GOLDSTONE WEDDINGS: an excerpt

Goldstone Weddings

Chapter 21

Caleb and Bambi Got Married

Together, Jedidiah and I weaved through the tables where our family and friends were sitting and arrived at the head table. I sat down in an empty chair right next to the bride, and while giving her a little hug, I whispered in her ear, “How are you doing, my dear?”

 “Oh, Lucy, I’m wonderful! I really did it! I married Caleb!” She turned to her new husband and gave him a quick smooch. She again looked at me, and in a whisper, she said, “But I suppose you mean about my dad and his attack. It’s okay, I’m all right. I talked to his doctor at the emergency room, and he said that Daddy was alert, and he thought he’d be just fine.”

“Well, that’s good news.”

“Yes, but he may have just been saying what he knew I wanted to hear, but at any rate, it’s my wedding day, and I’m wiping all negative thoughts from my mind. But I wanted to ask you about Mom. Is she okay?”

“Yes, she should be down here soon with your stepfather and her sister. She was shocked, but I gave her a quick recap of why your dad was behind the one-way glass, and watching your wedding.  She’s accepting that what you did was the right thing.”

“Oh, good. When they’re all here, Lucy, will you make a little speech telling everyone just the very basic of information? Actually, I want you to tell everyone that the man was my biological father, and he simply wanted to see me get married, but he had hoped to do so without causing any unpleasantness. He hadn’t counted on a heart attack though, but the doctors are very positive about his outlook at this time.”

“Yes, dear, if that is what you want, I will do it,” I said.

And then that little gray-eyed minx surprised me again. “On second thought, I’ll say it. Everyone who is here is family or a friend, so there’s no reason for me to not say it. As soon as my folks come in and get seated, I’ll walk to the front and hopefully take Caleb with me, and I’ll say the little speech. Maybe I’ll even ask everyone to join me in a toast to his health too.” And that is exactly what Bambi did.

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Their wedding reception was lovely. The white linen–topped tables had pewter-gray lanterns in the center with pillar candles lit inside. Each lantern was surrounded by lovely floral arrangements that were mostly greenery with small white flowers interspersed. The fairy lights that circled the ballroom near the ceiling were twined around a lush green garland.

The Jordan and Bellingham families were all very fun-loving people, and the energy level grew with excitement as the evening progressed. My attention frequently was riveted on my lovely daughter Jade and her date, Graham Sealove. Graham had been the leader of our rescue mission when Jude was being held captive in the Las Vegas flood tunnels, and ever since, he and Jade had been enjoying a romantic relationship. And if what I was witnessing that evening, I suspect that an engagement announcement was right around the corner.

Beck Johansson sang a few more impromptu songs, entertaining everyone while the cake was cut. The three-layer cake was frosted entirely in white. The only adornment was a wide ruffly stripe of shades of green and gray down one side. Caleb and Bambi had fun with the cake cutting, but even though there were some playful threats, nobody ended up with cake smeared on their face.

When it came time for the bridal bouquet to be tossed, Beck worked the crowd up into frenzy with a lively Roy Orbison imitation singing “Pretty Woman.” He had even combed his long dark locks forward and donned dark horn-rimmed glasses in imitation of the great Roy. Every unmarried gal in the building was dancing near the stage platform, cheering and enjoying the song—even Bea Butler our housekeeper!

Bambi and Caleb did a bit of theatrics with the bouquet, tossing it first back and forth to each other, and at the climax of the song, they tossed it out into the crowd of single women. My eldest stepdaughter Hannah was the lucky gal who caught the bouquet.

The garter-tossing event was the kick-off for their wedding dance and just as theatrical. Caleb and Bambi had collected a montage of fun music videos to be played during the wedding dance. Nester had hung several projection screens in the ballroom and in the turret that I called the dance circle. Cleverly, he flipped a few switches and pushed some buttons, and the videos began playing simultaneously on all of the screens at once.

The very first song was a cute song called “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes.” All of the young people were on the floor dancing, including Jedidiah’s little nieces and nephews and our grandson, Simon. It was a delightful song and elevated the already jolly mood to an overflowing state of exuberance. Hannah, Heather, Jude, Beck, Jade, and Graham were all dancing in a sort of circle dance, making it impossible to know whose partner was whose. Bambi was in the center of their circle, taking off layers and layers of ruffles as she spun around, until she ended with only a miniskirt! Apparently her gray satin gown’s ruffles had been attached with Velcro.  Her legs were clad in sparkly silver tights, and even though she was a bit less bride-like, she was unquestionably able to dance more freely. High on her left leg was a bright-green garter, and as the song progressed toward the end, Caleb shimmied into the circle and began to shimmy the garter slowly down his bride’s leg until at the finale of the song, he scooped his bride up into his arms, and bending her leg up toward his mouth, he used his teeth to remove it.

He gracefully set her down, and then he sat down on the floor of the dance floor, and with a push of his shoulders, his bride set him into a spin. When he stopped, he flung the garter out into the crowd. It was my son, Jude, who was the lucky recipient of that flung garter!

So if there was any truth to the adage that those who catch the bride’s bouquet and garter will be the next ones to be married, we’d be having more family weddings soon!

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You can get your pre-release copy of Goldstone Weddings at my booksigning on Saturday July 27 at The Sequel at 1634 Railroad Street, Enumclaw WA.  I will be there from 1-3 doing book-signings and meeting with the fair-goers during Enumclaw's Street Fair.

http://marilynwhite.tateauthor.com

Goldstone Weddings is also available from www.tatepublishing.com.  After the official release date of October 1, it will be available from other booksellers, both locally and online.