The Way He Looked at Her

When the bride walked down the aisle yesterday afternoon, most of the wedding party watched her. My view was blocked by the groom's family (they all wore hats -- they are British) so I watched the groom's face.

First there was the look he had when he knew she was going to be walking towards him but she hadn't yet appeared. Then there was the look he gave when she finally came into view. His eyebrows lifted and this smile of such excitement came on his face it was heart-warming beautiful. And then as she kept getting closer and closer, his smile of excitement turned to tenderness. He was so proud, shoulders back and head up with a slight thrust of his chin. And then there it was... one of the moments I always look for on a groom's face: adoration.

Weddings only slightly amuse me for the first few minutes. I'm from a church family, so weddings can last longer than the reception sometimes, but in this case the wedding lasted about as long as someone could read the Love chapter in Corinthians and the Pastor to say "Do you?" It took longer for the wedding party to find their places in the outside "church" area where Erin and Paul took their vows, than the entire service. I was impressed. Free bar -- also an ingredient for a good time. Great appetizers sealed the deal. I loved this wedding and everyone who attended, especially the lady who decided to sit next to me and talk about her lesbian sister (am I wearing a sign?) who was bipolar and also had received her degree in English and was a writer. By dinner time (buffet style with much much better food,) I was thinking I might stick around longer than expected.

But then the DJ appeared. I tried to work with him, but it was difficult. The only thing I can congratulate him about was the fact he didn't play the chicken song dance. A crowd pleaser, but only after several trips to the open bar. Several hundred. The music, in a nutshell sucked. No one danced except my auntie and uncle who also attended. My auntie and uncle dancing is ... interesting. They are all hands raised above their head, jumping up and down, awkward robot moves, and swing style dancing to Sweet Home Alabama type dancing. Funny to watch, maybe, but dangerous and embarrassing to dance near.

But the way the groom looked at the bride (her dress was fabulous, too, and she looked stunning,) was probably the highlight of my evening. I didn't think about whether or not someone would look at me like that, I'm not that much of a sap (and maybe it's because I know the answer, so attending a wedding when you have a girlfriend, even when she's not with you, isn't as depressing for me as attending a wedding wondering when your time is going to come.) It's that when you see your friend getting married, you hope her soon to be spouse realizes just how lucky he is. You hope he's sitting there wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve someone as wonderful as her. You hope he always looks at her in that expectant, eager, excited and tender way.