Weddings & So Forth

This past Saturday I attended the wedding of the daughter of one of my critique partners. It was beautiful. The bridesmaid and maid of honor wore rose-colored dresses, the groomsman and best man were dressed in tuxes along with the father of the bride. The bride's mother wore a flower-print in various shades of pink and blended in so well with the bride's color-scheme.

Now, all of that is basically normal. Weddings should stand out and be unique. So what made this wedding unique? I walked in and realized there was a string quartet playing. I had never attended any wedding with a string quartet, and I've been to a lot of weddings.

The ceremony wasn't overly long, but it was memorable. Nothing is ever perfect, and neither was this one. A bride can either go with the flow and enjoy the whole thing or she can become a bridezilla. This bride was a joy. When the mothers of the bride and groom stepped up to light the separate candles representing the individuals, both candles lit on the first try. Good, so far.

Then the bride and groom walked over to take those individual candles and join their flames to light the unity candle representing their change from separate individuals into the one unit of a married couple. As the young lady took her candle from the holder, her flame went out. A small gasp rippled through the crowd - what kind of reaction would she display? With only a slight hesitation the bride smiled, leaned her candle over to her groom's, re-lit her candle, and then together they finished the task. A discreet, soft chuckle ran through the audience. Then the couple moved back to the ministers so they could finish the ceremony.

My attention remained on the unity candle as they shifted. The unity flame flickered and almost died out. Then it took hold and flared brightly, continuing to burn throughout the remainder of the wedding.

The image was so movingly symbolic I had to make note of it. I jotted the brief notes and put away my notebook. I'll use that incident one day in one of my novels, somehow, somewhere. My point? Always be prepared - to notice things around you and to make note of them so you can use them later. You never know where or when an idea will strike you. If you don't have a small notepad and something to write with, you'll miss an opportunity.