The Wedding: A Mini-Series, Part Two

I have a confession to make; in my head, I started planning the perfect rehearsal dinner the very moment the Man-Cub let me in on his secret plan to propose to Shanti. As the parents of the groom, it was to be our biggest contribution to the wedding, and I wanted it to be something that Shanti and the Cub would remember, forever.

I had already been pinning ideas to a Pinterest board for what seems like ages. The pins often featured outdoor settings, with farmhouse tables and a slightly rustic feel. With that in mind, I approached Oscar and Emily to ask for permission to hold the dinner in their yard; they have a gorgeous view of the mountains, a large lawn, and a covered patio area that I knew would work well for the food service.

To say that Oscar was thrilled to grant me that permission would be a vast understatement; he immediately went to work on making sure his lawn was the greenest, most lush grass that he had ever grown.

Hugh also got to work, building the twenty foot long table that I described to him from my vision. He sourced the wood from a local sawmill and built the table, and benches that go with it, in the wood shop at the Petticoat Junction High School, where he had received permission to use any equipment that he didn't already own.

The table turned out even more beautifully than I had envisioned and, while it takes a minimum of six people to move; it was absolutely perfect for both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception, where it was used as the head table for the wedding party.

Since the kids chose an August date for the wedding-right smack dab in the middle of monsoon season-Hugh and I made the decision to purchase a tent for the rehearsal dinner. This turned out to be a smart investment, since we also ended up using it at the reception.

I chose a blue and white color theme for the dinner and got busy sourcing chargers, candlesticks, hurricane lamps, and flowers. I spent hours crafting custom candles for the pillar holders, and I sweated over the delivery of the hydrangeas from Sam's Club.

The end result was the table-scape of my dreams, and I just wish that the pictures I took that evening did it justice.

I could not have done it without the help of my trusty friends, who showed up in force. Erin and Kristi had arrived from Wales on Tuesday and Reese and Jules rolled into town Friday afternoon, just in time to help. They rolled up with mimosas, which earned my eternal gratitude.

We had just completed the table decor when it started to pour. Luckily, the tent kept everything nice and dry, and, while a few errant wind gusts kept Erin hopping from table to table, straightening toppled wine glasses, it was not a terribly destructive storm.

Once it passed, Reese and Jules went to their VRBO to wait for Tee and Phoebe. Queen B and I headed to Shanti's parent's house for the rehearsal, while Erin and Kristi manned the fort; the caterers were scheduled to arrive while we were rehearsing and they had graciously agreed to direct them for me.

Speaking of the caterers, can I just say, whoa. They were amazing. They had been recommended to me by Oscar, who utilized their services for the annual Sheriffs Posse Banquet last year and the recommendation could not have been better. I ordered food for forty guests and we had enough for second helpings plus leftovers that their staff boxed up for us after the dinner.

We served beef tenderloin in a wine reduction, chicken in a mushroom sauce, a veggie trio sauteed in a garlic butter sauce, fresh fruit, and rolls with butter. Every single part of it was delicious and perfectly cooked. Our guests raved about it. 

I had purchased a variety of ice cream flavors and toppings for dessert and the catering staff served up sundaes, which I did not expect but definitely appreciated (we were going to do a self-serve sundae bar). They were the nicest folks, and truly made the experience so stress-free for me.

The main table seated twenty-two, which included the bridal party, parents, plus ones, our officiant, and Erin and Kristi. I had set a separate table for Hugh's siblings and their families, as well as a small round table for the grandparents and my sister Barbie and her son. All of the seating fit under the tent with room to spare, so everyone was shielded from the sun, which had come out for the rehearsal and hung around until well after the dinner was over.

After dessert, I gave the kids their wedding shoes, which were a big hit.

Once the guests had left and we were cleaning up (easy to do since I used disposable clear plastic plates and wine glasses), the skies opened up again and it poured steadily for the rest of the night and into the early hours of the following morning. Needless to say; we again counted ourselves smart for having purchased the tent.

All in all, the dinner was everything that I envisioned back in late May of 2023, when the Man-Cub whispered to me his intentions. Hugh gave a heartfelt speech that left not a dry eye in the house (including his own; he had a tough time getting through it, to be honest), and a good time was had by all.

Next up: Behind the scenes on the wedding day!