Last weekend, we went to the wedding of Florida Keys Guy’s first cousin, in Lancaster, PA (which I am apparently still mispronouncing). The wedding was lovely and the bride and groom were both truly happy. Plus, the weather was perfect. I got married on a rainy, miserable Florida day (at least we didn’t have a hurricane) on the day Princess Diana died. I didn’t let either the royal tragedy or the weather ruin my day. Fortunately, Gwen had no headlines or weather issues.
The weekend started with a flight to Philadelphia, a train to 30th street and Amtrak to Lancaster, with a quick stop at Friendly’s for some ice cream before heading to the hotel (complete with get-it-yourself towels) to get ready for the evening festivities. Saturday night was dinner for out of town guests at a local restaurant. One of the standout moments – I’m not quite sure if it was highlight or a lowlight, but it was a stand out – was the father of the groom’s serenading of both the bride and her mother (all the while my mother-in-law was correcting his Yiddish). You can see video footage here.
Sunday evening was the main event. We arrived an hour and a half early for family pictures. Although we were only in one, and it was before my mother-in-law made the photographer cry (she totally deserved it), watching other people take pictures is really good entertainment. (“Hold hands – no, the other hand”, “Smile”, “Stop talking, I don’t want a picture of you with your mouth open”)
The cocktail hour included a potato bar: mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes with your choice of many toppings; a pasta bar (we were clearly carbo-loading); crudite and cheeses as well as passed hors d’oerves. The Mediterranean style dinner was served family style, although after the bowl of potatoes and pasta, I was not eating so much felafel.
Adding to the happiness quotient was the Candy Bar To Go. Set up as guests were leaving the synagogue was a candy bar – rock candy (which turned my mouth purple), gummy peaches (surprising delicious and peachy) as well as chocolates, licorice and more. Guests were invited to take a bag and fill with whatever they liked. For me, the hands-down winner was the gummy peaches, which I enjoyed with brunch the next day.
Overall a good wedding: The ceremony, performed by my father-in-law, was fabulous. The bride and groom each had a grandmother in their 90s there – how often does that happen? I got to meet members of the family I had never met before. Finally, I convinced the bride and groom to come visit us in Key West before they go to yet another wedding in Palm Beach. (Are you reading this, Groom???)
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