Happily Ever After…

Finding the love of your life can prove quite a challenge for many people, but when that Mr. or Mrs. Right finally comes along, one often feels as if they have struck pure gold.  I met a dear friend of mine, Dena, over 10 years ago when she was visiting LA in hopes of moving here.  After a harrowing car ride on LA’s busy, crisscrossing highways in which she kept reassuring me that she had a valid driver’s license (even though she didn’t even own a car and never drove thanks to great East Coast public transport), we were bonded for life.   As our friendship blossomed, we shared more and more of our heart’s desires with each other.  One of her greatest dreams saw her saying “I do” to a man who would love and cherish her until the end of time.  Over the years, I have heard the stories of different guys who caught her eye, the thrill of first dates, and the heartaches of break-ups.  Thankfully, though, this story has an incredibly happy ending as Dena found a man who saw not only her gorgeous exterior but also the beautiful woman inside…and he adores her. 

Ken and I felt honored to share in an intimate wedding this past weekend overlooking Laguna Beach and joined in with most of the guest in dabbing our eyes thanks to numerous tender moments.  Although the ceremony had many traditional aspects, it also introduced us to some unique moments which we decided other weddings should incorporate.  The couple faced us so that we could see their expressions and emotions rather than the backs of their heads.  Rather than a “sermon” presented by the minister (who felt he had given enough “marriage talks” to the couple during pre-marital counseling), he read answers that the couple gave about how they met, when they fell in love, and how they got engaged...of which their answers had us all joyously laughing and tenderly tearful at the same time.  And at the reception, the bride did not throw a bouquet.  Instead, she stood in the middle of a circle of the single ladies, closed her eyes and played musical gift bag.  Basically, when the “Isn’t She Lovely” song stopped playing, whomever the bride was facing received a bag filled with girlie party favors…no women knocking each other down in hopes of grabbing at least a piece of a flower to show that the next wedding belonged to her. 

 The icing on the cake came when I got to help provide a way for the bride to have her cake and eat it too.  She has a lot of food allergies, and so the traditional cake she ordered for everyone else would not work for her.  I told her about a bakery that I treat myself to occasionally which uses "dietary issue friendly" ingredients like gluten free flour, agave sweetener, etc.  She ordered a small cake which Ken and I picked up on our way to the wedding that she, a vegan friend, and I savored.  Ken shared a bit of my slice and said that he actually liked the special cake better than the regular cake.  When I saw the look on Dena’s jubilant face as she took a bite, I knew that this cake added the perfect finishing touch to an already amazing celebration for her.

 

I’ve delighted in sharing this life adventure with my precious friend and to see her love story unfold to her “happily ever after”!