Saturday, June 28th, 2008 at 5PM Justin and I were to be married in a park called Central Park in Schenectady, NY. Justin, my parents and I had been planning this wedding since August of 2006, almost two years ahead of the date. We had changed our ceremony plans a few times. First we were to be married at our old church but then decided that we should get married outside. We finally decided on Central Park because it had a beautiful Rose Garden and it was just very quaint. It wasn't too flashy and it was somewhat not the center of attention in the park. The next problem to deal with was Plan B. If you get married outside you must have a Plan B. The one we choose was a tent that could cover everyone and provided chairs and if we needed it walls.
Unfortunately the day of the Wedding the Tent company was no where to be found. At first this was no problem because at the very least it was not raining, but there was a chance it could and we had no chairs for our 125 guests. I was about to leave and so were my bridesmaids when it started to rain. We had no idea what to do. My pastor, Justin Moffa
tt from Christ Church NYC was calling me and telling me it was raining there as well. The guests were there and so were the Groomsmen by this time. Everyone was getting rained on and no one knew what to do. There was a few ideas jumping around by this point. One do it anyway in the rain with umbrellas. Two get married somewhere else like my reception site. Or three wait out the rain and see if it will pass. At first we said let's call Mallozzi's, my reception site. So on my 40 minute ride I didn't know if I was driving to the park or to the reception hall. I also had heard that the musicians could not play or use equipment in the rain. People were scrambling to do whatever they could. I know that the musicians tried to be put in the back of a SUV I believe so they could play. Carrie had many umbrellas to give out. Then it stopped raining so we were going to try to do it anyway at the park.I was driving to the ceremony site and then got the call that they finally showed up.
The tent company was seven hours late! Well people were so mad at them when they got out of their truck. My sister in law, Amanda really gave them a talking to and I know some were cursing as well...no names. Amanda ordered them to set up the chairs as fast as they could. The moment my dad got there he left me in the car and ran over to the tent people. All I can say is there was a lot of hand motions and yelling. Or as Justin Moffatt said "there is a room full of angry Italian people.." lol My mom arrived and started setting up the table with the unity candle and Mrs. Leece helped her do that. My friends helped put the chairs up and because they were so dirty they started wiping them down. Everyone was working together to try to make the day still a good day for me and Justin. I knew the people helping really loved us and were truly expressing that, that day. But unfortunately it was getting late and then it started to rain again. Then Justin said maybe we should go to Mallozzi's and asked me if I rather be inside or outside. Mallozzi's had an outdoor area that was cover fortunately. Justin Moffatt coordinated this whole thing so that we all would be moving over there and no one would be left behind. My dad and me left as soon as we heard that and were the first ones to arrive at Mallozzi's to be rushed off to a separate room. When I arrived they said don't worry about a thing and brought me to a small room in the back to wait for the ceremony to start. The only problem with the Mallozzi's area is that there would be no chairs for anyone, they would have to stand. I felt terrible at first. I knew some of these guests and I knew that they must of been mad or upset about the rain and now they would have to stand. Although I know some did complain quite a bit, most did not or at least not to me. Most people were concerned for me and how I was doing. I felt so good to see my Bridesmaids come into the room with me then and even better when they brought us Champagne! My Bridesmaids really helped me and kept me calm and for that I love each of them even more than before. Justin Moffatt came in and wanted to ask if I wanted the ceremony cut down due to the time constraints. I thought about it for a second and decided that I had waited all this time and all these years for this one ceremony and if it meant cutting in on Cocktail Hour than so be it.
Justin and I had really sat down and made this ceremony full of purpose. We had decided that because of our relationship with Christ that we would like to share some things with the attendants. I wanted all of them to know two things really: God loved them and the He died for them. Justin Moffatt got the opportunity to share the Good News with our loved ones in his sermon and we got to in some personal writings that were in the program. There was a section about Justin and I and our relationship and then a section on God and knowing Him. I'm not sure if anyone really read that or remembered what Justin Moffatt said that day, but no one can say that they didn't see God's love that day. So many people poured love into a bad situation. When the chips were down my friends and family really came through. They did it because they loved me but also because they have something that is unconditional, Christ's love. After the Wedding was over I realized that it was all for a bigger reason. All along I had wanted people to know the LORD but perhaps all this happened so that they cannot just hear it but see it lived out through others.
When I walked down that aisle it didn't matter where I was or what had happened, I was going to marry my best friend and my true love. God had sent us to each other and had gave us perseverance to get through our five and seven month courtship. I loved walking down the aisle with my father and seeing all my loved ones surrounding me during the ceremony. Everyone was there from my parents to grandparents to people that have known me since I was tiny to the people that saw me go through puberty. All these people were there to see Justin and I because we love each other and because they love us. There was something about the rain falling in the distance, all my loved ones around and this final step that just brings me to tears even now.
Although so many were worried that perhaps I was terribly upset and would never get over it to them I would say this was one of the Best days of my whole life. I have never felt as loved as I did that day, which is kind of ironic when you think about it because that is what the day is all about. But I not only felt love for and from my groom but everyone in the room. God had given me a magnify glass to see all these relationships that I had over the twenty-t
wo years of my life. These people had seen me in some of my best and worse times. God really made me feel loved that day. He gave me family and friends that have loved me and now a new family including a husband that shows me Christ's love everyday. I want to personally thank the groomsmen and the bridesmaids for supporting Justin and I through the whole day. Amanda and Justin Moffatt for coordinating the Wedding during this dark time. Corie my photographer and the musicians for staying and never complaining. All my friends that helped set up the ceremony site. My parents and Justin's for trying and succeeding in making our Wedding day the best possible day. And anyone else I have forgotten that was a major help to me or someone else that day. I just want to say thank you and I love you all.
Unfortunately the day of the Wedding the Tent company was no where to be found. At first this was no problem because at the very least it was not raining, but there was a chance it could and we had no chairs for our 125 guests. I was about to leave and so were my bridesmaids when it started to rain. We had no idea what to do. My pastor, Justin Moffa
tt from Christ Church NYC was calling me and telling me it was raining there as well. The guests were there and so were the Groomsmen by this time. Everyone was getting rained on and no one knew what to do. There was a few ideas jumping around by this point. One do it anyway in the rain with umbrellas. Two get married somewhere else like my reception site. Or three wait out the rain and see if it will pass. At first we said let's call Mallozzi's, my reception site. So on my 40 minute ride I didn't know if I was driving to the park or to the reception hall. I also had heard that the musicians could not play or use equipment in the rain. People were scrambling to do whatever they could. I know that the musicians tried to be put in the back of a SUV I believe so they could play. Carrie had many umbrellas to give out. Then it stopped raining so we were going to try to do it anyway at the park.I was driving to the ceremony site and then got the call that they finally showed up.The tent company was seven hours late! Well people were so mad at them when they got out of their truck. My sister in law, Amanda really gave them a talking to and I know some were cursing as well...no names. Amanda ordered them to set up the chairs as fast as they could. The moment my dad got there he left me in the car and ran over to the tent people. All I can say is there was a lot of hand motions and yelling. Or as Justin Moffatt said "there is a room full of angry Italian people.." lol My mom arrived and started setting up the table with the unity candle and Mrs. Leece helped her do that. My friends helped put the chairs up and because they were so dirty they started wiping them down. Everyone was working together to try to make the day still a good day for me and Justin. I knew the people helping really loved us and were truly expressing that, that day. But unfortunately it was getting late and then it started to rain again. Then Justin said maybe we should go to Mallozzi's and asked me if I rather be inside or outside. Mallozzi's had an outdoor area that was cover fortunately. Justin Moffatt coordinated this whole thing so that we all would be moving over there and no one would be left behind. My dad and me left as soon as we heard that and were the first ones to arrive at Mallozzi's to be rushed off to a separate room. When I arrived they said don't worry about a thing and brought me to a small room in the back to wait for the ceremony to start. The only problem with the Mallozzi's area is that there would be no chairs for anyone, they would have to stand. I felt terrible at first. I knew some of these guests and I knew that they must of been mad or upset about the rain and now they would have to stand. Although I know some did complain quite a bit, most did not or at least not to me. Most people were concerned for me and how I was doing. I felt so good to see my Bridesmaids come into the room with me then and even better when they brought us Champagne! My Bridesmaids really helped me and kept me calm and for that I love each of them even more than before. Justin Moffatt came in and wanted to ask if I wanted the ceremony cut down due to the time constraints. I thought about it for a second and decided that I had waited all this time and all these years for this one ceremony and if it meant cutting in on Cocktail Hour than so be it.
Justin and I had really sat down and made this ceremony full of purpose. We had decided that because of our relationship with Christ that we would like to share some things with the attendants. I wanted all of them to know two things really: God loved them and the He died for them. Justin Moffatt got the opportunity to share the Good News with our loved ones in his sermon and we got to in some personal writings that were in the program. There was a section about Justin and I and our relationship and then a section on God and knowing Him. I'm not sure if anyone really read that or remembered what Justin Moffatt said that day, but no one can say that they didn't see God's love that day. So many people poured love into a bad situation. When the chips were down my friends and family really came through. They did it because they loved me but also because they have something that is unconditional, Christ's love. After the Wedding was over I realized that it was all for a bigger reason. All along I had wanted people to know the LORD but perhaps all this happened so that they cannot just hear it but see it lived out through others.
When I walked down that aisle it didn't matter where I was or what had happened, I was going to marry my best friend and my true love. God had sent us to each other and had gave us perseverance to get through our five and seven month courtship. I loved walking down the aisle with my father and seeing all my loved ones surrounding me during the ceremony. Everyone was there from my parents to grandparents to people that have known me since I was tiny to the people that saw me go through puberty. All these people were there to see Justin and I because we love each other and because they love us. There was something about the rain falling in the distance, all my loved ones around and this final step that just brings me to tears even now.Although so many were worried that perhaps I was terribly upset and would never get over it to them I would say this was one of the Best days of my whole life. I have never felt as loved as I did that day, which is kind of ironic when you think about it because that is what the day is all about. But I not only felt love for and from my groom but everyone in the room. God had given me a magnify glass to see all these relationships that I had over the twenty-t
wo years of my life. These people had seen me in some of my best and worse times. God really made me feel loved that day. He gave me family and friends that have loved me and now a new family including a husband that shows me Christ's love everyday. I want to personally thank the groomsmen and the bridesmaids for supporting Justin and I through the whole day. Amanda and Justin Moffatt for coordinating the Wedding during this dark time. Corie my photographer and the musicians for staying and never complaining. All my friends that helped set up the ceremony site. My parents and Justin's for trying and succeeding in making our Wedding day the best possible day. And anyone else I have forgotten that was a major help to me or someone else that day. I just want to say thank you and I love you all.
It was one of the best weddings I've ever been too. Partly because God stripped away everything to make sure that what mattered was at the center. What mattered more than anything was you and Justin making vows in the presence of God in a way that brought the light of Christ to everyone present. I was privileged to be a part of it, Carla.
ReplyDeleteLove to Justin and the family.
Justin.