Wedding Season 2009 officially opened for me last night, as I performed a short, wonderful ceremony at the Wildflower Center. It was pretty darn chilly (I think the string quartet was less than pleased about this), but as I pointed out to the congregation, at least it wasn't 110 degrees, which can be at least as bad. I'm pretty psyched about being rather heavily booked for the year-- though I still have plenty of openings so if you know someone who needs an officiant please send them my way. And while performing weddings isn't totally recession proof-- some couples are, I think, shying away from my fee-- folks still keep getting hitched and that's good news for me. Not just in the finances department but also because I get to spend my weekends driving around the Hill Country to gorgeous locations, making people very happy and, when I have the time and appetite, eating some mighty fine food.
Last night, after the ceremony, I hauled ass over to the Paramount to catch the Eggmen play a show with the McCallum High School Orchestra. It was a fundraiser for the latter, which will be performing at Carnegie Hall and so they're raising cash for the trip. The house was packed and it was a lovely show. My friend John, aka Basil, was front and center and watching him I had a favorite wedding memory.
Back in 2007, I was just reeling from my now ex-husband's big, cowardly and sudden exit from our marriage. He had a couple of choices as far as I could see-- he could step up and work on things and ask his violent children to knock off their dangerous behavior (targeted at me and my dogs) or he could slink away. Away he slunk. I wasted a hell of a lot of time missing him, wanting him back, and not able to face the truth that he was beyond wrong for me, another version of my father, another repeat in a pattern I'd repeated for decades.
It was particularly hard performing weddings in the months immediately following the walkout and then the divorce. So sometimes, I'd bring a friend along to help me keep my head in the game. I especially liked borrowing my friends' husbands. Which brings me back to John aka Basil.
As it happened, a wedding I performed just about a month post-divorce had a lot of Beatles' references and a Beatles' cover band. So I figured John would be a most excellent date. And I was so right. Not only did he keep me laughing with his asides, but he caused a bit of a stir just by showing up. Quite often I get recognized out in public. Not just for my writing. Sometimes folks know me as Henry's mom, or as their kids' fearless camp leader, or as an officiant they saw at an earlier wedding. But at this wedding, no one seemed to know me, which was fine. But more than a few people -- remember, there were a lot of Beatles fans at this ceremony-- knew John from his Eggmen gigs. And they were as thrilled as if the real John, Paul, George or Ringo was in attendance. Most hilarious.
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