“Every wedding needs a good wedding story. You just gave us ours.” Elyssa was crouched down, speaking with her five-year-old nephew. “Promise me you’ll tell at least five people what happened. We want them all to know the story.” He wiped his tears away and promised. There were no raised voices, no bridal tears, no frantic movements or gasps. It was just a ring. A ring of unbroken metal required for the Jewish wedding ceremony. The missing ring did not faze Elyssa or Dee. Only a few minutes earlier, the ring box had been picked up, and the ring tinkled out and fell on the front porch of the Whittemore Robbins House, to then slip ever-so-sneakily in between the slats, and fall down under the porch into the dirt. We tried to spot it from above and couldn’t see it. We tried to spot it from the side, even using our phone flashlights, but the trellised wall was in the way and no one’s arms were long enough or skinny enough to slip through. “The good news is, it’s not lost. We know exactly where it is. We’re not going to retrieve it before the ceremony, so let’s not worry about it.” Guests offered up their bands of unbroken metal, and we were on our way.
These are brides who get it. Who get that a wedding is not just about the day, but about the marriage. About the lifetime together that comes AFTER the day. The happiness of that five-year-old boy mattered more to Elyssa and Dee than the ring. Had they put a lot of thought into the details? Yes. And they were amazing. But they weren’t the be all and end all of the wedding day. They wanted to celebrate with their loved ones. And they got to experience a minor wedding-day miracle – on a day that had been slated for rain all week, we didn’t get a drop. Everything was perfect. Boston food trucks Bon Me and Roxy’s Grilled Cheese served refreshments during cocktail hour. Blue Ribbon BBQ provided the American BBQ dinner. Family and friends had traveled from Europe to wish them well and they danced the night away! And, just as an ending the ring story, the ring was recovered before they Ketubah ceremony started! A happy ending for that story, and a happily ever after for Elyssa and Dee.
