UNTIL DEATH DO YOU PART . . . AND BEYOND

Let me preface this by saying that the names have been changed to protect the innocent – if there are any.

Last Saturday night, Hubby and I attended the wedding of our neighbor and her boyfriend. I have attended quite a few weddings but this was without a doubt the most fun wedding I have ever experienced and one I will never forget.

The wedding took place in a local park and was officiated by an Elvis impersonator/minister. He arrived in a pink 1959 Cadillac and in full Elvis attire. The bride was escorted by her shih tzu, Zac, who was appropriately dressed in a little doggie tuxedo. Seven bridesmaids, a flower girl, and a ring bearer served as attendants.

The bride wore a red and black lace dress, black fishnet hose, a red veil and Birkenstocks. The bridesmaids wore dresses of their choice but all wore matching black fishnet hose. The first bridesmaid to lead the processional was Mandy, a tall slender woman in a beautiful pink lace dress. I had never seen Mandy before and thought she was a striking woman with beautiful blond hair and nice makeup. Most of the other attendants I had met at the bachelorette party and found them to be delightful, creative, and witty.

The bride and groom exchanged their personal marriage vows and I noticed that everyone gathered around had big smiles on their faces and some even had tears of joy in their eyes, including me. Immediately after pronouncing the couple as man and wife, Elvis went to the microphone and sang a couple of Elvis songs. We applauded him because he was quite good and after telling the audience, "thank you, thank you very much", Elvis left the building and sped away in his pink Cadillac.

After the ceremony, H pulled me aside and whispered that Mandy is not all she appears to be. Mandy is really a man. Okay, so that explained a few things. Moments later, I stood next to Mandy in the buffet line and commented to her that I really liked her dress. Mandy turned to me and in a deep voice replied, "thank you".

After a wonderful meal, the guests danced to good old rock & roll music, ate wedding cake, drank beer, mingled, and chatted.

I am sure we would all agree that marriage is a serious commitment, however, I believe that a solemn and formal wedding ceremony isn’t mandatory. The bride and groom celebrated their love and future lives together with their beloved friends in their own quirky way. They threw one hell of a party and I was glad to be included in the happy occasion.

Here’s to the newlyweds. May you live long and prosper and may you love each other until death and beyond.