JohnandRain&Eric
31 December 2000
Saturday 30 December 2000
Rain gets the printer started (oh, I sure hope that it doesn't run out of ink...we just changed the cartridge yesterday), tosses in a load of laundry, and starts hauling boxes to the top of the stairs. Eric gets up and eats a leisurely 3 bowls of cereal...John is doing a great job of holding down the recliner. The phone keeps ringing with well-wishers and people who want to help ("If you really want to help, STOP CALLING ME!"). Oh no, the printer is jammed...down to reload! Now the laundry needs to be put into the dryer...and Eric is finished with breakfast and heading to the shower...John is still holding down the recliner...the furry tail curling around Rain's ankle is telling her that the cats are hungry and DEMANDING to be fed...the printer is out of paper, down to reload...carry a box up on your way (or let Rain get it later, after all the dryer will be finished soon)...Is there time to go to the post office or the bank? (I guess it is OK if we don't make it...the cake topper arrived yesterday and no one will be able to get to the banks before Tuesday anyway to cash our checks!)
On and on the whirl-wind spun...I can't even remember what was accomplished. I do remember running out of black ink when printing the inside of the last 75 or so programs. Not to worry because the inside text of our programs was printed in hunter and wine...I just changed the colors to red and green to utilize the existing color cartridge which still had plenty of ink. I also knew that EVERYTHING wedding-related had to go because I would be spending the night at my maid of honor's house. I just figured that we'd get it all sorted out at the church and rehearsal!
Finally, John gets into the shower, dresses and starts packing the truck (we are leaving for the church at 5:00 pm). Believe it or not, we are never on time for anything and really are afraid that we will be late for our own wedding!!!!! We're the first ones at the church for the rehearsal! WOOHOO! We haul in the few things that we need for the rehearsal and/or are going to leave overnight in the church. Gradually, the attendants begin to arrive...even a couple of readers and people whom we didn't think would make it. We meet the sound engineer (oh ya, did I mention that the church's main sound engineer had heart surgery less than a week before the wedding...that's why we were printing programs this morning, because we didn't know until then who's be playing the CD at our wedding!!!) and talk about lighting and other things. Oh no, the Pastor is not here yet!!!!! Any body got a cell phone?
The Pastor arrives (luckily the parsonage is just across the street)...he had forgotten about the rehearsal. (Well, Sunday is an odd day for a wedding.) He goes to his office...but cannot find his notebook with our ceremony!!!!! That's OK...because we don't have any extra copies for anyone else either, so he and the sound engineer's wife run down to the office to make more copies. He has wonderful ideas for "staging" the ceremony on the altar and makes detailed notes in his NEW copy of the ceremony. We are all getting excited.
Since he is going to be unable to join us for the rehearsal dinner, we give him his gift (and Indian wedding vase) at the church. (He mentioned in our first meeting that he had one, but it wasn't glazed on the inside and so could not be used to hold water. This one IS glazed on the inside.)
We all move to the reception site. We are supposed to have access to the banquet rooms...but they are locked, so our attendants naturally go to the restaurant and sit down to wait. We decide to eat there (instead of in the banquet rooms). We hand out everyone's gifts, eat a GREAT meal (Chinese, Thai, American...one bridesmaid opts for a cheeseburger, silly girl!). Afterward, we all make the move into the banquet rooms to decorate. WAIT A MINUTE!!!!! Where are the guys? They took a detour through the bar...but you can't get
there from the bar...they KNOW!!!!! Nervous grooms...you gotta love 'em. What's this? Rain's maid of honor has to leave to buy supplies for the slumber party and to clean her house? OK! The rest of us have a blast building the lighted arch, hanging tissue bells on anything that didn't move, setting up the centerpieces, hot gluing ribbons to the favors, etc. Rain's mom got the job of folding the programs!!!!!
Eventually during the decorating process, the groom stepped in to admire whatever it was that he could see through his blood-shot eyes! Oh ya, the groomsmen were taking GREAT care of him! We made arrangements for Eric to spend that night (as well as the wedding night) with Aunt Lynn (John's sister). Later in the evening, the best man came looking for the groom...rumor has it that his nephew (late 20s) found him in the bathroom! Also, rumor has it that the wee hours of the morning were Technicolor for the groom AND his best man...if you understand my meaning!!!!! The other groomsman took them home (they had to add one thing to their itineraries for the wedding day...return to Three Rivers to pick up their vehicles!).
When everything was perfect in the banquet rooms, we went our separate ways. Of course, there was some discussion about who was going to take the bride to the maid of honor's house for the slumber party. One bridesmaid has a two-seater and had brought her boyfriend...and was taking him home first. The other bridesmaid wasn't sure her car could make it in the snow and ice...suffice it to say that we all made it there safe and sound.
As the first movie was started in the VCR and the cork popped from the first bottle of champagne, Rain announced to the bridesmaids that from that moment forward THEY were in charge and it was THEIR responsibility to get her where she needed to be when she needed to be there according to the appointed schedule! Rain seems to remember a second POP...but not much passed that!
(Note...The comments in red are entirely mine. I am SURE that John and Eric remember this day quite differently than I. Rain)