Starbody

Well wishers blow bubbles to the bride and groom.

The long awaited event finally occurred two weeks ago on a sunny afternoon out on Whidbey Island. My little sister (though, admittedly, not so little anymore) was married to her boyfriend of 2+ years in a small, simple, beautiful ceremony in the garden of the farmhouse they had rented. There was the usual chaos that comes with a wedding (especially since there was lots of help) from figuring out where the food should be placed, to putting together flowers, to realizing that the groom has just been stung several times by bees (another story).

Thankfully, amidst the chaos, my sister and I managed to steal an hour or so of solitude up in her room. I have to say it’s funny how easily we slip into our younger selves. When we were younger, we would spend hours lying in bed together laughing at things that no one else would think were funny. Our father died when I was young (12) and she was clearly younger (6), so we spent a lot of time leaning on each other. My sister is a very private person and has always struggled with talking about deeper feelings, but this is something she has always done with me. And through the years, though we’ve changed and we don’t spend as much time together, the talking and the laughter is something we continue to do. It’s a connection we have that says more than just the topic we’re laughing about. In many ways, it’s an understanding and acknowledgment of how well we know each other.

And so we found ourselves lying in the giant bed together, talking and laughing about the days events and pretending that she wasn’t going to get married in one hour’s time until her friend Jessica (her other bridesmaid) joined us and continued in the laughter. If it hadn’t been for the fact that time was whizzing by, I do believe we would have laid there for hours. Instead, I did her hair and makeup while Jessica and I both fended off random questions and well-meaning photographers (”No, you will not photograph her in her underwear.”). There was quite a bit of running back and forth and a little bit of eyelash application under pressure (which is a lot like parallel parking … if you don’t get it right the first time … it can be the death of you). And suddenly, voila, it was time and we were all standing on the patio waiting for our cue to walk down the aisle. I have to add in that as I walked down with Nathan’s brother, D (who hadn’t seen me all day) had yelled out a very plaintive “Mama!” to the amusement of the guests. 

Sunni and Nathan walk towards their new life.

The ceremony was quick and charming and the reception was filled with dancing, speechmaking (myself included!) and the general enjoyment of celebrating together with family and friends. And now, my sister is officially a married woman!