Best Wedding Ever! Congrats to Arthur and William!
First, Marilyn and I went SHOPPING to get clothes to wear for the wedding. We headed to the Lloyd Center, and Macy's. Marilyn wanted to get an outfit she could wear with the hat she bought years ago at our Auction -- which used to belong to Arthur's mother, Mona.
As for me, I wanted to maybe find pants and some dressy shoes.
Marilyn got a fabulous outfit, very retro and so attractive. It was perfect with the hat! And I found some lightweight black knit pants. Then we both got new shoes, on sale!
We got to the venue, Portland's White House only a few minutes later than planned (not really late), and had valet parking (we went earlier today and got our car washed). This place is so lovely! I'd love to see more of it sometime. When Marilyn said the venue was a bed and breakfast, I wasn't picturing anything so grand!
The event was held outside (we're so thankful for the good weather!!!), on a lovely, if somewhat small, patio. There were around 40 of us, so moving around wasn't easy once everyone had arrived, but it didn't matter.
The event began with wine and conversation. Arthur and William looked good, the special aspect of their clothing being new shoes: Arthur's were blue and William's were red. Arthur showed us their rings: These were made from wedding rings from both sets of parents. A locally renowned jeweler melted these down to create their rings. Today was the anniversary of when these two first got together, 33 years ago. The rings sported tally (or hash) marks, equalling 33! So very cool! It was so delightful to see them both fingering their wedding rings over and over again!
Their wedding souvenirs for the guests were small bottles of honey -- they felt it was a meaningful gift in many ways, indicating sweetness and joy. Plus Mona (Arthur's mom) would take a spoonful daily for health. Arthur said even when she was bad off and couldn't keep anything else down, she could always manage this natural, wonderful honey.
After drinks, snacks were served. These included small pulled pork buns that were delicious! As I found out during the festival (where barbecue was served), the new way of serving this is with coleslaw, which becomes your lettuce and sauce replacement. Just perfect.
Next we moved to a larger portion of the patio (around the corner) for the actual wedding ceremony. It was wonderful! William was smiling and Arthur was emotional and the LOVE between them was so clear (as it's always been).
Then we all moved back around the corner for more wine and talk, while they staged the other area for dinner! Next we had a full buffet dinner (with both baked chicken and prime rib, and fabulous sides, like asparagus and baby potatoes). A delicious meal! Finally we had cake. Also wonderful.
I think it's the best wedding I've ever attended. Maybe this is because I've hoped for years that these two could be joined in matrimony. But clearly every detail was just so -- which is Arthur all over!
Marilyn and I felt so honored to be included among those invited, as it was a small, intimate group. I can't even say how many times we hugged and kissed both of these wonderful men!
What a special day!