wedding by the stupa
All will be relieved, upon viewing this snapshot, to know that I was not the official wedding photographer for the nuptials of Heather Marold and Brad Thomason, now to be known henceforth as Mr. and Mrs. Thomason.
I was, however, honored to be one of a dozen folks assembled in the blazing sunlight at an undisclosed Santa Fe location to witness the ceremony, which was one of the nicest I've ever been to (and I've been to a fair number of weddings, although, for some reason, I think I've been to more funerals than weddings, which is ridiculous and not an appropriate topic here anyway).
There were several components of this wedding that made it wonderful and I list them here in no particular order.
1. Lack of rigor. The wedding was pushed back half an hour, because there was no reason to rush.
2. Intimate. The smallness of the wedding gave it a special feeling, and made it feel more like a family/friend event, rather than the witnessing of a State of the Union address.
3. The vows. These vows included pledges by bride and groom to love one another's pets (Francine and Turtle, respectively). Now, for non-animal people this might seem odd, but it's important to love your significant other's animal, kind of like loving their child from a previous marriage, really. Also, Brad's friend, Mike, who performed the wedding, did so with just the right combination of seriousness and humor.
4. Chocolate with green chile pistachio nuts and champagne. No need to say more.
5. Lack of religious sentiment. I realize this might not appeal to some, but I appreciated it. I think the only religious comments might have been the groom's mother inquiring if anyone attending was a Buddhist (none of us were).
6. Lack of copious weeping. This is a reference to my own behavior. I have a tendency to begin sobbing at weddings and was relieved that this did not happen.
7. Lack of singing. I realize most weddings don't include singing, but I once attended a Mormon wedding (don't ask. I don't know why I was invited to a mormon wedding), during which one of the bridesmaids sang a song about love and its resemblence to puppies, and broke down sobbing in the middle of it. It was a scarring eventâat least for me.
8. Heather's dress. Most brides are beautiful and Heather was no exception, but even the most wary of shoppers (ahem) can occasionally end up at their wedding looking like a creampuff. Heather looked like a bride in Vogue magazine.
9. Location, location, location. Hard to understand why anyone would get married in Santa Fe and not stand on a cliff surrounded by the mountains. Heather and Brad took pains to find a beautiful spot and it paid off.
10. Lack of horrible wipe-out climbing hill to lookout in three-inch heels. I find it odd that while I often fall over for no reason, I managed to climb up and down to Heather and Brad's wedding in three inch heels AND a skirt (I had the sense Heather wanted me to not wear my jeans to her wedding), without falling face first into a pile of dirt. I think the fact that neither I, nor anyone else, wiped out added a special magical quality to a day already infused with great feelings of love and happiness.
I was, however, honored to be one of a dozen folks assembled in the blazing sunlight at an undisclosed Santa Fe location to witness the ceremony, which was one of the nicest I've ever been to (and I've been to a fair number of weddings, although, for some reason, I think I've been to more funerals than weddings, which is ridiculous and not an appropriate topic here anyway).
There were several components of this wedding that made it wonderful and I list them here in no particular order.
1. Lack of rigor. The wedding was pushed back half an hour, because there was no reason to rush.
2. Intimate. The smallness of the wedding gave it a special feeling, and made it feel more like a family/friend event, rather than the witnessing of a State of the Union address.
3. The vows. These vows included pledges by bride and groom to love one another's pets (Francine and Turtle, respectively). Now, for non-animal people this might seem odd, but it's important to love your significant other's animal, kind of like loving their child from a previous marriage, really. Also, Brad's friend, Mike, who performed the wedding, did so with just the right combination of seriousness and humor.
4. Chocolate with green chile pistachio nuts and champagne. No need to say more.
5. Lack of religious sentiment. I realize this might not appeal to some, but I appreciated it. I think the only religious comments might have been the groom's mother inquiring if anyone attending was a Buddhist (none of us were).
6. Lack of copious weeping. This is a reference to my own behavior. I have a tendency to begin sobbing at weddings and was relieved that this did not happen.
7. Lack of singing. I realize most weddings don't include singing, but I once attended a Mormon wedding (don't ask. I don't know why I was invited to a mormon wedding), during which one of the bridesmaids sang a song about love and its resemblence to puppies, and broke down sobbing in the middle of it. It was a scarring eventâat least for me.
8. Heather's dress. Most brides are beautiful and Heather was no exception, but even the most wary of shoppers (ahem) can occasionally end up at their wedding looking like a creampuff. Heather looked like a bride in Vogue magazine.
9. Location, location, location. Hard to understand why anyone would get married in Santa Fe and not stand on a cliff surrounded by the mountains. Heather and Brad took pains to find a beautiful spot and it paid off.
10. Lack of horrible wipe-out climbing hill to lookout in three-inch heels. I find it odd that while I often fall over for no reason, I managed to climb up and down to Heather and Brad's wedding in three inch heels AND a skirt (I had the sense Heather wanted me to not wear my jeans to her wedding), without falling face first into a pile of dirt. I think the fact that neither I, nor anyone else, wiped out added a special magical quality to a day already infused with great feelings of love and happiness.
posted by Julia at 9:09 AM
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