August 21, 2003 - 8:07 p.m.

New Hampshire Wedding

I had high expectations for the wedding on Sunday. I lived with the groom for two years, so I got to know him and the bride pretty well - though she was still in college at the time so she wasn't around too much. Many of their friends are my friends as well, so I was looking forward to hanging out with the rest of the guests. Sam was chosen to be a groomsman, so I was invited to the rehearsal dinner as well as getting to see him in a snazzy tux. Plus, the wedding took place near the mountains of central New Hampshire, which is a beautiful area and has special significance for me and Sam. Scott, the groom, basically helped set us up, and our budding friendship made the shift into budding romance during a weekend at Scott's family's house in NH just over three years ago.

Despite the height of my expectations, the wedding did not disappoint. Annaliis, the bride, was absolutely stunning in a very classic, timeless style.

The ceremony took place in a little Anglican church with loads of hand-pegged wooden beams and pretty stained glass windows. The ceremony itself was short, sweet, and pretty traditional. Many an eye, including both of mine, was a bit teary as the vows were said, but the freshly minted Mr. and Mrs. did nothing but beam throughout.

Meanwhile, Sam looked pretty dapper in his tux and did a lovely job processing and recessing. Here he is pictured with Shirin, the bridesmaid who so kindly allowed me to puke in her sink and sleep on her floor after the bachelorette party.

The reception was held in the carriage house of a lovely inn, with beautiful grounds and spectacular views that made a gorgeous backdrop to the wedding party photos.

The food, toasts, and company at the reception were all lovely, which made for a fun party. They started off with mostly swing music, so I got a chance to dust off my swing dancing skills. Sam refuses to dance, but a friend of his is an experienced swing dancer, so we partnered up for a song, which was fun. Later they switched over to 80s music, much to our delight, but Sam and I had to leave shortly thereafter to begin the trek back home.

All in all, it was one of the most lovely, relaxed, happy, and fun weddings I have ever attended. It was great to be a part of the marriage of a couple I had gotten to watch grow over the past few years. It was also nice to see that Sam was completely comfortable amidst all the wedding stuff as many guys are not. He didn't even flinch when I made comments about my ideas for when I get married. I imagine it is partly that he doesn't feel pressured to make any marriage related decisions with me and partly that he is just more comfortable with our relationship as it is and questioning it less since we got back together. We had a lovely time during the weekend despite not getting enough sleep and having to do way too much driving. As always, we were amazed at how comfortable we are together even when we spend 24 hours a day together under busy, boring, or stressful circumstances.

today's project: took the kids to Walden Pond (yes, the Walden Pond).

musing about: whether I can get away with putting off cleaning Percy's cage another day...

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