Weddings are happy occasions, and guess what? That's what Margaret's and Andrew's wedding was. Happy, fun and exhilarating. And not over. We are looking forward to the reception in Washington on October 25.
It's hard to believe how much the two of them packed into a few days. Their ceremony started at a Bruce Springsteen concert on Wednesday in Hershey PA that Annie rushed to get to, after finishing her last exam. All weddings should begin with a Bruce Springsteen concert. On Thursday, the rest of us arrived in time for a dinner accompanied by a trivia game (team Margaret, team Andrew, and team parents) which was won by (drum roll) team Andrew. We then moved to some memorable karaoke singing, highlighted by Margaret and Andrew's rendition of Proud Mary (Ike and Tina version), Andrew's singing of Amish in Paradise (Weird Al, meaningful in Lancaster) and then an encore of Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al. So much fun, some of us even were able to stay awake til midnight, and beyond. For Joe, who had flown in from Poland via London, it was an all-nighter, but we did manage to spot some an empty bottle of "5-hour energy" near his beer.
The next day, the girls did their nails and hair and all of a sudden it was time to go to the courthouse. Andrew's aunt, the judge, did a really good job of calming everyone's nerves, and the ceremony was meaningful, sweet. A few tears, and many more smiles. Margaret was a beautiful bride, with an elegant dress, hair and flowers, said the proud father, who never looks at the nails. Andrew was the prince and knight, with a pair of fancy shoes.
We re-enacted a foreign custom of the family pursuing the newlyweds around town taking photos, before a wonderful dinner. Yes we took a photo of their shoes, and of all of us taking selfies with our phones.
Lancaster's an interesting town, actually a surprisingly sizable city. Another surprise was its obvious large manufacturing base, at least at one time with many old brick factories and warehouses. They have done a good job re-storing and adapting many of them. Our hotel was an old converted factory, and quite nice.
When nerves ran high, we reminded ourselves that weddings are about stories to share for many years. Margaret and Andrew have a few, but they're better re-told in person.
Other things happened during the week, but they pale in comparison with this life event. Congratulations you guys.
From Lancaster with Love.
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