Some weddings are local. No need to pack the car for a six hour drive. Maybe it seems easier without the traveling, and yet anticipation can add to the crescendo.
A couple went to the wedding of their long time friends' son, which involved reservations, and suitcases. They arrived and checked into the condo, in time to join dozens of other guests at an opening event. Many were long time companions, while others were members of the bride's family whom they had never met. Everyone was jovial, and happy to connect.
The next day people dressed in sparkling gowns and suits, ready to give their undivided attention to the ceremony. Because it was to take place at the top of a mountain, people were ferried up on a gondola along the mountain side, which was an adventure in itself. At the top there was a platform, and a hundred chairs waiting for them. The clouds were flamboyant, the landscape below was picturesque.
The officiant performing the ceremony took turns speaking in English and in Greek. Groomsmen and bridesmaids were lined up to make a stand for this marriage. Their solidarity was clear.
When it was time for the exchange of rings, there erupted a hiccup of confusion. Gradually word spread that in handing a ring over it had fallen and rolled between the slats of the deck.
Now what?
The young men in fancy duds decided to act. They strode down the aisle single file, descending the steps and into the scrubby tundra below. With common purpose they hunted in the semi shadow and questionable dirt for a few tense minutes. The bride and groom looked across the crowd of people who had traveled to be here for them as they said their vows. They smiled.
"Found it!" Word came through the slats, and the best of men climbed back up to rejoin the party.
The kiss followed, and a blessing, as two people chose to join their lives in one.
There was a tent waiting beside a lake, with everything in place for the celebration. But the clouds had darkened enough that it seemed better to move the reception indoors. It was a side step away from what the couple had been dreaming of for months, but it did not dampen their spirits. The guests enjoyed the dinner, and toasts, as if plan B was even more splendid than plan A.
Then came the dancing. Greeks, at least these ones, love to move. People young and old clasped hands and followed the steps of the Kalamatianos across the floor with the vivacity that has infused such joyous occasions for a thousand years. In circles that go on and on, like a ring rolling across the planks, the people who care about this couple expressed their love through feet and voices.
May their couple hood go on and on.
