It was our pleasure to join the festivities last week. The daughter of a couple we've known and loved for years was getting married, and we made the short list. Which is amazing, considering the size of the mother's family, their friend group, and the tribe of the couple themselves.  

The music included singers, a guitarist, a violinist, and a professional bass player as well as an accomplished organist. Glowing lamps hung in the aisle, and since it was St. Patrick's Day, the bridesmaids wore emerald green with silver shoes. The flower girls were dressed in lavender, the youngest of which took great care to step only on the stones that were triangles. Or maybe she was avoiding cracks, you know, because of her mother. 

Another flower girl had opinions about her dress. 

"It's too dangerous," she warned her mother when it was time to get ready for pictures. But her grandpa carries a lot of sway with her, and gently niggled her into it before the clicking began. 

The bride herself was resplendent, with tiny buttons in a row down her back and sequins playing with the light. But the real show stopper was her smile. 

In his speech at the reception, her father told a story. When she was little, she would plunk herself down by the kitchen sink, pull out the empty jars and bottles and play a game she called "guys". It was about relationships, and she created families with parents and children, and a web of connections. 

Perhaps it was practice for the relationships that have filled her life ever since. In his talk to the couple, the minister described them as loyal friends, to one another and to the people gathered. One of those loyal friends traveled from Nashville, no small feat considering the weather last week, and sang one of the preludes. Beautifully. 

It is a sweet privilege to be part of the throng at a wedding. To wish them well, and offer gifts that might help them in building a home is to pay tribute to the host of guests who gave us a start many years ago.