New Beginnings

I spent Mother's Day weekend attending a family wedding down in Virginia. The logistics and arrangements to organize three kids and three dogs took days and days of planning, involving numerous phone calls and the help of friends and neighbors.

It all boiled down to this one triumphant moment in the church, and her happiness made all my efforts seem worth while.

The bride is a Princeton and Harvard Law grad, who "survived" grueling years working at Freddie Mac in D.C. She lost her mother a few years ago, the mother who's greatest wish had been to see her daughter get married; a wish that went unfulfilled during her lifetime.

The bride is also a cancer survivor, first diagnosed fifteen years ago. She's had a few recurrences and multiple surgeries at this point, as well as the scars to prove it. While she never gave up her fight against the cancer, she'd almost given up on ever finding Mr. Right.

But she found him.

Maybe it was because she stopped looking? Or maybe the Universe had it planned this way all along. We met him last summer when they visited Cape Cod. He's a great guy. More importantly, he makes her really happy.

By all the accounts we heard at the wedding, they are truly perfect for each other. After waiting so long for her wedding day, the bride went to great lengths to plan and organize the weekend down to every last detail. Apparently, the groom supported her in these efforts, and matched her list for list.

The weather cooperated with blue skies and sunshine for the afternoon photo session prior to the ceremony. Only the wind didn't follow the script, blowing hair and dresses and veils in every direction and slowing the process as the photographer tried to grab shots in between gusts. The bride's smile got tighter and tighter as the minutes dragged on. "We're on a schedule, people," she reminded us all.

The groom kept smiling, and stuck to the schedule without complaints. Everyone made it to the church on time.

Later, as we watched the happy couple on the dance floor, I asked one of the groomsmen if his buddy had always been a list-maker or if it was his new bride's influence. "Oh no," the guy assured me. "He's like that. They are so much alike it's scary."

The couple's honeymoon plans are taking them to Europe, on a well-scripted tour of several countries... A trip planned and organized long before the current economic crisis and civil unrest, and before the volcano ash started disrupting air travel.

The couple seemed unconcerned as they spoke about their plans on Saturday night. "If we get stuck in Europe, who cares?" said the groom, with a big smile. "We can always extend the honeymoon, or come home by boat. That would be fun, too."