Wedding Wonder

I heard the chest freezer door thud close in the garage and watched my husband head back towards me.

“All done?” I asked.

“Yep,” he replied. “The top layer of their wedding cake is all frozen now and they can enjoy it next year.”

I smiled. Hours earlier, we helped to host a wedding for our son and his bride and now the festivities were finally finished. It was after midnight but storing the wedding cake was the last task to be completed.

My husband and I finally settled into comfortable living room chairs and put our feet up to reminisce about the weekend. Our son had planned June nuptials, only to end up with an October date. The weekend started with a larger guest list and ended up with a more intimate group. As if a pandemic was not enough, the entire venue braced for the possibility of a hurricane starting at any moment during the outside ceremony. Somehow, the weather held, and the outdoor festivities went on under balmy skies. Nothing had gone as originally planned, but the bride and groom still ended up happily married.

Breathing a sigh of relief, we thought about some of the unexpected pleasures of the celebration. For the first time, both of us admitted that wearing something beyond spandex felt strangely special. It had been so long since we dressed formally that party clothes actually seemed fun. But the best part of the entire event was the time spent visiting with guests. What a welcome treat to just be together with close friends.

When the time came for us to finally call it a night, we looked at each other and acknowledged one of the many lessons from our years together. Sometimes, in marriage and in life, you hope and plan for one thing but get something else. When the unexpected happens, everything can seem wrong until you embrace your unique love story. The best plans will often get upended, and still turn out to be perfectly wonderful.