* Maura (Reference Librarian) & Bryan (Patent Attorney) * Photographer: Seth Kaye * Soundtrack for reading: “This Must be the Place” by Talking Heads and “Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Info—Photography: Seth Kaye / Ceremony: Pines Theater at Look Park / Reception: Garden House at Look Park / Dress: eBay-ed Amsale / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Hair Piece: Romancing the Bling / Hair & Makeup: Emma at Firefly Salon
Other cool stuff: I made the boards that held our place cards using old copies of the Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice. We made little library due date cards for the place cards, printing the names and the Dewey number for marriage on each, and then hand stamped our wedding as date due. Bryan stamped the table numbers with a vintage stamp set that has been in my family. We had our sisters be our best people, and as my father passed away seven years ago, we read “Poppies” by Mary Oliver as a poem of remembrance. I could hear Maggie tearing up behind me, and I reached back to hold her hand as the poem was read. It was a reminder that my family of origin will always be there, that I’m always a part of that them and they are a part of me. Also, the morning of, I received a small photo album from my godmother that had some old photographs of my dad, Gramma, and me throughout the years. It was unexpected and touching, and great to share the pictures and memories with my mom and stepmom.
One sentence sum up of the wedding vibe: Community to witness our commitment to each other and marriage and vow their support, followed by a boozy dinner and dance party.
Hardest thing about the wedding: Managing emotional expectations: mine of other people, other people’s about mine, what people could and would bring to the table and being accepting of said limitations.
Favorite thing about the wedding: Spending the morning with my UnBridesmaid Crew, who were rockstars in getting things done behind the scenes. Walking onto the stage with my mom to see our family and friends all intermingled with each other, and Bryan’s grinning face. The joy on people’s faces and seeing that a wedding is just as much as reconnecting with your community for guests as it is to support your marriage.
What Bryan had to say: Strangely enough I would say the hardest thing about the wedding was also my favorite, being surrounded by important people from throughout my life. When I attend weddings as a guest, I usually fit into a chapter or two of the bride or groom’s life. I’m always excited to reconnect with friends that overlapped with same chapters in the bride or groom’s life. But when it’s your wedding you pretty much know everyone. Even though some of the guests were from “Maura’s side,” these guests were still important people in her life, and by proxy they became part of my story as well. It was all very exciting, and I remember driving up to Northampton looking forward to seeing people from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Nashville, Oregon, New Orleans, California, and even Africa. The reality of having all of these people in one place was by far the highlight of the weekend. With that said, I found this convergence of my entire real world social network to also be the hardest part of the wedding. How could I possibly greet and have any meaningful exchange with every guest? For many of these people I had not, and unfortunately would not, see them for years. As a result, I tried to make every minute count while at the same time letting encounters between myself and guests develop naturally.
