The wedding

The last of our much-loved guests have left, the flowers have been sorted through until there are just a few still-presentable beauties, the bottles were recycled, leftovers consumed, and I have just looked at my camera. Daughter J's wedding, already receding in time, was a beautiful dreamy thing that I will always cherish, and even though I managed just a few photographs, well, the day is vivid in my mind. It was two-thumbs-up for her wedding at The Thyme Garden in Alsea, Oregon.
Here are a few details so that you can see too:

There were wedding bells, tiny ones, for every guest.

There was music, a swing band including the father of the bride, my husband.

 The venue was an herbal garden tucked away in Oregon's Coast Range, about 30 minutes from home. It shimmered, buzzing with honeybees, in late summer glory.

 The cake was lemon with cream cheese frosting, decorated with exquisite woodsy sugar-leaves.

 This child scored a fondant acorn and a delicate sugar oak leaf. I feel sure that she will remember these details forever.

 The groom is Canadian, and his mother and aunts baked a fruit cake with caribou, birds, and even Calvin-the-family-dog on top.

 Flowers were brought by the armfuls from the local farmer's market that morning. Dahlias!

 The bride's 2 year-old nephew had a quiet moment with her abandoned bouquet. Where did she go?

 There she is, dancing with her handsome husband...

 ...and (can you believe it?) her 96 year old grandfather. He made the long flight from Chicago to Oregon in fine fettle.

There was a real wedding photographer there, taking what I know will be amazing photos, and for that I am so grateful. I spent most of the time in a haze. The wedding was the sun and I was the planet Venus orbiting nearby, warm with the proximity, but watching from a distance.

I drifted through the weekend in an elated state, lit by the conflagration of family, friends, and love: a magical condition with an unexpected sharpness that brings me close to tears even now.

This wedding has passed, but may its loveliness and inspiration remain a part of all who were there.