I performed my first wedding yesterday.
The bride and groom (Brigitte and Brian) invited immediate family only. As we happened to be hosting another retreat for A Mother's Rest the couple also expanded their guest list sevenfold as every mom in house wanted to wish them well. By sheer coincidence, Brigitte is also a registered caregiver with A Mother's Rest. She had selected Scarborough Inn as her venue without even knowing we were an affiliate B&B of theirs.
I was asked to be myself. I donned my finest cargo pants, my best work gloves, my least-worn-out flip flops, and of course my Panama hat.
I was also asked to say a few words. I don’t like making speeches. I do like making T-shirts.
My speech, in heat-transfer-vinyl-logo form:
Today is exactly 10,000 days after Brigitte and Brian first met. That’s also the name of a Tool album, which is where I got the logo in the lower right corner.
The very first words Brian ever uttered to Brigitte 27 years ago were: hello, beautiful.
They say the stars keep aligning for them, hence the stars in the lower left. After having lost touch with each other for 20+ years, Brian called Brigitte out of the blue. They both happened to be in Elkton, MD, a town neither of them is from. So I included the road sign for Exit 109A Elkton.
The Song of Solomon holds special meaning to them. The verse on the front of the shirt is from a photo I took of a tattoo Brian has on his forearm. It reads, “I have found the one whom my soul loves.”
They’re both Penn State fans. Hence the Nittany Lion.
They're both Winnie the Pooh fans, hence Pooh. The ceremony also featured a reading of A. A. Milne’s famous poem.
I wasn’t sure where they stood on Tigger. But I included him so the back could read, “Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!”
And now they’re happily married. I’d like to wish Brigitte and Brian a happy one-day anniversary and a happy 10,001st day since Brian’s first “hello, beautiful.”
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Link to Memories by Maria Photography: memoriesbymariaphotography.com