Tonight we'll be ringing in the new year at a wedding reception. I can't think of a more delightful way to celebrate the beginning of a new year, than with the beginning of a new marriage. Our congratulations to Stephanie & Hunter on this momentous occasion!
Because the wedding is at 6:00PM tonight, and because it gets dark in the part of the world, in this part of the winter, around, oh, noon (OK, maybe 3:30), we decided to do a little bit of reconnaissance work and take some photos around the grounds where the wedding will take place tonight, in the chapel at
Fremont County Pioneer Museum in Lander, WY.
The picture above is a closeup of one of the Christmas balls hanging on the wreath of the front door of St. Matthew's Chapel.
Here is that darling chapel, whose wooden sign reads the year as 1909.
I just love darling little country chapels, don't you?? I love them so much we got married in one.
This one, to be exact.
Last night, in this very same building, I was drafted to play stand-in for the Maid of Honor who was still en route through snowy bad roads from Denver. Even though I had only met the bride twice before, and never the groom or any of his family, I suddenly found myself walking arm-in-arm down the little chapel aisle attached to the groom's father. (He is Hunter's Best Man in the ceremony tonight).
If that weren't strange enough, especially for this wall-flower-introvert, I also had to play stand-in for the bride herself during parts of the ceremony, as it was a family tradition for the wedding couple not to speak their vows or stand together at the alter before the wedding ceremony.
Somehow I managed to walk serenely up the aisle without tripping, take the bridal bouquet, put a ring on the groom's finger, and give back the bouquet before the real bride exited the alter. It was a good exercise in stretching myself beyond my comfort zone.
But paled in comparison to what I had to do later, at the groom's house, in preparation for the reception, which had hurriedly been moved from this location at the museum livery to the groom's parents' home, due to extreme cold and inability to heat the barn to a live able temperature.
Apparently the plan for tonight is to have the wedding party "dance" their way into the reception hall. The "dance" needed practicing, multiple times, and I was once again pulled in to "stand-in" for the part.
Which was fine. Until they lined us up and I was standing there solo at the back of the line, asking "What are we doing again?" and the answer was, "Getting your groove on." After 5 other pairs of wedding party participants "grooved" their way through the front room for 32 counts, it was time for my solo dance across the crowded living room, in front of mostly strangers.
Pappa Bear was so proud of me. Everyone knew I was not the "Real McCoy," I could have simply walked my way across the room as a placeholder and nobody would have cared. But being now fully in the spirit of the event, and beginning to imagine myself part of this gregarious wedding party after all, I did as instructed - I got my "groove" on. For 32 beats.
I am quite fearful the YouTube videos might be showing up shortly.
And just on the off-chance some photos might manage to be posted to Facebook without my knowledge, I thought I would share this one. Living proof that a man really can be useful given the right tulle.
Have a safe & happy New Year's everyone!
Cheers!
Tonight we'll be ringing in the new year at a wedding reception. I can't think of a more delightful way to celebrate the beginning of a new year, than with the beginning of a new marriage. Our congratulations to Stephanie & Hunter on this momentous occasion!
Because the wedding is at 6:00PM tonight, and because it gets dark in the part of the world, in this part of the winter, around, oh, noon (OK, maybe 3:30), we decided to do a little bit of reconnaissance work and take some photos around the grounds where the wedding will take place tonight, in the chapel at Fremont County Pioneer Museum in Lander, WY.
The picture above is a closeup of one of the Christmas balls hanging on the wreath of the front door of St. Matthew's Chapel.
Here is that darling chapel, whose wooden sign reads the year as 1909.
I just love darling little country chapels, don't you?? I love them so much we got married in one. This one, to be exact.
Last night, in this very same building, I was drafted to play stand-in for the Maid of Honor who was still en route through snowy bad roads from Denver. Even though I had only met the bride twice before, and never the groom or any of his family, I suddenly found myself walking arm-in-arm down the little chapel aisle attached to the groom's father. (He is Hunter's Best Man in the ceremony tonight).
If that weren't strange enough, especially for this wall-flower-introvert, I also had to play stand-in for the bride herself during parts of the ceremony, as it was a family tradition for the wedding couple not to speak their vows or stand together at the alter before the wedding ceremony.
Somehow I managed to walk serenely up the aisle without tripping, take the bridal bouquet, put a ring on the groom's finger, and give back the bouquet before the real bride exited the alter. It was a good exercise in stretching myself beyond my comfort zone.
But paled in comparison to what I had to do later, at the groom's house, in preparation for the reception, which had hurriedly been moved from this location at the museum livery to the groom's parents' home, due to extreme cold and inability to heat the barn to a live able temperature.
Apparently the plan for tonight is to have the wedding party "dance" their way into the reception hall. The "dance" needed practicing, multiple times, and I was once again pulled in to "stand-in" for the part.
Which was fine. Until they lined us up and I was standing there solo at the back of the line, asking "What are we doing again?" and the answer was, "Getting your groove on." After 5 other pairs of wedding party participants "grooved" their way through the front room for 32 counts, it was time for my solo dance across the crowded living room, in front of mostly strangers.
Pappa Bear was so proud of me. Everyone knew I was not the "Real McCoy," I could have simply walked my way across the room as a placeholder and nobody would have cared. But being now fully in the spirit of the event, and beginning to imagine myself part of this gregarious wedding party after all, I did as instructed - I got my "groove" on. For 32 beats.
I am quite fearful the YouTube videos might be showing up shortly.
And just on the off-chance some photos might manage to be posted to Facebook without my knowledge, I thought I would share this one. Living proof that a man really can be useful given the right tulle.
Have a safe & happy New Year's everyone!
Cheers!
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