Our large showroom had to be emptied of all the furniture. We stacked everything carefully into our finishing room and locked the doors. Hanging a closed sign outside it was time to set up all the tables for the wedding reception.
Once all the tables were set up we cover them in tablecloths and started setting them with pretty china that we had borrowed from my aunts and uncles. The bridal corner was set with my wedding china and we carefully placed our new chairs behind the table for us to sit on. Everyone else could sit on wooden backless benches but we would have something comfortable.
In the basement we had other tables set up with rows and rows of pie, cake, and pudding waiting to be served the next day. LV and I worked together baking the big wedding cake that would be standing in the corner in front of us. After the cake had cooled we got to frost it. There were no decorations allowed so we simply swirled the frosting to make it look pretty and felt satisfied.
A lot of aunts, uncles, and cousins started arriving from other communities and things started feeling crowded and a little overwhelming. Mom told me to go ahead and enjoy my last day as a single girl that she had enough help to get everything done.
Heading upstairs to my room my cousins and I enjoyed one last gab fest.
When evening came they left, leaving only our family and LV. His mother had sent his specially made new wedding suit over and we decided to have him try it on to make sure it fits.
Slipping into the suit coat we were both horrified at how it fit. The sleeves were much too short and it was big and baggy. Frankly the worst suit coat I had ever seen. There wasn't anything that could be done about the sleeves but I could try to make that it wasn't as baggy. For the next several hours I worked on trying to make that coat fit better. Once I was done it was much better but still far from what we would have liked.
Hanging it into the closet it was time for bed. Morning would be here before we knew it and I didn't want to look tired and frustrated on my wedding day.
A lovely post. Thank you for sharing these memories with us.
ReplyDeletewonderful post. I just started reading your stories and right now I'm on springtime but I have to quit for now but I'm sure i'll catch up.
ReplyDeletethank you
Lol! I think that must happen the day before everyone's wedding, I know it happened to us. My husband's jacket didn't fit and his pants were too long. The company we rented from also sent the wrong style of ties for him and the groomsmen. I wondered if I was going to have a nervous breakdown several times that day....
ReplyDeleteWhat a worry so close to the day. I'm sure you were just as important to each other even with clothes that werent perfect!
ReplyDeleteThe coat - oh no! I am sure that your tailoring skills are far superior to mine, but I might have had to take a moment to dry my tears even if I were a superior tailor faced with a last-minute problem like that!
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband and I got married, we found a great, old-style tuxedo jacket and ruffled shirt that fit him very well. We lacked pants, though, and though we went to resale shop after resale shop we couldn't find pants that fit him (he's slender and of medium height - getting the right waist measurement was the problem).
Finally, I saw some online, but they had been part of a catering company's supply of uniforms and while the inseam length was perfect, the pants weren't hemmed but rather cut with pinking shears. They were the perfect length - hemming them properly would have put them at his ankles! So we just went with the pinked pants and hoped no one noticed.
I love that you baked your wedding cake together and 'decorated' it as much as was allowed.
Wedding traditions in different cultures are so fascinating. My husband's culture views red and gold as auspicious, so his shirt was red and my dress was a wheat/gold color. I would have had a red dress - more traditional - but I couldn't find one to match his shirt and in my own culture making one's wedding dress is considered bad luck.
How nice to be able to enjoy the day talking with your cousins and baking your cake with LV. Pleasant memories, for certain, but after reading your description of LV's coat I have to wonder if "Edith" had a hand in making it or was it just a simple mistake. Can't wait to read more. :)
ReplyDeleteOh dear, what a horrible situation to have to cope with right on your wedding eve. At least you know your dress was perfect.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying your blog so much!
ReplyDeleteJust think of the wonderful memories that were being created that day...
Awww what a shame about the coat. It goes to show that at every wedding there is always a glitch. I just love reading your blog. You are a great writer. Blessings, Joanne
ReplyDeleteNowadays I seem to be attending more funerals than weddings. It's always interesting to see how old everyone looks except for me of course! ... haha :-)
ReplyDeleteTake care and have a nice day :-)
~Ron
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What a thing to be faced with the day before the wedding - UGHHH. I remember when I saw Scott on our wedding day, his pants were a bit on the short side. He didn't seem to mind, but of course I cared at the time. I think I'm over it now. :D
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful that you found me- I've already started reading your stories, and it reminds me how I need to start working on my grandparents' story again.. There is nothing better than a good story, with the exception of a good story based upon truth and personal life :)
ReplyDeleteMy dearest friend grew up Mennonite, and I spent all of my teenage years (both early on, and later) being able to enjoy a simpler life as close as one can get without being mennonite herself (we even attended her mennonite church for quite some time)
My most favorite author is Beverly Lewis- have you read her?
Look forward to reading more Very Very Soon! :)
The day of my wedding my wedding gown gapped badly in the front and I realized the neckline was so low my...ahem...showed! I ran to the store and bought paper flowers to sew down the front to hide the gapping and I found a pretty cotton tucker to wear around my shoulders, tucked into the neckline to help cover any immodesty!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post...thank you for sharing your memories!
ReplyDeleteWe're getting closer and closer to the wedding day! I've enjoyed your writing so much!
ReplyDeletethanks for your comment on my post. your sharing about your life is interesting. I had lived in Penn. and was always interested in the Amish life style. take care. will follow
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. I know I'm going to enjoy reading yours.
ReplyDeleteHow dreadful he must have felt knowing his coat didn't fit him right!
ReplyDelete