Wedding Belle Blues

Yesterday I attended a wedding. I was the chauffer/ escort for a good friend. She doesn’t like to drive due to health issues and it was her granddaughter’s wedding day. It made a busy day for me, but what are friends for if they can’t help? She told me that the ceremony was to start at 1:00 in the afternoon, so I didn’t go to Sunday school after the morning services to be sure we made it on time. According to Google, it should take 45 minutes, but with construction and Sunday drivers, I wanted to be sure that we had plenty of time.

I had never been there before and she brought her GPS for guidance. It took all of the 45 minutes to get there. Google had us driving through twisting roads and unnecessary “shortcuts.” We arrived. It was an outdoor wedding in a pavilion. We walked from the car to an empty pavilion, soon to be joined by one other couple. It was about then two women began to set up the podium. It was about 5 minutes before 1:00 and I mentioned to my friend, “I thought they would have this set up before this.”

As we waited, we were joined by another couple and I found that the wedding was at 1:30. Other people began to gather in the pavilion and we waited. Several messages were sent to the guests advising of the delays. “The hairdresser was late,” “They couldn’t find the veil,” and the kicker, “The groom was missing.”

When he arrived almost an hour late, the ceremony proceeded with a female officiating with a long and flowery speech added to the actual marriage vows. The bride’s colors were blue and gold/ yellow. I was in style. Unknowingly, I was wearing a bright yellow shirt and a blue tie.

We went indoors for the hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, and a buffet meal. The food was good, although some items were slightly overcooked due to the delays. The wait-staff were great, but as soon as the dances, cutting of the cake, and more photos, it was time to leave. My back was sore and my friend ‘s back was in spasms.

Knowing how to get back, the drive time was less and I just had time to make the Sunday evening services before going home. Something I ate at the reception was salty and my mouth was dry the rest of the evening.