It was a day in my life where all attention was centered around suits, ties, a bright pink mohawk, and a beautiful woman in a gorgeous white dress. Only a few short weeks ago, I became one of the lucky millions in our country who have gotten to stand hand in hand with the person they love, in front of their friends and family and proclaim that love. Before I go further, I'm talking about a wedding, not a wet t-shirt contest.
As far as days go, it was like any other, except I didn't get enough sleep the night before and there were significantly more people in my house than I was used to. That soon changed with a trip to the wedding venu to deliver a laptop and a cake server. Then a trip to dry cleaners to pick up my pressed suit. Then a trip to Phoenix International to pick up my fiance's childhood friend. Then food, getting the groom's party gathered and delivered to the preparation room. Oh, I also had to send an envoy back to the house to get pieces that I managed to forget in the insanity of the day.
Despite all of that, the ceremony began more or less on time, and the Phoenix heat broke, shortly, due to a cool wind coming in from the Southwest.
"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me you ears -- oh wait theater night, wrong pocket.." marked the beggining of a ceremonial speech that would include, among other things, many C-verbs, and a reference or two to Orwell's classic "1984" (btw, our officiant is one of our best friends!). If anything were to be gained from my ceremony, aside from getting married of course, it would be a lesson in exactly how different we can be, and how boring the world would be without our differences, even better: how weak we would be without our uniqueness of self.
Sorry for the long introduction, but I cannot feel fulfilled unless I relate a thought to an event in my life. I am, right now, simultaneously saddened that many in our country would deny the joys of such a day to fellow Americans; and joyed that, slowly, more and more in our country are coming to the conclusion that denying marriage, no matter the proportion of male to female, to anyone is denying, first and foremost, love.
Oh, here are some wedding pictures for your enjoyment!