Kathy and I had the pleasure of attending an absolutely fascinating wedding this past Friday. I know the word “fascinating” is not typically used to to describe weddings, and most weddings are just the opposite. But the wedding of our friend Megan Parker was fresh and beautiful and truly uncommon, and we were so glad to be there. Megan is the younger sister of my former voice student/now friend Trevor Parker- and the two of them are about as close and as devoted to one another as a brother and sister can be. But for as much as they are alike in all of the ways that count, it’s neat that Megan did not just set out to make her wedding an echo of Trevor’s wedding to Megan Dieschbourg the summer before last, which was exquisite to the last detail. “This” Megan and her fiance, Drew Maguire, fashioned a wedding that was very much a reflection of themselves and who they are, and it had a unique and beguiling charm all its own.
I’d never heard of the Cuneo Museum and Gardens in Mundelein, Illinois – and was amazed to learn that it’s located just a couple of blocks away from Hawthorn Shopping Mall, where we’ve been a thousand times over the years without ever knowing about this treasure just beyond the trees. It turns out that this is where the movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding” was filmed, and it is hard to imagine a lovelier setting for an outdoor wedding. And fortunately for the young couple and all of us who were in attendance, Mother Nature could not have offered up a more perfect day for this event. . . and wonder of wonders, even the bugs kept their distance (although I suspect this was a matter of some judicious spraying of Deep Woods Off and not just fervent prayer that prevented us from being eaten alive.)
The groom is Irish, and there were some wonderful Irish elements in the service, including Celtic music for the prelude and processional, and the reading of the traditional Irish Blessing (which includes “may the wind be always at your back” but which includes all kinds of other thoughts and images that are ideal for a young couple beginning their life together) by a friend of the family dressed in a kilt – and scrumptious Irish Stew as part of the dinner afterwards. The musicians for the service included a guitarist and fiddler – plus Trevor offered up a nice song called “Today” while the Unity Candle was lit and sang it so beautifully and expressively. But I’m sure even Trevor would have to agree that the musical moment in the service that was the most dramatic and unforgettable came right after the sermon, when Drew surprised Megan (and all of us) with a song. The preacher mentioned as he closed his remarks that when Megan told her folks about the proposal, her mom asked if Drew had serenaded her at all. (He had certainly done everything else you could possibly do to make it an incredibly romantic and wonderful moment.) So this song he sang at the wedding was his way of finally serenading her- and it was such a fun and tender thing for him to do. They wrote their own vows, and their service had all kinds of interesting little touches like a moment early in the service when we were all asked to stand, join hands, and say the Lord’s Prayer, not as the culmination of other prayers preceding it, but as its own stand-alone moment that was quite meaningful. About the only thing I would have changed about the wedding was that it was not easy to hear because of the sound was poorly amplified- but on the other hand there was something kind of neat about having to really sit on the edge of your seat and listen intently, which most of us don’t do often enough. And this was indeed a wedding where you didn’t want to miss a thing. (I found myself silently cursing the nearby ice cream truck, who tinkling rendition of “The Entertainer” was enough to make you swear off Scott Joplin for the rest of your life! – And for that matter, it was a bit frustrating when right after the service concluded, a plane went flying by pulling a banner promoting Shrek: The Musical. But hey, that’s what happens when you have your wedding outside- There’s a whole world that can intrude on the proceedings. In the end, almost nothing at all distracted us from the beauty of the service and the reason we were gathered.)
After the service there was a cocktail hour during which the guests were also invited, if they so desired, to walk through the Cuneo Museum, which is really the Cuneo Mansion that sits at the heart of the grounds and is an amazing example of Old World Splendor. The family was Italian and patterned the home after an Italian-style Villa, complete with inner courtyard- and no words I can write can do justice to this spectacular home.
After that, it was off to the tent and the dinner – and our big moment of panic was when we realized that people were to seat themselves wherever they liked, and since we hardly knew a single soul outside of the Parker family, we were at something of a loss. Because seating was a little tight, I ended up asking a couple at a table for four if they would mind if we joined them. They could not have been more gracious and they turned out to be the parents of the Best Man- and absolutely terrific people. The proceedings got underway with warm words of welcome from the groom’s father, who then invited anyone who knew it to join in the singing of a special table prayer that is a tradition in their home- and evidently in other Irish homes. And then he proceeded to sing “O the Lord is good to me. . . “ which is the Johnny Appleseed Song, which the Bergs have been singing for about as long as I can remember. After that came heartfelt remarks from the proud father of the bride, from Trevor’s wife Megan who was the matron of honor, and from the aforementioned Best Man- all of whom did such a nice job of expressing what makes these two young people so special and so right for each other.
For as great as all that was – and for as delicious as the food was – the highlight of the reception in some ways was a moment that I don’t think most of us were expecting. . . when the entire bridal party got up on the dance floor and proceeded to do an incredibly energetic and carefully choreographed dance. I’m sure a lot of you have seen a now famous video that’s on Youtube of a wedding up in the Twin Cities in which the entire processional was an amazing choregraphed dance – culminating in the entrance of the bride- rather than in the majestic and staid sort of entrance that is traditional. It was fantastic and yet I can’t say that I was thrilled at the notion of a worship service beginning this way. (I guess I’m a bit of stick-in-the-mud.) But doing a similar thing at the reception, as Megan and Drew decided to do, was PERFECT! The song was “ I Gotta Feelin’” by the Black Eyed Peas, who evidently are a music group (I’m sure some of you are rolling your eyes at my ignorance) and although I can’t say that this song is on my iPod, it was just right for this joyous occasion- and what’s more, they did it great. And the second line of the lyrics, “tonight’s gonna be a good night” certainly proved to be true in every possible way.
pictured above: The aforementioned moment when Drew surprised Megan with a serenade in mid-ceremony. . . a very special moment!