This past weekend MJ and I attended another wedding of a couple that MJ knew from graduate school, part of the backlog of late-pandemic weddings that are happening in the U.S. that were postponed due to Covid-19. It was one of the most Covid-negligent gatherings I've been to, as about 80-90 wedding guests all crowded into the reception venue, indoors, without masks on and danced in a tight circle for up to four hours, not to mention cocktail hour and dining at circular tables facing each other. MJ just got her booster shot this past weekend, so she was sitting pretty and relaxed, but there I was too with just one dose of the measly B- JNJ vaccine to my name, my body still as yet unsullied by Covd-19 (as far as I know). Looking back in a few years, I think this weekend will stick out in our memories as the weekend we really tested the end of Covid-19, if not the wedding 2 weeks before, although that one checked vaccine passports offering a slightly higher level of protection.
Having been to enough weddings, I am now abundantly familiar with the stand fair of the ceremony and the reception and the rough order of events, so there's not many surprises and therefore nothing truly thrilling, like watching different directors' take on the same movie or play/musical, but what I do like is still hearing each couple's stories and how they met each other, and to some extent comparing their stories to the one that MJ and I share. Of course they all leave out the trials and tribulations and the inevitable difficulties that may pop up during a wedding, but that's kind of the beauty of it, knowing that they know there will be rough parts and the "thick" of the phrase "through thick and thin" (or is it the thin part that's the bad part?) but they're willing to commit to getting through those hardships and struggles together. The weddings is the beginning of that journey of some zigs and zags (there can definitely be some stress even in just planning the wedding, from costs, whom to invite, whether to even have the wedding, etc., etc.) but also of some of the best moments that will happen in a couple's life. MJ and I are happy to report that so far all the weddings we've attended have stayed strong and on the path towards "happily ever after...." I think my personal record is also still perfect in that regard (as far as I know, but not sure about some weddings I attended a long time ago), so maybe I'm the lucky charm?
I also like different nuances at weddings showing the couple's style........it's like I'm entering a couple's world for a weekend and exploring all the facets of the world they've decided to show their guests at least for that weekend. (I'm not that crazy about destination weddings as they're not even in the city where the couple is living, but hey that's up to them). Contrasting strongly with the Upper East Side New York City black-tie dress code event 2 weekends ago, this weekend MJ and I made it to the idyllic town/village (not sure how big it is) of Staunton, Virginia, home of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Birthplace, where it felt like everybody in the small town knew each other and the biggest gathering spot for the weekend was the farmer's market. The wedding itself didn't have chocolate fountains, a fancy well-known DJ, or 2 days and nights of eating and drinking to my heart's content (all features of other weddings I have attended) but it had the touch of what the couple was all about, like Taylor Swift music that highlighted a dance playlist that was like the 2012 best hits list, Peruvian food, speeches and dedications in multiple languages, and stories about crushing on Zach Efron, which was what I'll remember about them. Coincidentally, that's also what MJ and I tried to impart to our guests at our wedding that great night 4 years ago, 9/9/2017.... our violins, our ceremony near the beach, some late night snacks, I hope we left an impression on our guests just as the wedding that we attended left an impression on us.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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