Rehearsal Bliss

The moment I entered the Pinnacle Harbor main dining room, where we were having rehearsal dinner, and I saw Drew wearing his navy suit I fell in love with him all over again. I knew deep down in my soul that marrying him was the right decision, and I could not wait to start our life together. When Drew saw me come in, he told Dev that he was the luckiest man in the world.

It had been cloudy all day, and now we could hear thunder booming in the hills. I felt that it was a good luck omen for our marriage, with all the electricity in the air. Also, the storm was blowing in good weather and the next day's forecast was perfect for our outdoor wedding.

The florist had already delivered the flowers my wedding planner and I decided on. Along the outer row of the seats were small bouquets of beautiful Lady Emma Hamilton roses. Jenny and I had scoured the country looking for these magnificent blooms. 

The wedding arch and altar were framed with the roses and grand bouquets of white gladiolus and white heather. Gladiolus symbolizes strength of character, faithfulness, and honor while white heather symbolizes protection and indicates that wishes will all come true.

The men in the wedding party looked so sharp in their suits, and my bridesmaids wore their best dresses for dancing after the rehearsal dinner. Molly, my maid of honor, was dressed in a cute little summer dress that coordinated with mine. Father Fitzpatrick, Daddy's best friend from high school, had come up from his parish in South Boston to officiate at the wedding. I've known him since I was a baby and although he may be a bit stern, he is what Daddy calls "Salt of the Earth," a good man who is an important part of our family.

After an hour of fumbling through the procedures of the ceremony, hoping the skies would not open up, the wedding party got their parts right. But it didn’t help that Cal and Molly kept joking around, making Father Fitzpatrick turn a little bit red. By the end of the rehearsal, I could see a vein starting to throb on Father Fitz's forehead.

After the rehearsal, the wedding party, joined by family and many close friends, went back to the Pinnacle Resort dance hall, just as the rain began pelting down. Drew’s family has been going to the Pinnacle Harbor Resort for many generations to vacation. Now they have a summer home nearby but still come here regularly. This place won me over the first time Drew brought me here – as he knew it would.

We all dined on local farm-to-table specialties, like prime-aged filet mignon grass-raised in Vermont, as well as on lobster and seafood from Maine. Dessert was a delicious almond torte with whipped cream and berries. Drew's Uncle Henry was so generous to provide Dom Perignon for the many toasts of the dinner, wishing Drew and me a wonderful life together.

We also drank Drew's family's favorite cocktail, a classic Manhattan with two parts Michter's 10-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon American Whiskey and real maraschino cherries.

Drew's great grandmother, who started this fine tradition, had roots in her family going back to Kentucky around the American Revolution. She would always say, “The Manhattan cocktail is a marriage between our family's past and present." Of course, we did not drink as much as she reportedly could, but we still got a little happy. Drew's father invested in the Michter distillery when it reorganized about ten years ago and always served it at his home. 

The dinner was followed by dancing to a small local band that was folksy and country and a bit crazy. The band had an old Esty organ, played banjo, violin, guitar, and even saws and wash tub, and they were wild. The thunder boomed outside, sometimes drowning out the sound of the music, but it was thrilling. Everyone was dancing, even Talmadge and Eleanor, who really know what they are doing on the dance floor. 

Then the electricity went out! The lightning and thunder and the sound of rain pelting the roof were almost overwhelming, but the staff quickly got out all the candles they could find, and soon we were surrounded by the romantic lights of dozens of candles. 

The band went acoustic, but even so, they were fabulous! Since the whole area was without electricity, people from all over the club could hear the music. Soon everyone who had come for the wedding showed up to join us. We all had a fantastic time dancing until late in the evening when Drew and I separated company to uphold the tradition of the groom and bride not seeing each other the day of the wedding. The rain was still pelting down, so we had to run across the wet lawns with almost useless umbrellas to get to our rooms, but that was just another precious memory of that fantastic night.

I have been to many weddings and had never considered that the wedding rehearsal and dinner might be a remembrance that could eclipse all the other special moments in a wedding. But this was just one of those special nights.

Drew and I will remember forever this beautiful night and the people who shared it with us, and the love we all felt. Such an excellent start to our new life.