A Reception To Remember

The rituals of summer have begun. There are vacations, reunions, and if your mailbox is as full as mine, an on-going string of wedding receptions to attend.

We all know the reception ritual well…buy and wrap a gift, dress in something uncomfortable, and be ready to stand in a LONG line most of the evening chatting with strangers. If you have the stamina to “hang in there,” you will eventually be able to wish the bride and groom well, shake hands with a few more strangers, revive yourself with some cold punch and a treat or two dipped in the chocolate fountain, then head for home.

It’s all pretty predictable stuff for the most part, unless you happen to be the parents of the bride or groom. In that case a reception can become anything but simple and predictable. From the moment your daughter comes home with a ring on her finger, be prepared to have the next few months of your life turned upside down.

I should know. Each July brings back memories of the July reception we hosted in our own yard when our daughter was married over ten years ago. Being a family of builders, artists, gardeners, musicians, and die-hard DO IT YOURSELFERS you can only imagine the creative juices that began to flow when my daughter shared with us her vision of the perfect garden reception. I’m sure my future son in law wondered what kind of creative torrent he had unleashed by asking my daughter to marry him. It was like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, once it got started there was no stopping, just full speed ahead and hang on for the ride!

Our trouble was that we probably had TOO much time to plan and prepare. With each passing week the reception became bigger and more complex, until by July the event had become larger than life itself. Our plans grew to include the partial relandscaping of our half acre yard, the building of a gazebo, (so the string quartet had a place to play,) a new trellis, beds and containers of flowers, paths lined with lanterns, a wedding cake, tables and chairs for the refreshment area, entertainment, etc.,etc,etc. Not only did we have to visualize and create this wonderland, we also had to plant, weed, water, and maintain it until the 16th of July! This included the daily chasing out of squirrels, dogs and neighborhood kids…. exhausting work. All this, while knowing that even after all the work, a chance thunder shower might show up the evening of the reception and ruin everything.

We were lucky! It was ultimately worth all the effort, sweat, and tears, as the night came off without a hitch, and surpassed even my daughter’s expectations. The day after the wedding no one had the energy to pull one more weed or plant one more flower….and no one cared. The yard had reached it’s zenith that night, never to return. After such a monumental effort, we all lost interest and ignored it the rest of the summer.

Now, if you value the preservation of your sanity over that of your bank account you will do the sensible thing. The minute your daughter announces her engagement you will get in the car and drive straight to the nearest reception center. After handing over your life’s savings, and aside from being broke, your stress and worry will be gone. About all you have left to do is get the couple married and show up at the reception center. They will do the rest, from set up to clean up. It’s simple and it’s sane.

Still, there’s something alluring about a garden reception in your own yard. If you really have your heart set on an outdoor reception but lack the space, there is an alternative. You might be able to find a friend with a beautiful yard who is gullible (I mean generous) enough to share.

My friend and former neighbor, Marilyn, is just such a person. Generous to a fault, she is constantly hosting parties and events of all kinds in her yard. Because she lives on several acres of land in a rural segment of the suburbs she has the perfect property for hosting a crowd. The house and yard are set back from the street by a long drive through, with the barn and roping arena at the back of the property. It is a beautiful setting and ideal for entertaining.

Just last summer she offered to share her yard for the wedding reception of a friend. It was truly an elegant affair and decorated to perfection with gorgeous flowers, food, and Marilyn’s special creative flair. Paper lanterns hung from strings, creating just the right ambience and setting the yard aglow with a magical touch.The evening was going nicely. All the guests were enjoying the food, company, and setting as the summer twilight began to lend a soft light to the event .As the sun began to set, everyone thought the evening was coming to a perfect end. Little did they know the party had just begun!

The surprises began when one of the grandsons got bored and decided to wander down by the horse arena to see what he could find. And find he did…a five foot long, wider than your hand, big old blow snake! He coiled it around his neck and headed back to the party to show off. Needless to say, it got mixed reactions from the guests…everything from amazement to shock and horror. It just wasn’t what you expected to sit by at a wedding reception.

Just as Marilyn was trying to calm the astonished guests and talk the boys into taking their new friend back to wherever it came from…hopefully to a galaxy far, far away…she heard a fearful sound. At that very moment three long horned steers from her husbands roping arena crashed through a partially opened gate and stormed through the party. It all happened so fast. People were running every which way in shock; some to get away from the wild steers, and others to chase them down.

The loose steers thundered through the crowd and headed for the street, creating chaos in their wake. The snake, by this time was all but forgotten, as the cowboys in the crowd ran after the steers, and the women ran for their lives. It was like a scene from one of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows!

By this time it was getting dark, and three loose steers wandering the roads in different directions can be a dangerous and deadly thing when you mix in people and traffic. Most of the men went home to saddle up their horses and join in the round up. Several hours later, the cattle were safely back in their pen, the guests had made their way home, the bride and groom were off on their honeymoon, and no one knows what ever happened to the snake.

WOW! WHAT A PARTY! And I thought all wedding receptions were the same. Not this one…. excitement, drama, suspense, and unsurpassed entertainment, including a reptile show, a rodeo and a full fledged cattle drive! Talk about a good time!

All I can say is that if you are looking for something “out of the ordinary” in the way of a wedding reception, call my friend Marilyn. (Phone number unlisted by her request.)

Oh…..and be sure to invite me!