From the moment we walked into the chapel for the ceremony until we said our thank-you’s and good-byes late that night, every aspect of the wedding exuded class. The experience was unforgettable.
Our son-in-law’s sister got married last weekend, and my
wife and I were fortunate enough to have been invited. Bride and Groom Lisa and
Greg have come to be our friends over the past couple of years. We are blessed
that our son-in-law’s big Italian family has included my wife and me in so many
get-togethers. They have truly made us feel home in our new surroundings in
coastal Connecticut.
The ceremony was held at the O’Byrne Chapel at
Manhattanville College, just across the New York state line from us. The bride’s
mother and father were married in this beautiful chapel not quite 49 years ago.
My wife and I were among the first to enter the chapel, early enough to hear
the musicians running through some of the music they’d be performing during the
ceremony.
My first career was in music performance. For that reason, I
observe a lot of things that other people may not pay attention to. One of the
first things I noticed was that the trumpeter was playing a Schilke S-22 horn.
An instrument like that will set you back around 8 grand, and it’s for serious
players only. As the ensemble was rehearsing “Jesu, Joy”, I turned to my wife
and said, “the trumpeter’s low B-flat is a bit sharp.”
She smiles and nods, having put up with this kind of stuff
from me for decades. Then, I noticed that as soon as they finished rehearsing
that piece, the trumpeter – Ken Tedeschi, a fabulous player and, as I later
learned, principal trumpet with the New Haven Symphony – pulled his tuning
slide out about a quarter-inch. “He caught it,” I said to my wife. “He’s a real
pro,” I added.
Before long, it was time for the main event. Our daughter
was one of the bridesmaids and our son-in-law and his brother were the
groomsmen. Our darling grandchildren were also members of the wedding party:
little Lola was the flower girl, and her brother Joey was the ring bearer. They
performed flawlessly!
Here they are with the mother of the bride (aka grandma, or
“mamma” to them) in this photo taken by their great-aunt Annemarie.
The ceremony was moving and inspirational; the music was fantastic;
the bride and groom were glowing; it was a feast for the eyes and ears, classy,
emotional, charming, delightful. Lisa and Gregory’s smiles lit up the chapel as
they walked out, now husband and wife.
I must take another personal moment here. For the past
couple years, neuropathy has increasingly robbed my sense of balance. I can’t
stand without holding onto something. It can be terrifying. I walk easily with
the aid of a rollator, but often the rollator impedes rather than assists my
mobility. Going out of the chapel, there are three steps – but no railing for
me to hang onto to make the descent. As I approached the exit, two of the bride’s
cousins, Frank and Paul (Frankie and Paulie to family members) immediately approached
me and asked if they could assist me down the stairs. These two “big, strapping
young lads,” as my Irish grandpa would say, who were both ushers at the
ceremony, came to my aid and helped me navigate the stairs. They are both wonderful
young men, a credit to their parents and the extended family.
The reception was held a few miles away at the beautiful and
historical Westchester Country Club. We began with cocktails and appetizers on
the terrace, overlooking the championship golf course. It was a gorgeous day,
sunny and warm, and soon the terrace was filled with the sounds of laughter and
conversation. Everyone was having a wonderful time!
Meanwhile, the bridal party was finishing up the wedding
photos. Here’s the beautiful bride and her father, with a vintage Rolls-Royce
limousine, at the front portico of the Westchester Country Club. Talk about
classy and elegant!
Soon it was time for dinner and dancing. We were led into
the spacious ballroom, which looked like something out of a Hollywood movie.
Fantastic floral arrangements adorning every table; tasteful decorative touches
everywhere; a sensory overload of beauty.
And the music? Out of this world! The 11-piece band played a
variety of genres, tempos, textures, and styles. And they were really good. The
father of the bride, knowing that I’d have a keen ear for the music, came up to
me and asked what I thought of the band. “Fabulous!” was one of the superlatives
I used, along with others like “exceptional’ and “remarkable.” “How about those
horns,” he said, enthusiastically. “You gotta have horns,” he added, smiling
broadly. I told him he’d hit it out of the park with the ensemble at the chapel
and the band at the reception.
And, of course, this was no chicken-and-mashed potatoes kind
of meal. The first course, served hot and efficiently by the uniformed staff,
was lobster with parsnip puree and fresh salad. The second course was filet
mignon and shrimp fricassee. The presentation was five-star, and everything was
delicious!
We were having a wonderful time. There was much merriment
and frolicking, particularly by the folks on the dance floor. Granddaughter
Lola danced song after song, a bundle of energy and enthusiasm! The bride and
groom stopped by, on their tour of the assemblage. I told Lisa how beautiful
and poised she was and thanked her for inviting us. Gregory, the groom, leaned
down to my ear-level and said, “I swear I’m going to get your ass out on that
dance floor” – an inside joke between the two of us.
What a fantastic day, memorable from start to finish. And
even as our daughter walked us out of the ballroom to the valet parking stand,
we passed by a huge display of fantastic cookies, each individually wrapped and
labelled “From Our Favorite New York City Bakery, Lisa and Gregory.” Had to be
Levain Bakery on the upper east side of Manhattan, purveyors of outstanding
baked goods. We each took one. (Well, OK, at our daughter’s insistence, I took
hers, too.)
Congratulations to the bride and groom, and to their parents
for the wonderful, unforgettable event they staged. We had a ball!
Classy.
