The natural lighting of the church was perfect for picture taking. Even the photographer was going flash-free today. It was a small church really, probably 10 pews on either side, covered with aging padding and old hymnals were placed haphazardly in the racks on the back of each. I'd grown up in churches like this, the slight smell of emptiness, mixed with the candle scent all lend an air of permanance and patience. The perfect message for a church.
The Bean and I sat down a bit earlier than the rest of the wedding party and began to take in the scene. She was of course a bit antsy and got the occassional, "Be quiet or we're leaving... and you won't like what happens if you make me leave." Daddy warning. She held out and got to see the group of people that she's come to realize as her new family enter the church.
They were all superbly dressed, as is the constant for most weddings, in black tux's with (you'll have to excuse the color guess, I am a guy!) burgundy vests and ties. The ladies had sleeveless dresses with a good width of material over the shoulders. All in all, quite an elegant procession. My brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew and niece, and relatives of all were walking up to the front of the church.
The bride and groom said their vows and the deed was done, for better or for worse another marriage had been consecrated. This particular place had seen the marriage of all three of the children on my sisters side, and I'd been at two of them. That sense of tradition is something I can only marvel at, considering my peripatetic style of upbringing, and hope to some day achieve in my life at any scale.
Once done, the wedding party did something that surprised me a bit and that I hadn't seen at the last wedding. Except for my brothers family and the mother of the groom, everyone changed out of their attire. The Bean and I were still wearing a dress and a suit (respectively) -- completely overdressed for the occasion at this point -- while the rest of the gathering consisted of jeans, flannel, and t-shirts. Well, you know what that called for right? Of course, you guessed it. Dancing!
If I haven't mentioned it before, I feel I must now. The Bean is an avid and ferocious dancer. The previous day we had went out and spent quite a hefty sum on some new patent leather shoes for her and a dress that when spun, twirled just so in the air. Most of you have seen the old sock hop days where the girls would spin and the dresses would 'bell' out, we tried on four dresses and this one (while very pretty) was it. A black crushed velvet style top with a bright red material for the bottom, she was ready to rumble. As both my Girlfriend and the Sister-In-Law were engaged elsewhere that night (work and wedding) I was on my own. Trust me, I used the store people for all they were worth. We completed the outfit with white microfiber tights and a black velvety looking headband topped with a humble red rose.
So, there we were, twisting and spinning on the dance floor for most of the afternoon. They had a child/parent slow dance and a bunch of faster-moving-wiggle-your-butt dances that really made the time pass. The food, the cake, and the family sure made the initial feeling of being out of place subside - then the fun took over.