My friend Ben got marriend this weekend. It was a perfect, unexpectedly lovely summer weekend here in the Tidewater of Virginia. Temperatures in the low 80s with low humidity. Unheard of in the middle of July. Perfect for a ceremony on the beach.
For the years that I worked at Callum's school (the old school), Ben and I worked together. He was the Athletic Director, and our offices were next to each other. We talked sports (even though he's Big Ten and I'm SEC), swapped stories and commiserated daily. When it got rough, our offices, which were removed from the rest of the campus, were an oasis of sorts. It was still fun down there. My office bordered the gym, and when I had migraines, Ben would tell his classes to be quiet. We were buds. We left our jobs there at the same time, and even now, a year later, I miss hanging with him every day.
Ben met Amy at the same school where she was a teacher; Callum's teacher at the time! Their first date was our annual holiday party! You can imagine how much fun we all had with that! Here she is walking toward the ceremony tent with her dad. She looked beautiful. Everybody did. And so happy too. Halfway through the ceremony her dad started to cry...it was such a sweet moment.
They shared the ceremony with their son, Jacob (Of course Callum had to ask if I was crying! Thank goodness for sunglasses!), and that was the most moving part. I guess you could say technically Ben is Jacob's step-father, but not really. When he fell for Amy, he fell for Jacob too, and this ceremony only made official what I know was already deeply true for them. (And believe me, I know Ben will roll his eyes at these sentimental words. I do know him pretty well, after all. I'm allowed to be sentimental though. It's how I feel, and even if he won't say it, I bet it's how he feels too...)
It was a perfect beachy wedding for this beach-loving family. Casual and fun from the minute you walked in the door. The invitations called it "Beach Chic," describing the dress code as "shorts, barefeet and flip flops are okay."
After the ceremony we celebrated with a beach party: rafts in the water, kids swimming, folks playing cornhole in the sand. All that with great food and music. Like I said, a perfect celebration that suited this family perfectly.
Ben's mom caught the boquet!
Happy couple. Happy family.
