Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

After everyone had gone through the receiving line, we gathered up members of the bridal party and my family to do formal photos.

The Photographer, with the help of his oldest daughter, had set things up outside by the building in a shady area, where he was using a fill-in flash. But because of the dappled sunlight, he had to move everyone into position before every shot so their faces were lit properly.

We started with members of my family and got all of us together. Then we did different family groupings, such as my parents and each of my sibling's families. When we were done with them, we told my family to go enjoy themselves. The bridal party moved across the road to a spot that my brother's wife had suggested, in front of a willow-fringed pond.

The bridesmaids were good-natured about getting their pictures taken there, despite the fact that we were right next to some goldenrod and the Tech Guru is allergic. But we tried not to keep her there for long.

My College Roommate's husband did his best to amuse us, doing silly things in the background to make us laugh. This paid off, getting us relaxed so that our formal photos looked nicer. Don't we all look fab?

And then, of course, we had to rock out.

I helped out when the men were getting their pictures done, doing my best to get them to smile naturally by making silly jokes. I think my favorite of the groomsmen will be their '60s album cover shot. We joked that The Dormouse was the furthest back because he was the drummer. "Make sure his face is extra blurry," I suggested.

The men looked great in their fly-front tuxedos with vests, especially The Gryphon.

Lastly, The Gryphon and I took some romantic photos, just the two of us. The Photographer let us see some of those, and they were lovely (like the one at the top of the page).

Finally, we could go enjoy some hors d'oeuvres in Room 102. Of course, we'd forgotten to tell the groomsmen to go there, so they'd gone to atrium where the cocktail hour was being held for the rest of the guests. I do envy them, though, in that they got to hear the cocktail music I'd selected.

Fortunately, we managed to catch them and pull them into Room 102 before our official entrance into the reception. While we waited, we enjoyed some hors d'ouevres, which were kept warm for us in a silver container, and a waiter came in and took our drink orders while we waited for the guests to make their way into the reception.

To prepare for the reception, I changed from my dark champagne-colored high-heeled sandals into a comfortable pair of champagne-colored ballet flats (suitable for dancing), donned an ivory colored shrug that would help keep me warm in the air conditioned room, and grabbed my champagne-colored clutch.

I reminded everyone we had to get our stuff out of the room, so some people took their personal items to their cars while we loaded the rest on a luggage cart. The Cheshire Cat, the best man, took charge of transporting them to the Presidential Suite.

A short time later we were called into the hallway to be announced into the reception. Our DJ, DJ Rock, went down the list of names, making certain he had the proper pronunciations. And then, two by two, we were announced into the room to applause.

The Gryphon and I made our appearance, and then I gave my bouquet and clutch to my sister to hold while The Gryphon and I danced to our song, "Believe" by Lenny Kravitz. As we danced, when we weren't gazing adoringly at each other, I caught some glimpses of smiling faces around us.

Our first dance (photo by The Photographer)

I thought it was good to do the sweetheart dance so early in the evening, so that everybody could dance if they wanted to. Many people wait to dance until the sweetheart dance, and we didn't want to keep them waiting. Of course, DJ Rock was working from our playlist, which was heavily skewed towards space lounge music during the dinner service, by groups like Esquivel, Stereolab, Goldfrapp and the artists on the Plush album, among others. As people started to look like they wanted to dance, I told the DJ he could feel free to work in more danceable songs.

After the sweetheart dance came the champagne toast, with The Cheshire Cat delivering a toast that was eloquent in its brevity. He said that he had never seen anyone make me happier (true!) and that when I walk into a room, The Gryphon just glows. He raised a glass and toasted to our happiness.

Much to our surprise, my college buddy Attila the Pun took the mic and read a hilarious declaration, making The Gryphon an honorary Penn Stater, since he associated with so many Penn Staters. Attila really understood his audience, and he got a lot of laughs. He then presented The Gryphon with the certificate, as well as his own version of an issue of Completely Different, the Monty Python Society newsletter I used to edit. Cool!

When I finally got a chance to sit down at our table, I was amazed by how well everything fit together. The spandex table coverings, with white bases and silver tops, and the white spandex chair coverings with silver bands, gave the room a streamlined, futuristic look. The flower arrangements by Carl Alan Creations Ltd. of white, waxy flowers with deep green leaves in rectangular glass vases added to the retrofuturistic feel, as did the LED tea lights in teal, red and amber, which sat in frosted candle holders. On our plates rested silver favor boxes, with teal lettering, filled with dark chocolate nonpareils from Chocolate by Mueller.

A table stand near the sweetheart table housed our cake, baked by Bredenbeck's Bakery. It was covered with concentric circles in our wedding colors, of teal, silver, red and buttercup, topped with spheres. The cake was a sour cream chocolate chip pound cake with raspberry filling and rolled fondant icing. Just lovely and, as we would discover later, tasty, as well.

Our cake (photo by The Photographer)

Projected on a screen on the far wall were images put together by me and The Gryphon, with help from my sister. These included images of Space Age art, architecture, fashion and culture, interspersed with images from the early NASA space program, as well as high-res NASA images of the planets and other images of our galaxy.

These images, we learned to our delight, offered something of interest to everyone. The Artist, for example, thanked me for including some great Pop Art and Op Art masterpieces, while my dad had fun identifying the pop cultural images, which came from his heyday.

The Cousin told me later that those seated at her table had fun identifying the planetary images, as well as pointing out the SF images we'd included from Doctor Who, Barbarella, Star Trek and other '60s classics. In fact, DJ Rock had a little fun while the Star Trek images were on, throwing in sound effects from the series. When we'd met with him in person this summer, we'd told him to feel free to work in any '60s SF sounds or theme songs he might have. I'm glad he remembered to do so.

The overall effect was an intimate, fun sort of space, much like a hip, retro club. As we made our rounds of the tables, I told people, "Welcome to our space lounge." In fact, when The Artist discovered we'd been partly inspired by the Philadelphia restaurant Pod, she said she could see the influence. We agreed to go there next time she and her hubby are in town.

I had a great time seeing how people interacted with the environment. We had wanted, above all, for our reception to be a celebration, where our guests could enjoy good food, danceable music and a fun atmosphere. Adults and children alike played with the bell wands, which were variously nicknamed "cat toys" and "fairy wands". The White Rabbit waved his cheerfully throughout the evening.

The White Rabbit waves wands
(photo by Attila the Pun)

People also found interesting things to do with the LED lights, like putting a red one in a shirt pocket and pretending to be ET. This was an unexpected boon. We'd chosen the LED lights because they suited our look, but they became an improvised toy. Consider how differently people would have acted with a votive candle, with parents pulling children's fingers out of the flames all night long!

Near the end of the evening, some of our friends even had fun with the table cards, which used NASA images to mark each table as a specific planet. Our friends, unbeknownst to us, invaded the sweetheart table and traded our "Earth" card for "Jupiter". I pretended to be shocked, but really I was thrilled people were having fun. We'd successfully created a playful atmosphere.

Early on, the children found each other and amused themselves dashing around the corners and dancing on the dance floor. In particular, The Cousin and The Photographer's daughters played with the younger kids, including my nephew. My niece was still a little young for this sort of activity and mostly sat at her seat at the family table, Mercury, making happy baby noises.

My brother got a picture of me holding my niece, which he showed me. We both looked so happy!

My nephew was experiencing characteristic moments of shyness, so that he would come up to me only when I wasn't surrounded by people, which was rare. During our formal photographs, though, a quieter space, he was more relaxed. He handed The Gryphon and I lovely pine cones he'd found under a nearby tree. I remember, as a small child, how I considered pine cones among nature's most beautiful creations, and I thought the gesture was very sweet.

Before long, we received our appetizer of Wild Mushroom Vol au Vent with a Brandy Cream Reduction. This was delicious, even better than at the tasting, and our server informed us they'd hired a new chef. You could really tell the difference.

At The Gryphon's suggestion, between courses we did some table hopping, talking to our guests. First, we spoke to my family's table, where we were greeted by smiles. I told my brother that was my real present: seeing everybody in my family so happy.

Our next course was a Brandywine Salad of Baby Greens with Cherry Tomato and shaved Asiago Cheese. Again, very tasty. I put just a little dressing on it.

We greeted another table, consisting of old friends and some extended family, including My BFF Pamela, whom I had not seen since her daughter was a baby. I'd never met her son, although she'd been sending me pictures for the last few years. Later, she had someone snap our picture on her camera.

My BFF Pamela and me

I spoke to my mother's cousin, who told me he's been posting messages on my bulletin board, which I've been lax in checking, as no one was really using it!

We also spoke to a table filled primarily with friends from the Philadelphia circle. We found out that a couple of our guests hadn't been able to make it, due to illness. That sort of thing happens. I know they were there in spirit.

Our entrees were delicious. The Gryphon had the Prime Rib of Beef with Natural Jus and Grated Horseradish, while I had the Grilled Fillet of Salmon Served with an Orange Ginger Glaze and Mandarin Orange Sections. The salmon was so tender it melted in my mouth, and I loved the delicate, citrus glaze.

For the record, the other entree we offered guests was Boneless Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Roasted Peppers and Smoked Gouda. We had it at the tasting and loved it, so I'm certain our guests enjoyed it, too.

As we made our way around the room, we heard a lot of positive comments. Many people said that the ceremony was beautiful. Others commented that they loved the music, such as my grad school buddy The Poet, who had given me suggestions for the dinner music playlist. He told me he loved the lounge version of "Green Tambourine" played during the cocktail hour.

DJ Rock told us he got a lot of compliments on the music, and that he gave credit to The Gryphon and I for developing the playlist. Hey, it's the first time in a long time that I've had a chance to use the skills I developed at the college radio station, WPSU, and I enjoyed doing it.

Dessert was Marinated Strawberries Grand Marnier Served in a Chocolate Cup on a Painted Plate. I heard that the guests who had special dietary needs found the kitchen to be very accommodating, which made me very happy. We wanted everyone to have a good time, and it was important that nobody felt shortchanged.

After dessert we did the other special dances. My dad and I danced to "Daughters" by John Mayer, which was a song he and I agreed was perfect. We had a good time, while we danced, talking about how things were going. He was having a great time.

My mom had worked up the nerve to ask us to include her in a special dance with The Gryphon. We both thought this was a really nice gesture, because The Gryphon's mother wasn't there. Since Mom is often reluctant to be center-stage, we hadn't asked her previously, so we were thrilled that she suggested it. I know this means that she really likes The Gryphon. The DJ chose the song "At Last" by Ella Fitzgerald for them to dance to.

People jumped up on the floor, then, to dance to the music, which had shifted into more danceable tunes. The kitchen wanted to know when we wanted to cut the cake, and we told them to give people a chance to dance a little first.

Then we had them turn the lights back up on the dance floor for the cake cutting. The Gryphon and I didn't really know what to do, but we managed to get a piece of cake out. We fed each other cake, without smashing it into each other's faces, which might not have been as entertaining but which we both preferred to icing-covered faces. I will say, though, that this icing was delicioso!

Our uneventful cake cutting (photo by Attila the Pun)

As the cake was served, everyone got their groove on. My sister and I got into a vogue contest, striking different poses.

My sister and I dancing (photo by Attila the Pun)

In the midst of these high spirits, some rain fell. The Gryphon and I were in separate parts of the room when people began clinking classes, indicating we should kiss. They'd been unrelenting, but we'd good-naturedly complied.

We began running in slow motion toward each other when I felt a little person bumping into my thigh. Next thing I knew, my nephew was on the floor, crying, and my brother was picking him up, blood streaming off the side of my nephew's head, while my dad followed them out of the room.

The banquet coordinator immediately asked me if we needed to alert a paramedic, and I assured him that my dad was a doctor. If he saw that my nephew needed extra medical attention, he'd be certain to request it. The wounded, it turned out, was a minor scalp laceration which was quickly mended. But my brother felt it best to keep him in the room after all the excitement, as it was also close to my nephew's bedtime.

I learned later that I hadn't been the cause of his injury, which had happened moments before from an accidental collision with some other children, who confessed to us later. I must have bumped into my nephew shortly after the accident, as he was making his way back to his parents. This time table was confirmed when, about 10 minutes later, The Genealogist pointed out I had blood on my dress where I'd run into my nephew; he must have already been bleeding.

Still, I felt terrible about the incident, and I felt bad that I didn't get a chance to say a proper good-bye to my brother and his family.

The Genealogist, meanwhile, accompanied me to the Presidential Suite to help me get the blood out of my dress. She was remarkably skilled at this, putting a towel underneath the gauzy outer layer of the dress and pressing with a damp cloth from above, so that all the blood came out on the towel. She also helped me get a few drops out from the silk underneath, as well as a few small dots of cake icing from my bodice (no idea how that happened).

On the way back to the reception, I got compliments from random strangers, with one young woman popping off an elevator to tell me it was a beautiful dress!

When we made it back to the reception, we learned that we'd missed a bit of fun, as Attila the Pun had gotten into a dance contest with My BFF Pamela's son. I heard that it had been hilarious, and I hope that at least some of it was captured on videotape. Until then, I'll have to content myself with some still photos taken by Attila's wife.

The infamous dance contest

The rest of the reception went by in a blur of dancing and frivolity. I danced with old friends, and the dance floor was filled. According to my friends, they enjoyed hearing old favorites like "Love Shack" and "Burning Down the House", while we avoided all the cheesy wedding staples such as that dreaded chicken dance.

I danced my butt off (probably necessary after all that food) to "Our House" with My BFF Pamela and a fellow Penn Stater I'll call The Freelancer, since she's earned a lot more writing credits since graduation than I.

Also joining us on the dance floor were My BFF Pamela's children, especially her son; Attila the Pun and his wife; The Dormouse; The Poet and his girlfriend; The Artist and her husband; The Cousin and The Photographer; my sister and her husband; my dad; and even The Gryphon, who doesn't particularly like to dance! (I'd told him that, aside from the sweetheart dance, he didn't have to dance unless he wanted to, but we cut a rug together for a bit.)

At various parts of the night, the floor was packed, which was great! I was really coasting on the emotions. It didn't hurt that the waiter kept our glasses of wine full (Pinot Grigio for me).

It seemed like no time at all before people began to say their good-byes. Everyone seemed to have had a good time, and some even stayed to the very end, primarily those who were staying overnight in the hotel.

The Gryphon and I helped facilitate the tear-down of the room, making sure everything that belonged to us, but wasn't coming on the honeymoon, made its way to either The Cheshire Cat or my sister. Then we went to the Presidential Suite to change, so that we could hand over our wedding attire to The Cheshire Cat, who would return The Gryphon's tuxedo, and The Dormouse, who had agreed to drop my dress and shrug at my dry cleaner's.

I changed into a pair of dark wide-leg jeans and a scoop-neck top with an abstract print, keeping the champagne-colored ballet shoes and wedding jewelry, and met my sister, her husband and The Freelancer in the hotel lobby to socialize over a glass of wine or two.

The Gryphon got The White Rabbit to take him on an ATM run, as he wanted to deposit one last check from my dad, who had split the cost of the wedding with us. When they returned, The Gryphon joined us.

We had fun people-watching. Two other weddings had been going on nearby, with the bridal parties staying in the hotel, so it was amusing to watch them all carousing in their formal attire.

I felt like we were part of a big, extended party. Just imagine, on our wedding night, The Gryphon and I watched at least two, possibly three other bridal couples celebrating, as well. These perfect strangers, though we may never meet again, chose to spend their wedding evening in exactly the same place. I wish them all happiness!

We regrettably had to turn in before last call, because, as The Gryphon put it, we had to get up at "Oh My God O'clock" the next day to make the plane for our honeymoon, destination.

Where were we going? Disney World!

More on Alyce's wedding planning:

Musings on Alyce's Wedding

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

October 2007 Index

Musings Index

What do you think? Share your thoughts
at Alyce's message board (left button):