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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Our Wedding Hop

It's been a lot of months since my husband's friend entered into a second marriage, a year since our son's friend tied the knot, and another year before that, we had attended my nephew's wedding. Being the social outcasts that we are, people aren't banging down our doors to spend time with us. However, something odd happened on Memorial Day Week-end: two of our good friends' daughters got married on the same night, starting at the exact same time, and we successfully attended both weddings!

Knowing that one ceremony would be conducted in the most judicial of manners without much foofaraw, we attended that one first. The bridal party stepped about ten feet into a beautiful, plant filled room, and said your basic English vows--without the word obey. Somehow that important word for grooms has slipped out of the current vernacular. The groom said, "Ouch!" when his beloved slipped the ring on his finger, and she didn't even slap him. My husband thinks she hurt him with the ring, but I took it as him making fun of his new state of holy matrimony. According to Papa-In-Law it was a little of both. He'd burned his knuckle the other day but also has a great sense of humor.

After the vows were complete, we hopped in the convertible and drove a few blocks to the Botanical Garden where the 5:30 wedding had not even begun. We arrived in time to sample a few amazing appetizers, then watched men in black hats dance the groom to the bride so that he could lift her veil and make sure he was marrying the right sister. However, with the bride being a triplet, I have never been able to tell her from her sister anyway. Hopefully, he married the right gal.

The beautiful wedding included a long walk, maybe half a football field, through an outdoor area and Jewish customs such as the bride circling the groom seven times, chanting Hebrew verses, and a smash of a glass. The marriage was conducted by the groom's Orthodox Rabbi father who lives in Israel; however, the groom does not practice Judaism to the degree of his family.

After the vows were exchanged, we hopped back in the car and headed to the first wedding. We enjoyed visiting with a fun crowd and eating fried sweet potatoes; however, I didn't have any of the bacon-wrapped shrimp that I couldn't have gotten at the other wedding. The music was upbeat with Cee Lo, Sweet Home Alabama, and YMCA.  In fact, one dude walked around with an afro wig while the DJ had the folks on the dance floor wearing Village People Hats. The party was a lot of fun, but the other wedding would be serving dinner at 9:30, so we hopped back into the car and off we went.

We arrived to a New York band playing cultural music while people danced on two sides of a wall: men on one side and women on the other. The waiters served a wonderful trout dinner, and then the wall came down. The religious folks left the room while men and women danced together to rock hits. This was the compromise the groom had agreed upon with his family. Amazing!

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun and only missed two notable events: seeing our friend's weird solo dance and the second couple hoisted in the chairs to the tune of the Hora.

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11 comments:

Empty Nest Insider said...

Sounds like you had a great weekend! I'm impressed that you were able to attend 2 weddings on the same day, as they were practically down the street from each other!Fun post! Julie

MikiHope said...

Hi fellow New Yorker (I'm actually from lower Westchester County)--I solute you!!! Only in NY would this has been even remotely possible!! The Botanical Gardens sounds like a marvelous place for a wedding--never even knew they did them there!!
I am one of your newest followers from Whimsical Wednesday!!

Michele aka MikiHope
www.mikishope.com

Catch My Words said...

Sorry, but nope! The weddings took place in Memphis. The band was flown in from New York.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Stopping over from the blog hopping group at VoiceBoks! :)

Sounds like you had a really fun night! How cool was it that everything seemed to be timed perfectly so you didn't miss much at either wedding? Plus, it's neat that each wedding seemed to be quite different so you go to experience different things.

Lisa

Becky Jane said...

I've never attended a Jewish wedding...guess I don't hang around the right people...lol
Sounds like you had a lovely day!

Cathy said...

Wow, were you exhausted from all that running back and forth?
I have never been to a Jewish wedding. I'd love to go to one.

RJ, the HOPE Coach said...

New follower from voiceBoks.com. Love your description of a marvelous way to catch both weddings! You have a wonderful way of describing the experience - I almost feel like I was there:-)

RJ, the HOPE Coach
http://jrrsehopecoaching.com

Langley Cornwell said...

Sounds fun but busy. It's great that it all worked out so well.

Quirky Homemaker said...

Sounds like 27 dresses! LOL Must have been a great, but tiring night. Stopping in from the voiceBoks.com hop. Following now, if the darn GFC thing is back up!
Michelle
Heartfelt Balance Handmade Life

Veronica Lee said...

I've never been to a Jewish wedding either! But I would love to. I've just attended an Indian wedding and will be posting the pics soon. Hope you'll stick around to see them!!

Have a nice day!

Whispering Waves said...

The power of time management and multi-tasking! Impressive!