On Sunday afternoon, Leah and I attended the wedding of my friend and coworker, Michael and his bride Susannah. I was honored to be included, especially since I was the only person from the office Michael invited.
This was the first Jewish wedding I've attended and it was a lovely introduction. I was a little thrown by the yarmulkes that were provided with no instruction on how to wear them -- Michael had told me ahead of time that they would be optional and I wanted to be respectful of his religion and culture, so rather than wear it wrong, I chose to not use it.
The wedding was outside, which could have been treacherous this time of year. In fact, most of that morning had nothing but grey skies and muggy air, but by the time the ceremony started, the weather was perfect.
The ceremony was short -- which Leah and I appreciated since we had been going since early that morning -- and sweet. Susannah remarked afterwards that the officiant read an earlier draft of the vows that included an anecdote that she didn't care for, but it was more of a comment than a complaint.
Michael is the one of Jewish heritage and he even included some Hebrew in his vows, though Susannah's were completely in English (which is kind of ironic because Susannah is a polyglot, though the other languages she speaks are mostly of the Romantic variety).
After the ceremony but before dinner started, Leah and I wandered around the grounds of the hotel where the festivities were held. It was quite beautiful with lots of flowers, foliage, statues, and water features.
Leah and me having fun exploring
I wish Susannah and Michael the best in their new life together and I'm grateful that Leah and I were included on their special day.
The two happy couples
No comments:
Post a Comment