Barbara (standing) pays tribute to her sister Cindy
Jim, Cindy, Dan, and Partick
photo taken by Allitia DiBernardo
Yesterday we observed our friend's Cindy's & Patrick's wedding, which started in a beautiful Baptist church, full of Byzantine gold arches and even a small dome. The marrying couple observed some of the traditional format, since there was a minister presiding and saying the usual vows. Yet they also were innovative. There were two musicians, a vocalist and pianist/organist from the famed Curtis Music School. The man played a Chopin nocturne and the soprano sang selections that included Mozart opera arias from "Marriage of Figaro" and Franck's sublime "Panis Angelicus." Friends and relatives read not only Biblical passages, but also a poem by Edna St-Vincent Millay and Delmore Schwarz. There were no bridesmaids, or best man, and Cindy wore a beautiful gold dress embroidered with countless sequins, a treasure she found on the web. Patrick wore a suit, not a tuxedo. On the ecological side, the audience of friends and relatives blew bubbles at the couple (instead of throwing rice) before they sped away in their classic Chevy 1956 car, painted a bright orange.
The reception at the restaurant Trio included a cocktails period and plentiful Asian type hors d'oeuvres (shumai, Beggar's pouches, etc.) Dinner was a choice of filet mignon, duck, shrimp or mahi-mahi. All the desserts were very good including the wedding cake. There was no dancing, but an Irish folk music trio of two fiddlers and a guitar played tunes from the Emerald Isle. Patrick encouraged others to make speeches before the dessert and coffee course. There was also a fellow who had studied Gaelic with Patrick many years ago (the groom had lived in Ireland) and that friend sang an eight-verse song in Irish for the assembled guests, who joined in on the choruses.
So it was a very unusual and enjoyable wedding.
Dan
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