The simple days of a young man and his true love making the decision to marry in short order, thus resulting in a gathering of family and friends at the local church seem but a memory of a bygone era. Anna always dreamed of a quiet and intimate wedding reminiscent of Jane Eyre; a conversation of “Let’s get married!” followed by a visit to the chapel for a private ceremony without fanfare… “Reader, I married him. A quiet wedding we had: he and I, the parson and clerk, were alone present.”–Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Anna and her fiance decided to marry and in order to accommodate their respective work schedules a flurry of activity burst forth in our family as we took on the challenge of “A Wedding In Six Weeks.” Her wedding may not be quite as spontaneous as Jane Eyre, but with mere weeks for preparation we most certainly are going against the current tide of wedding planning that includes the presently popular “save the date” notice.
My version of “save the date” is to call loved ones on the phone announcing “You will soon receive an invitation in the mail and I hope you will be able to attend.” It is not particularly polished or refined but it gets the job done. My family has been given an “all hands on deck” notice and we are proceeding with what may seem the impossible. A traditional, albeit somewhat small, wedding arranged in slightly over one month. I would have thought it insurmountable myself, but just one week into the planning we have most of the big items settled–the bride’s dress, venue for the ceremony and reception, food, cake, flowers, photographer, and the preacher. Who knew so much could actually be accomplished in such a short amount of time?
I am currently in the middle of the infamous Mother of the Bride Dress Safari, where I painstakingly enter the jungle of women’s clothes available in numerous department stores as I look for the “perfect” outfit that fits me as well as the color theme, while conveying a joie de vivre… Translation: “Looks great for her age, stylish, full of life”… These are my top priorities as I aim to collect my trophy, and bagging an outfit I truly can wear at a later date is the prize I long to have.
