An Italian Wedding
So, the day of the wedding was finally upon us. The morning spent scrambling to get everyone dressed, including a number of trips to and from Marco’s apartment and our hotel made by moi to retrieve various accessories Will forgot to complete his mess dress.
The caravan lined up in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and as we left to get in the car Marco assured us he had a friend coming to pick him up. We felt a bit odd leaving the groom behind to wait for some random person to pick him up, but he insisted so we went on our way.
Once at the church everyone stood waiting outside when all of a sudden we heard the rumble of a motorcycle and there was Marco speeding by.
The first time he passed by so quickly we barely caught that it was him, but luckily he made a second round at a much slower pace so we could get the full effect.
And then he strolled up to the church, cool as a cucumber.
More suave than George C. himself 🙂
One thing I appreciated most about this wedding, was the relaxed pace at which everything happened. There was no dreadful rehearsal, no drama over who was going to do what. Everyone just did what they did when the clock struck 11:00.
I’m still not sure who even told Will which position to stand at the front of the church.
Outside of the traditional standing for the bride’s march down the aisle along with a few responses to the priest, everyone just kind of did what they wanted. It seemed like family and friends and photographers alike walked where they pleased to capture the perfect shot.
The church choir (I assume it was the church’s choir I mean) sang and the music literally brought tears to my eyes every single time. It was just gorgeous.
It was a catholic mass so the service stretched over an hour. Fortunately after playing, snacking on some cheerios and only a few attempts to run away and check out a few fun looking corners of the church, Aubrey passed out in my arms for the rest of the service.
The ceremony was amazing, but was really got us was the reception. It started under a covered patio on a farm. The cocktail hour food was a variety of cold cut meats, caprese skewers, quiche, an assortment of pickled and grilled vegetables slaw, baked/fried cheese, and plenty of crudités.
Prosecco was flowing…
music was playing…
and even the kids were entertained by the magicians that so kindly gave the parents a break.
For any American wedding, that would have been it. And it would have been great. But in Italy, that was only the beginning. Not even the beginning As it turned out we still had 3/4 of the way to go!
This is where I failed miserably, both as a blogger and for my family back home who were dying to know about the wedding.
The ceremony started at 11:00am, and at the time that seemed like a pretty early start time. I kept wondering what the plan would be for the rest of the day. I had no idea there would be a nine course dinner, including intermissions (because you seriously need some time to digest between plates), a progression of drinks, side shows involving the bride and groom, and moving from location to location within the venue for each segment of the day, until we left, early, at 11:00pm.
I forgot to take even a single picture of the food.
I forgot to take even a single picture of Marco and Will until we snapped one on the iPhone just before it ended.
Quite honestly, I forgot to do anything but eat, drink, and be merry, and that my friends is probably the best indicator of a successful wedding. We had SO much fun. Will and I both declared it to be the best wedding we’ve ever attended, and I’m thinking that may stay true for a very long time.
So congrats to “Marco” and “Elaina,” we are so, so grateful you let us be a part of your wedding day. We’re so happy for you and wish you many year of love, life and happiness!!
