MARTHA TELLING KEVIN & BRIDGET'S WEDDING

Just got home from the wedding  a few hours ago so here I am telling for New York State of Mind,  First you must understand that our weddings have no rings, long wedding dresses or veils, no bouquets, flowers, pictures and more.

Bridget wore a grey dress with white kapp (caps) like she would usually wear.  This dress and kapp are worn only twice in her life-her wedding and her funeral. It will be packed away after the wedding.  Kevin wore his first black dress suit with white shirt.  I made that suit for him. It is my first and probably last as Bridget will be making his future suits.

The wedding is held at the home of the bride.  We started work over there days before: cleaning the house, baking the cakes, pies, cookies, chicken, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, salads, and more for the wedding dinner.  Jean wanted to come and help, but we talked her into staying home until the wedding day so she could get moved.  She and her family did come to the wedding.

When they get there, the bride and groom go to a room upstairs with their attendants.  Attendants are two single girls and two single boys that the bride and groom select.  They are family or close friends.  Bridget chose one of her sister's and her closest friend.  Kevin had Erin, his brother, and his closest friend.  The four attendants are considered witnesses of the wedding.  Their other dating couples friends bring up the wedding gifts.  After they bring up the gifts-the girls go in one room and the boys in another.

When the adult guests are seated down stairs each is given a tiny bit of wine to drink and a cookie to eat.  The wine and cookies represent John 2:1 in the bible- Jesus turning the water to wine at the wedding at Cana.  The cookies were star shape.  As in church the men sit on one side of the room and the ladies sit in the other.  Someone has been chosen who calls out the names of the dating couples who come down the stairs together and are seated in a different room than the married couples.  If, say, a single boy comes, but is not dating anyone-the bride and groom will find a single girl about his age who is not dating-which puts the couple together for the rest of the wedding day.  

After everyone is sitting, the ministers and the bride's parents go upstairs for a brief talk with the bride and groom.  After the ministers and bride's parents return-the bride and groom come down the stairs.  The wedding ceremony takes about two hours until the marriage ceremony.  The marriage questions are asked to the bride and groom by the Bishop.  The bride and groom do not recite their vows.  They answer yes to the Bishop's questions.  We believe our marriage ceremony is between the marriage couple and the Lord.  Before the marriage ceremony Jean went into the kitchen to watch it while Bridget's Mother went to see the wedding ceremony.  Many times a Bride's Mother doesn't see the marriage ceremony because she is to busy watching the food cooking in the kitchen for the dinner.  The ceremony ends with the Bishop's blessing, and ministers blessing and prayer. 

There is no announcing the couples married name, no kissing, no hugging, no line or alike.  The bride and groom go upstairs while the men turn the rows into the dining table and chairs, then the ladies dress (table cloths, dishes, silver ware, etc.) the tables.  The bride and groom sit at the head of one of the tables with their attendants on either side while dinner is served. There were about 175 people there so they had to eat in shifts-Bishops, ministers, senior men first, other men second and ladies and children were the third.

After the dinner, the men started everyone singing, while us ladies did the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for the evening meal.  Everyone sang for a couple of hours, when the adult guests and little children leave.  More of Bridget and Kevin's friends came.  Usually at this time, they start singing, games and guests pull some jokes on them,  but we noticed that Bridget and Kevin were going upstairs to change their clothes.  Some of the other guests were changing, too.  We asked Bridget's parents what was happening as we do not have honeymoons.  Bridget's Mother said-the are going skiing.  They changed, went to the barn to get their skiis and set out for Bristol Mountain to ski.  Most of them have worked on their farms or other jobs and haven't had much time to ski since the snow-so they went skiing.  I can't tell you how the skiing went or the dinner.  Bridget and Kevin will have to tell you about that in another post. 

Bridget and Kevin will spend the night at Bridget's parents to help to clean the house, move back the funature, etc. tomorrow.  Then they will come and move into their apartment on our third floor.  They think they are getting just a bedroom and a new bathroom.  We sent Kevin off the last couple weeks during the day to help a friend of ours.  While he was there we and our friends completely remodeled the third floor into an apartment with a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, living room, a bathroom in the master bedroom and another bathroom. We put curtains and shades on the windows.  David,  Jean's husband, was a big help so we will be helping Jean and David move. Also, we moved all Bridget and Kevin's  furniture in the apartment.  So when Bridget and Kevin get here,  tomorrow, they will have surpise when they go up there.

I hope you enjoy reading about the wedding.  Hope I didn't go on to long.  Joseph and I feel older now.  We are seeing our children grow up, and marry.

Be With the Lord,
Martha