Wedding Recap #6 - Ceremony

Mr. Brother-in-Law and Ms. Sister tied the knot in the Assembly Chambers of the Wisconsin State Capitol (where the state assembly meets).  There was no better place for them; they're both unique politicos who wanted the entire wedding to feel like them.  Plus the Capitol building is freaking gorgeous - marble everywhere, gorgeous art, great lighting.  My mother's only disappointment was that we were not allowed to turn on the electronic "vote board" in order to cast our official opinions on the union ;)

Prior to the ceremony, the bridal party and various family members lounged in the parlor attached to the chambers (where the old mustachioed representatives used to smoke cigars and make "back room" deals).  There was a near meltdown when I realized NavyGuy had showed up downtown without the iPod speakers that I had promised the bride.  He managed to remember to bring them from Florida, but somehow they didn't make it in the car from his house to downtown!  After some panicked cell phone calls (god bless your patience, babe), his dad dropped off the speakers - NavyGuy Sr. to the rescue!

Of course the drama couldn't end there.  As we were setting up the makeshift sound system, I remembered that I had used the speakers on my U-Haul trip down to Pensacola with Mom... so who knows how much juice the batteries had left.  I had a fleeting vision of the sound giving out as the bride was strolling down the aisle, and either someone horrendously bursting into impromptu humming to fill the unbearable silence - or the bride glaring so fiercely at me that I dropped dead in front of the entire wedding.  Luckily, I had a flash of brilliance - the extra batteries I had stowed in my Mary-Poppin's-esque satchel!  

Of course... the batteries I had in the satchel were AA.  Guess what was in the speakers?  (Obviously, not AAs or else this story would be very anti-climatic.)  Groomsman "Beav" saved the day with a quick trip to I-don't-even-know-where, to purchase additional AAA batteries.  And the choirs of angels (or in this case awesome pop musicians) rang out uninterrupted throughout the entire ceremony.  God Lord.  

Meanwhile, whilst this drama was unfolding, the plot was thickening in the parlor.  Sister was unsuccessfully trying to practice her vows.  I had forgotten her sappy gene that kicks in at inopportune times.  She could barely get through half a sentence and she'd be welling up and sniffling like she was watching the end of Titanic!  So then the nerves kicked in slightly, which she tried desperately to ignore, and instead released by eating a granola bar and giving the photographer a minor stroke by refusing to participate in any photos that did not feel "natural" (yes, there will be professional photos of her standing by the beautiful window in the parlor, holding the granola bar that was used to bribe her into the pic).  Truth be told, the photog was still quite sweaty, and I can't blame her for not wanting to be anywhere near that kind of hot mess.

Finally it was time for the show to begin.  The flowergirl tossed her red rose petals out of her dress pockets, and the bridal party timed our walk down the aisle perfectly!  (Rough rehearsal, great opening night.)  The bride entered, smiled, poised, and floated down the aisle on a sea of rose petals.... hehehe... sorry, different kind of bride, different kind of wedding.  Our bride did smile and look poised, but there was no graceful floating or any such nonsense.  She knew what she was there to do that day, and the sooner she got it done, the sooner we could all eat the expensive appetizers!  So she strode confidently down the aisle, stopped to peck Mom on the cheek, winked mischievously at all five bridesmaids, and then got herself married. :)