How to Throw a Wedding

My nephew Cy and his fiancee Yessenia got married in the Los Angeles area over this past weekend. It was a small wedding, about 60 guests. The families didn’t know each other well. It could have been a quiet, polite, and only slightly dutiful wedding, yet few of us have ever been to such a lovely ceremony followed by an all-out rock-and-roll party of a reception. What a time we had!

Pre-Wedding Festivities

I arrived around midday on Friday, and by the time I was settled, it was time to head to Pasadena for the barbecue and pool party hosted by my daughter Amanda and her husband Jim, held at his mother’s home in Pasadena. It’s a lovely big house that’s in a neighborhood popular with TV producers, very scenic.

Every time the dogs barked, a new family swung through the gate into the back yard. It’s been a few years since we had a family wedding, so there were new children, new dogs, and lots of hugs. Those who could brought food or beverages, and there was plenty for an end of summer barbecue. The weather has been hot in Los Angeles, yet we had a relatively mild afternoon, just warm enough to swim. Most of the cousins, the generation of the groom, came to the wedding, reviving a periodic get-together the dozen or so of them call “Cousin-Palooza.” Those in the wedding party had to leave early in order to get to the rehearsal, while the rest of us stayed on into the late afternoon.

At 8 pm, while the wedding party was still rehearsing, guests were invited to meet in the lobby bar of the Le Meridien, the designated wedding hotel, to meet up with others who came to town for the event. The groom’s family included friends going back as far as elementary school (the best man), high school, and college. There were Creamer aunts and uncles, Greer aunts and uncles, and more cousins. We’ve all met before at funerals and weddings, and lubricated by the generous distribution of drink tickets, the very nice cocktail menu at the Le Meridien, and good company, conversation grew from polite chatter to a roar. A few children braved the celebration with their parents, while adults caught up with family they hadn’t seen for a while. No one made plans for the next day, we all intended to rest before the wedding ceremony. …

I did not stay until the crowd broke up. By the time the wedding party arrived, I was winding down, but I understand the fun continued for quite a while.

The Wedding Ceremony

Yessenia and Cy’s ceremony was held at non-denominational The Santa Anita Church, a beautiful setting. Everyone took photos of everyone before the service began.

L: Father of the groom’s family (Creamer) R: Mother of the Groom’s family (Greer)

I sent the photo of my sisters and brother and I to our mom. At 99, with low vision, mom couldn’t make the trip west, but stayed glued to her zoom screen during the ceremony thanks to the groom’s brother Terry who set it all up. Grandma sent a personal message to the bride and groom.

At the Santa Anita Church, a lovely stained glass window behind the altar looks like feathers or leaves. The officiant led a truly non-denominational ceremony that stressed commitment and kindness. There was no homily, but good advice for us all in the words exchanged by the bride and groom. The young couple chose simple vows, an exchange of roses, and lighting candles as symbols of their shared future. It made a unique and moving wedding.

Reception

The reception that followed the wedding was held in the function room of Raffi’s Catering, not far from the church. The space was just right for our group, and had the bonus of being next door to the kitchen, so the Mediterranean themed food arrived fresh and hot.

The bride and groom arrived, looking as happy as they could possibly be. There were toasts with anecdotes of Cy and Yessenia in earlier days.

The food was delicious, and the people were delightful. Everyone had a chance to relax after the wedding and to move around a bit chatting with others. The next big moment was when the DJ began playing music. The bride and groom had their first dance. There was a mother-son dance, and a father-daughter dance. Next they broke out a few bars of Grandma Jeanne singing “Always” at a previous wedding that segued into Frank Sinatra finishing out the song. It was quite romantic. After that came the rock and roll dance party favorites, and before long, everyone in the room was dancing, from 7 year old Julianne to the over-70 crowd of aunts and uncles (Julianne put us all to shame, of course).

When were you at a wedding when no one was sitting at the tables because we were all on the dance floor? It was as much fun as anything you can imagine.

The groom’s family has a tradition of dancing and singing to “Dancing Queen,” led by the bride and groom standing on chairs. This reception was no exception. A really fun time was had by all. You could call it happy pandemonium. I asked my brother how he managed to stay on his feet and dancing for almost every minute of the reception. Very seriously, he said, “Moments like these don’t come along very often. You have to enjoy it.”