort of details aren't what holds the greatest priority for me. What does? Well, when another good friend heard the news that we were getting married, he quasi-jokingly sent me an "I told you so" (he had predicted early on that Angie and I would end up together). My response was simple: I don't care who gets the credit, as long as I get Angie. So in the end, my priority isn't the color of the table cloths at the wedding, whether or not we decorate the church sanctuary, or how many people (if any) we have in our wedding party. My priority is that at the end of that day, Angie is my wife.
There is one requirement that I have for the wedding, however. I refuse to take part in a stodgy, stuffed-up, constipated affair. I've lost count of the number of weddings I've sat through which felt absolutely nothing like a celebration; they were so stiflingly formal, to the point of overkill. If that offends you, don't come to our wedding. C'mon people!!! This is supposed to be, and will be, one of the happiest days of our lives!! If you have it...let your hair down! ;-)
I understand the seriousness of the occasion, that it's not such a bad thing to observe some traditions, and the significance of what we are promising each other. But..."for cryin' out loud...I don't want it to have someone singing the Lord's Prayer in an operatic style while the Unity Candle is lit." (Years ago, I expressed those sentiments to someone whose wedding was just a month or two later. They had someone sing the Lord's Prayer....in operatic style...while the Unity Candle was lit. Yikes!! I think I unwittingly and unfortunately hurt that person's feelings, so I hope they've forgiven me by now.)
I want our wedding to be FUN, and a CELEBRATION!!! If you are someone for whom the rigors of tradition and formality are paramount, you probably won't enjoy our wedding. If, on the other hand, you are one who wants to have a good time and celebrate with us, then it will probably be just what the doctor ordered.
One of the coolest weddings I've ever attended was several years ago when my friends Keith & Denise were married. The minister was...<drum roll>...my buddy Kevin. As part of the ceremony...and I'm not kidding about this...Kevin read a specially-written-for-the-occasion Top Ten list. (It's not legend, Angie, it is fact. I was there to witness it, and Kevin just might do the same for us.) How many wedddings have you attended that come with in-ceremony entertainment (besides music)?
Speaking of music, I had the good fortune of running the sound board during Keith & Denise's ceremony, which meant that I got to cue up all of the music. ...and they had some of the best music EVER at a wedding. The topper was a kickin' rendition of Joyful, Joyful as they made their exit. As they did, I stood up behind the mixer board (in the sound booth) and applauded. It was AWESOME!!!
As we've told various people, I've been surprised by how interested people have been at the details of our how it all came about. And it's weird to not be able to simply answer the "how long have you been dating" question with an exact period of time. I can't just say something like "8 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days" (don't compare that to your calendar; those number are just examples). I always feel obligated to explain that even though we've only been dating since some time after my previous marriage was over, we've known each other and have been friends for many years before that, so we at a much different place than many couples when they first start dating.
I've also been surprised to have been asked by multiple guys about how I asked her. Maybe I don't give members of my gender in general enough credit for being romantic. I've jokingly said "well, it was a romantic evening, the mood was just right, and I knew that she couldn't resist me". On a serious note, I did ask her father for his blessing. Yes, even at my age, I asked her father for his blessing. I probably didn't HAVE to, but I was raised to believe that the woman's parents deserve that respect and it is just the right thing to do.
When I asked him, his immediate response was "“Are you sure you’ve thought this through?” My immediate thought was: what do you know that I don't know?!?! ;-)
We've also already planned our honeymoon. We're going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta). Though I've been on 4 previous cruises, this will be a new experience for me. Each of the previous ones have been "working cruises". They were the "Cruise with the Champions” cruises, on which my WCPS colleagues and I invited friends and guests (mostly members of Toastmasters) to accompany us on the cruise. On the days we were at sea, we taught public speaking seminars. Hence the "working" part.
Those cruises were a lot of fun, and I forged many meaningful and lasting new friendships thereon. While it was fun to travel as part of a large group, I also felt that I always had to be "on". (The World Champions of Public Speaking enjoy a sort of celebrity status in the Toastmasters world.) Few people know how draining that can be on your emotions and your energy. And on 'seminar days', I rarely got to enjoy any of the activities and entertainment. While many others were enjoying drinks, sun, and fun on the decks of the ship, I was in my business attire, sequestered in the conference rooms...where sunlight was only a rumor. <sigh> Please don't misunderstand, I enjoyed those cruises and I loved the people who were with us. It is just that it wasn't a 100% vacation.
This cruise will be different; we'll get to lay out on the deck during the day, work out, see some shows, and generally have a laid-back, relaxing time. Additionally, since we aren't part of a large traveling group, we've decided to forego eating dinners in the formal dining rooms and instead eat in the more casual dining rooms. For one thing, the food in the formals isn't so much better to make it worth the while to pack and lug extra clothing (suits & ties & a tux for me, dresses & accessories for Angie). For another thing, the formal dining rooms have a structured time and take anywhere from 1 to 2.5 hours. The more casual dining rooms are "whenever you're ready to eat" and we can be done, without having to rush, in 30 minutes. That will free up more evening time catch an extra show or spend time in the disco.
I know that it's going to be a blast, and will be a great way to kick off and usher in our "amazing future".
Recent Comments