If you are staring at a blank page, wondering why the post is taking so long to load, one word: photos. Here’s a story of my daughter’s wedding. (All images: Melissa Ergo.)
The day began gray. The bride looked out over the place she’d be getting married in a couple of hours. My goodness. I will never not be surprised by how beautiful she is.
Pelicans cooperated.
Getting ready. I don’t think it occurred to me that Carly Wise’s hair matched my dress. Nor to anyone, probably.
The site was getting ready too, criss-crossed lights, microphone, chairs, and flowers galore. By Julie Martin of Williwildflower.
Some family arrived and hugged, happy to be together.
Meanwhile, the bride and groom had been swept away to a place on the cliffs, to see each other for the first time in their wedding finery, and say private vows.
Magic light. Cypress trees.
A few minutes later, we-the immediate family-joined them for photos. Here’s my son, his boyfriend, the groom’s father, my husband, the groom’s mother and I, smiling at and taking pictures of the unseen bride, groom, groom’s sister and brother-in-law. I wore my sneakers, gold heels in a plastic bag, as Sturdy Gals are wont to do. Happy moment, this. We were breathing in growing things.
Arriving back at the site, the venue as I have learned to call a place for weddings, we were met by the sounds of a string quartet. Music: Bay Area Strings.
And suddenly blue skies. I walked my daughter up the aisle,
where her almost-husband waited. I feel so happy, looking at these images again.
My son officiated. Such a good job.
Hooray!
I was so starstruck I didn’t hand my daughter’s bouquet back to her until she said, “Mom.” Laughter ensued. Some things never change.
Cocktail time! More flowers.
We all gathered on the deck. Venue: Mavericks House. I have seen this look, and this sort of gesture, from my daughter since time immemorial. But now her husband’s by her side.
The sun, having obligingly come out, was gracious enough to begin to set and light some neighboring clouds.
Tables also set, albeit not by the movement of the universe. You can just see the centerpieces I made by stuffing all my random florist’s vases with feverfew. Why compete with scenery, and the few spectacular florist arrangements?
We put two menus on each table, to pass around. I designed them from the graphics and fonts the groom’s cousin, an actual designer, had created for the invitations. The groom’s family is Brazilian, hence the bird of paradise. You may now clap. It was a really fun project.
Once we were seated, in walked the bride and groom. A moment for true applause.
The bride and groom spent some time sitting amid all the flowers,
but most of their time here,
or here.
Darker.
And darker yet. The romance of bistro lighting, as I have heard it is called, and a distant radar tower, cannot be underestimated. Not to mention the flames of standing heaters required by Northern California coastal nights.
After toasts, here from the groom’s sister and brother-in-law,
we moved inside for the Brazilian sweets table. Gorgeous brigadeiros kindly provided by the groom’s family. Flowers, by my extended family.
Bem casados, which means, “well wed,” in Portuguese, and little fruit cakes, as wedding favors.
Not to mention dancing. One hundred thousand congratulations, you two.
And at the end of the night, the mother of the bride, now down to her slip, danced with the officiant as though she had nothing left to fret about.
Which was true.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
23 Responses
How utterly fabulous!
Thank you!!! A beautiful night all around!
What a special wedding. Your descriptions made me feel like I was there.
Oh thank you:). As you know so well, it’s an astonishing experience to see your child marry.
you are all radiating happiness: as it should be. congratulations.
Thank you! So much happiness:)
As well as your gorgeous daughter, the flowers caught my eye right away – just the right amount, in the right places! Congratulations to the two families, what a beautiful wedding! (I’ve been following your blog for, gosh, must be almost 20 years now.)
Oh thank you so much! Julie Martin, the florist for our ceremony and bar arrangements, is a genius. I don’t use that word lightly. We did Designer’s Choice with her, i.e. here our palette, generally, now work your magic. I NEVER would have guessed it would lead to a pale yellow and cream bouquet but once I saw it nothing else seemed possible.
Here’s my secret concept, secret because probably nobody noticed but me. Flowers began muted, and got more and more vibrant as the night progressed. From quiet romantic to raucous romantic;).
I love the muted tones of the flowers as well and had never thought of how the colors would seem to shift as darkness fell. That really is genius!
<3 ;)
Bravo!!
Thank you, Sue. <3
What a treat to see all this love and beauty -thank you for posting.
You are more than welcome!
Aaaahhhhh…….
:)
Such a perfect day!! I’m speechless but will give words a try. This is so heartwarming and beautiful. You planned the absolutely perfect wedding. Congratulations to all!! <3
Thank you for sharing this lovely story and such breathtaking photos with us, Lisa, and for letting us celebrate with you. Seeing everyone's happy smiles has put a genuine smile on my face today. Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!
Oh, thank you! I’ll say, one of Kate’s friends did ask her for her wedding planner’s contact information:). It’s nice to know I did a decent job.
The flowers were wonderful.
It might seem like an odd combination, but your dress went very well with your daughter’s coloring and hair.
Wishing the couple a happy union!
Thank you so much! Can I ask, what might seem like an odd combination?
Everything looks beautiful and everyone looks happy. Congrats and best wishes to the lovely bride and groom. Thank goodness there are so many stunning pictures to help you relive the day over and over….
Loveliness! Everyone and everything ❤️
Down to her slip! I love you so much and am so happy for all of you. Hearty congratulations, my dear Lisa.