We got my mom all married a few weeks ago, and it was a rip-snorting success. We had the benefit of the heavy presence of our friends the Pedersens, with Pastor Darrell officiating, Jennifer singing with my guitar during the suprise musical performance, John photographing [all the above photos courtesy of John Pedersen Photography], and Maisi unexpectedly providing invaluable logistical services, such as running down people she had never met before, and attaching flowers to their clothing.

My brother and I ran around for a day or two in advance, accomplishing tasks such as setting up [his] audio equipment at the reception hall, and picking up many, many pounds of canned food at the store, which the bride and groom had requested as donations to the Food Shelf, in lieu of gifts. Although we thought our collection was exemplary, it turned out we were bested by at least two or three families, who brought bathtub-sized baskets filled with offerings for the less fortunate. Stan weighed the booty on his scale, and it came to four-hundred sixty-two pounds, in addition to around one-hundred dollars in cash donations.

I was very happy with our music selections, and how it sounded at the reception hall. During dinner, we played mostly jazz, with some classical thrown in [mostly Mozart, and a little Holst], and I thought it created an atmosphere that was at once classy and relaxed. I was trying to wait for the staff to clear the tables to change to the post-dinner music, however, and as a result probably let the dinner music go too long; a lot of people had left before it started up. The music for this section was a combination of the efforts of Mom and Stan, Andy, Sarah, Jesse, and myself. The collection is... rather eclectic, featuring Abba to Wilco, and everything in between. However, we got the most important songs played, and the rest will provide customized listening for years to come. [If anyone is interested in hearing the collection, get a hold of me, and we'll make an arrangement.]

Beyond the couple, the show's star was Victoria Rose, Peter and Rachel's new one, who was around four weeks of age at the time. That child has a greater range of expression than I've seen in one so young; her tiny face seemed to be constantly in flux. Her parents were remarkably free with her; Pete happened to walk by me and asked if I wanted to hold her. I had the added opportunity to feed her, and her father was completely in stride with her behavior: "Give her just a little milk... okay, that's enough. Now she'll cringe a bit, because the milk is cold... there it is, now a bit more milk... and the milk is still cold... okay, she's recovered. Now a bit more milk, and there, she's done."

The event also marked the first time in anyone's memory [decades?] that my grandmother and all five of her children were together in the same place. There was a family reunion-style photo session outside, with our photographer. Despite this potentially trying situation, John handled himself with remarkable poise, even going so far as to snap photographs for various relatives with their own cameras, when they were summoned to join the group. My mother gushed about John's professionalism and enthusiasm during the first several times I spoke with her after the wedding; we're lucky to have those Pedersens close to our family.

The day after, we went to see the house, now that my mom has moved in, and it's become a very comfortable and rustic environment. It's nicely tucked in the woods, and from certain vantages, it isn't evident that there is any civilization around. My mom showed us a beautiful box that Stan's friend Zach had made for her from a found piece of wood - I believe it had been a fencepost - which was meant to contain various objects from the wedding: handwritten vows, program, and a rose, which had dictated the length of the box. The couple, bound shortly for the Naniboujou on the North Shore, bestowed food upon us, left over from the reception, and that was the weekend. Here's to a happy wedding.