Weddings

I’ve attended two weddings recently.  Both of them were wonderful, luminous affairs filled with family and good friends.  The brides wore dazzling gowns, the grooms and attendants looked stunning.  The dazzle quotients were high.

Jazzi and Ansel finally tie the knot in my third mystery, but not in so spectacular a fashion.  They decide to be married by a justice of the peace in their new home and host the reception there.  Their house is made for entertaining, and Jazzi loves to cook, so the food’s wonderful and there’s plenty of room to dance.  Jazzi chooses a mid-calf dress, though.  And it’s more of a low-key event.

When John and I got married, we drove to our retired minister’s house with a few close friends and our families.  We lucked out.  Reverend Souda lived in a southern style home with soaring white columns.  His study was filled with bookcases and displays from the many places he’d traveled to.  A large pond with a pontoon was on his property, and swans followed the boat as it circled the shore.  Peacocks strolled the grounds, and Reverend Souda gave me a bouquet of their tail feathers.  We have wonderful memories of that day.  John had only been out of the army, alive and home after Vietnam, for three days, so the reception was simple.  My mom made mounds of sandwiches and treats, and we had a cake.

Jazzi doesn’t do pomp and fuss any better than I do, but Ansel is more of a romantic–like John.  So the party is a to-do, but on a smaller scale.  And it felt right for them.  I put weddings in a few of my romances, too, but I have to admit, just like in real life, I’ve avoided anything with grandeur.  My friends’ weddings were events to remember.  They did them right.  It took a lot of thought and work.  I’m not good at that–even in my stories.

Hope you have plenty to celebrate with your writing–even if it’s new pages.  Enjoy August, and happy writing!