August 8th - Wedding in Birmingham

Between you and I, lies an exquisite ache, a satisfying hunger, insanity with a purpose and abiding adoration. For all of these things, I am thankful....*

In all honesty, weddings and wedding related acitivities (except for consummating) tend to rate really high on my "sucks-a-lot" meter. Out of the seven events I've attended, only two have not made me want to throw back my head and scream repeatedly while clawing desperately at the heavens. It just seems that I've witnessed an unfair amount of tomfoolery for such a life-changing occassion. There was the groom that had to be prodded to say "I do" to a woman with whom he had four children; the drunken minister who was given the task of announcing the location of the reception; the wedding participants who seemed to have no respect for the concept of time limits; and finally the 75 year old grandmother who backed that thang up with the ferocity of a meth-addicted stripper in a great deal of debt. Not to mention the so-called "dry" weddings. (Two people are deciding to literally attach themselves at the hip in every way conceivable and not one person needs to take a shot? Please!) Nevertheless, the older I get, the more weddings to which I get dragged. I see no end in sight.

This particular wedding was really nice and even relaxing for a change. We drove from Atlanta to Birmingham singing along to Nat King Cole's Re: Generations and Common's Like Water for Chocolate. We enjoyed the beautiful Alabaman scenery with its many trees and lakes. We celebrated the thought of a night without the company of a perpetually cheery dog and two contemptuous cats. We marvelled at how life has changed much since the carefree days of college. We discussed the challenges of politics inside and outside of the African-American community. We practiced using Irish accents. We talked about finding somewhere to eat some BBQ.

The wedding itself was beautiful. Not because of the decorations or the color scheme, but more so because of the joy in the air. With some couples, you just know they are going to be okay. You can feel that they are making the right decision. You understand that you are witnessing the real thing. It was comforting to see the bride and groom exchange their vows with big, bright smiles on their faces. At the dessert reception (which is a very smart idea) we took in the scenery. It was held at Rucker Place at Five Points South. There was a trio of musicians in the corner covering Stevie Wonder hits and old jazz standards. A mixture of generations filled the room, snacking on chocolate covered strawberries and sipping sweet tea. Again, it was nice. Touching even.

After leaving the festivities, we'd planned to hit the streets of Birmingham and cut the proverbial rug. However, after dining at Outback Steakhouse and making the acquaintance of a woman possessing both an Australian and Southern accent (very strange), we decided that we couldn't resist the lure of cable television in a quiet, climate-controlled hotel suite. We stayed up until 3:00am being utterly confused by the Japanese animation on Adult Swim and prodded by the plethora of sales pitches on the barrage of infomercials.

*For T.C.