July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Snapshots of a wedding (07/11/07)
Back in the Saddle
Snapshots of a wedding (07/11/07)
By By JACK RONALD-
After I wrote a column a few months back about my plans to wear a Philippine-style barong at my daughter Emily's wedding, countless folks have stopped me to insist of pictures of the big event.
This will have to suffice.
So, settle in, dim the lights, and prepare for a slide show of images from the big Ronald-Veloso wedding that was the centerpiece of our recent vacation.
Click.
That's a road sign with a complicated wiggle on it, somewhere along route 8A heading south through the Berkshire Mountains to the retreat center where the wedding was held. It was tricky driving in daylight and way too exciting at night. Locals told us it's never used in the wintertime because it's simply too dangerous.
Click.
That's us gathering for the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. The main building at the retreat center looks like something that was designed as the builder went along. If you look up high in the big room where the dinner was held, you'll find an electrical outlet on the wall, about a foot below the ceiling. No one had any idea why the heck it was up there.
Click.
Those are mosquitoes. It was an outdoor wedding, and fortunately the weather cooperated. But while the wedding was in mid-afternoon, the rehearsal was at dusk, prime time for blood-sucking bugs. The couple swatting in the background are the bride and groom.
Click.
Yup. That's me in my barong. It's the morning of the wedding, and I'm sitting on the sofa downstairs while Connie works on the girls' hair-dos upstairs. And, yes, I'm taking a brief nap. Over to the left, the groom and three or four friends are playing a complicated board game, something about robots. The woman passing through is with the retreat center and just said it's the most relaxed pre-wedding scene she's ever encountered.
Click.
Family, family, family. My family, Connie's family, and the Veloso family. Mike's grandmother made the trip all the way from the Philippines for the event. And you'll notice barongs everywhere. Not only were the fathers of the bride and groom wearing them, all of Mike's male relatives were wearing them as well. That's the tradition.
Click.
The bride makes her appearance, standing outside on the deck with the groom. The dress is made from sari material in a brilliant blue with gold accents. Emily designed it, and a friend from her costuming days was constructing it until carpal tunnel became a problem. So Em finished the dress herself. That piece on the bodice was part of Connie's wedding dress. Before that, it was part of my mother's wedding dress. Tradition abounds on both sides of the family, it seems.
Click.
Now we're gathered in the glade where the vows were exchanged. The mosquitoes had relented a bit, though Maggie - who was playing a bridesmaid role for her twin sister - got bitten on the back during the ceremony. The woman in the middle is Rachel, a rabbi in training who served as officiant. She's an old friend of the couple's from college days.
Click.
That's us with Mike's parents, Manny and Emilita. We're pouring water from two pitchers into a single glass as our part of the service.
Click.
The reception, obviously. You can see folks heading out to the dance floor in the background.
Click.
And now it's the toasts. Yup, your eyes aren't deceiving you. The "best man" is actually a "groom's maid." Her name is Allegra and she was Mike's best friend in college. She works as a choral director and right now she's doing the funniest toast I've ever heard. It's set to the tune of "A Modern Major General" by Gilbert and Sullivan, transforming it into, "the very model of a couple matrimonial."
Click.
It's the next morning. The wedding party and many of the couple's friends stayed over night at the retreat center, and the families re-gathered for a Sunday brunch. Connie's over at the left taking fresh muffins out of the oven. I'm over at the right, trying to provide an endless supply of coffee for the masses. You'll notice that the barong has been replaced with something more ordinary. You'll also noticed that I haven't stopped grinning from ear to ear. It was that kind of wedding.[[In-content Ad]]
This will have to suffice.
So, settle in, dim the lights, and prepare for a slide show of images from the big Ronald-Veloso wedding that was the centerpiece of our recent vacation.
Click.
That's a road sign with a complicated wiggle on it, somewhere along route 8A heading south through the Berkshire Mountains to the retreat center where the wedding was held. It was tricky driving in daylight and way too exciting at night. Locals told us it's never used in the wintertime because it's simply too dangerous.
Click.
That's us gathering for the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. The main building at the retreat center looks like something that was designed as the builder went along. If you look up high in the big room where the dinner was held, you'll find an electrical outlet on the wall, about a foot below the ceiling. No one had any idea why the heck it was up there.
Click.
Those are mosquitoes. It was an outdoor wedding, and fortunately the weather cooperated. But while the wedding was in mid-afternoon, the rehearsal was at dusk, prime time for blood-sucking bugs. The couple swatting in the background are the bride and groom.
Click.
Yup. That's me in my barong. It's the morning of the wedding, and I'm sitting on the sofa downstairs while Connie works on the girls' hair-dos upstairs. And, yes, I'm taking a brief nap. Over to the left, the groom and three or four friends are playing a complicated board game, something about robots. The woman passing through is with the retreat center and just said it's the most relaxed pre-wedding scene she's ever encountered.
Click.
Family, family, family. My family, Connie's family, and the Veloso family. Mike's grandmother made the trip all the way from the Philippines for the event. And you'll notice barongs everywhere. Not only were the fathers of the bride and groom wearing them, all of Mike's male relatives were wearing them as well. That's the tradition.
Click.
The bride makes her appearance, standing outside on the deck with the groom. The dress is made from sari material in a brilliant blue with gold accents. Emily designed it, and a friend from her costuming days was constructing it until carpal tunnel became a problem. So Em finished the dress herself. That piece on the bodice was part of Connie's wedding dress. Before that, it was part of my mother's wedding dress. Tradition abounds on both sides of the family, it seems.
Click.
Now we're gathered in the glade where the vows were exchanged. The mosquitoes had relented a bit, though Maggie - who was playing a bridesmaid role for her twin sister - got bitten on the back during the ceremony. The woman in the middle is Rachel, a rabbi in training who served as officiant. She's an old friend of the couple's from college days.
Click.
That's us with Mike's parents, Manny and Emilita. We're pouring water from two pitchers into a single glass as our part of the service.
Click.
The reception, obviously. You can see folks heading out to the dance floor in the background.
Click.
And now it's the toasts. Yup, your eyes aren't deceiving you. The "best man" is actually a "groom's maid." Her name is Allegra and she was Mike's best friend in college. She works as a choral director and right now she's doing the funniest toast I've ever heard. It's set to the tune of "A Modern Major General" by Gilbert and Sullivan, transforming it into, "the very model of a couple matrimonial."
Click.
It's the next morning. The wedding party and many of the couple's friends stayed over night at the retreat center, and the families re-gathered for a Sunday brunch. Connie's over at the left taking fresh muffins out of the oven. I'm over at the right, trying to provide an endless supply of coffee for the masses. You'll notice that the barong has been replaced with something more ordinary. You'll also noticed that I haven't stopped grinning from ear to ear. It was that kind of wedding.[[In-content Ad]]
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