Karen's vision of a beach wedding was all about the sunset. Karen's family has a beach house in Seacrest Beach, just up the street from Seaside Beach, so they've spent many evenings watching the amazing sunsets drop below the surface of the gulf. Karen and I rented houses in the same line of houses on Seabreeze Trail next to her parent's beach house. Our plan was to make it as convenient for our families to get to know each other as possible. To date our families have never met and were anxious to see how their future son and daughter became the people they are. Her parents are from Florida and mine are from Indiana.
The neighborhood is a string of 12 houses all three stories with balconies with fabulous ocean views. Karen's parent's house is known as the Ivory Tower, a fitting name because of the color and the height that the house towers over the gulf shore below.
After spending the previous couple of days enjoying the beach with my family and Karen's the morning of the wedding, September 30th, 2006, has arrived. How many times did I get asked, "are you nervous"? Not me, I'm marrying the woman I was meant to be with.
My best man, Chris (my brother), and my groomsmen, Mark and Scott, two of my best buddies, arrived right on time. We were expecting the photographer to appear for photographs of the preparation, an hour goes by an no photographer. The photographer is late, we're disappointed because our time is dwindling. Luckily Chris has brought the beer to help calm the nerves and pass the time.
Finally the photographer shows and its off to getting our pictures taken. Our good luck was it is a bright beautiful day, unfortunately, it is a bright day, so sunglasses are a requirement.
The time has come to leave for the Seaside Pavilion where the wedding will be performed by my Aunt Doris from Indiana. The Seaside Pavilion is adjacent to the beach, wind is lightly blowing, and the temperature is very comfortable. There couldn't have been a more beautiful day any where in the world and this is the day Karen's has envisioned a million times (if not more).
As we approach the Pavilion we start to see some of the guests. Early arrivals to see Karen and I tie the knot on the most perfect day ever. The wedding planner lead us behind one of the buildings in downtown Seaside where a table (with an umbrella) and chairs were waiting for me. Chris pulled out the beer, and we relaxed while the guests were escorted to the Pavilion and seated.
Am I nervous? Boy am I. In front a crowd of people I have to remember my lines without stumbling. We have some kind sand ceremony, that I know nothing about, since candles on the beach just don't seem to work. You know wind the beach dont' quite mix with candles.
The time has come, holy um... cow, here we are minutes before becoming one of those old married guys, a member of "the club". Now I have to walk to front, step, step, I have to do this right, step. The Pavilion is decorated with flowers on all of the rails and beautiful plants at the front where the ceremony will be ocurring. There are windsurfers in the background jumping waves and doing flips. We can even see someone flying a kite as they run allong the beach. Wow, what a perfect day.
Its nice having my aunt at the front smiling at me, trying to keep my heart rate down to the point where I won't passout. And then the music begins, we all know the music. Those of us who are married know it as the sound of the count down, those who aren't married yet know it as the music of the "hmm someday".
I see Karen arrive at the top of the steps of the Seaside Pavilion, wow, she looks amazing. In her white gown and vail. What an image, the look on my face had to be one of those images of a lifetime. The only thing on my mind at that moment is wow, she looks great. And she's going to be my wife!
The walk to the front seems to take forever, but she finally makes it. And Aunt Dottie begins with the service. The ceremony was amazing and very thoughtful. It brought almost everyone, including me, to tears.
I was so moved by the whole event I could barely say my vows, but we got through it some how. I do!
Wow, I'm married, its finally over and just beginning!
We're escorted past the alter to a special little place behind the Pavilion surrounded by bushes we sneak a kiss just before the wedding party break out the drinks to toast the event. We've had so much fun together preparing for this moment and it all has gone more perfectly that anyone could imagine.
Time for photographs and we had better hurry. The sun is setting very quickly. As we walk onto the beach the sun is already beginning to turn a beautiful reddish-orange. Two other wedding parties invaded our space behind the Seaside Pavilion trying to get the best view of the sunset behind their wedding party.
Almost a year later we're still waiting on the final copies of the wedding pictures. Stay tuned.
Mike Lawell is a full time SQL Server database developer and part time web developer. He is also owner of the Vacation Rental Search website where you can search for inexpensive vacation rentals.
His professional website can be found at http://www.lawelltech.com
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