A mother of the bride shares her outdoor wedding plan worries
My third time planning a wedding should have been easy, but our daughter had her heart set on an outdoor wedding at Hopelands Gardens. Grandma would take the girls to “Story Time in the Gardens” whenever we visited Aiken, and her fantasy was formed.
We all love the charm of Aiken and the dazzling dogwoods and azaleas, but the worry woman inside me visualized storms, bugs, mud, freezing temperatures, and the back-breaking labor of hauling all the necessaries to the venue. My final plea was that people would not be comfortable wearing their finery outside. I did not finish my negative rant before my daughter’s famous pout lip emerged and tears amplified the brilliant blue of her eyes. My resolve crumbled like an old dried biscuit.
The date for the wedding was set for March 22, 2015. We reserved Rye Patch and Hopelands for the venue. Sandwiched between the Trials and the Masters seemed like a safe bet. My daughter was living in Tampa, Florida, and I in Charleston, South Carolina, so the planning required a two day visit to Aiken to enlist all the vendors. The photographer, deejay, florist, baker, and beautician were all easy choices because they were all located on Laurens Avenue, and we booked them in one day.
The caterer was the second big issue we grappled over. My daughter wanted a Southern Barbecue buffet. Her grandparents had taken her to the New Ellenton Barbecue every time she was in town. I could picture her sticky fingers, dripping with sauce, turning her wedding dress into a vision of the zombie bride rising from the dead. She wanted a comfortable vibe.
“Mom, you have to stop being so negative about everything,” she said. “This is my dream. Is there anything I have chosen that you like?” I felt convicted. I knew my daughter had a style all her own. I agreed to go to The Deft Chef and look at the menu. Chef Jimmy Hicks told us his barbecue sauce wins him marriage proposals and his hush puppies were made fresh on site. He gave us several samples to taste and I licked my fingers in approval. Jimmy convinced me the meal would be fabulous and the guests would not go home hungry.
The final chore was the rentals. Only one place in town had it all: a tent in case of rain, tables, chairs, linens, and table service. The tent was set up on Saturday, close to the Rye Patch back door entrance. Between the house and the tent, there would be enough tables and chairs to seat everyone.
Saturday was a perfect day for the wedding rehearsal in Hopelands Gardens. Afterward, we adjourned for dinner on the veranda at the Palmetto Golf Club. The festivities were off to a wonderful start and I was feeling jubilant.
On Sunday morning, the ladies in the bridal party set the tables while the men played golf in a light mist. Several alert friends announced that the forecast was for rain all day. A snappy decision had to be made about the ceremony. Tent or house? Thinking aloud I said, “The fireplace looks like a charming setting for the exchange of vows.” Immediately, all the sisters rearranged the tables and chairs so more than one hundred guests could squeeze into one room for the ceremony. Don’t tell the fire marshal …
By 3:00 we were all dressed and ready. The rain was coming down in torrents and some people were playing “slip and slide” as they entered the cottage, but the bride was safe inside, upstairs. The photographer took pre-ceremony photos of the women and of the men sequestered downstairs. The guests filled the room with joyful excitement. At 5:00 the sound of the dulcimer beckoned for the bride. Her daddy held her arm tightly as she floated down the staircase in a beautiful cloud of taffeta. It was an emotional exchange of vows and our officiant kept our attention on the sacred.
After family photos, I went to greet guests in the tent and discovered it was leaking. Why hadn’t I gone to church that morning and prayed over this wedding? There were puddles around the tables and on the dance floor. I invited the brave souls there to come inside. Hubby and I quickly decided that the rest of the festivities would have to take place inside the cottage. This time an alert team of college friends came to the rescue. We had two seatings for dinner and then the strapping young men cleared dishes and moved tables to make room for a dance floor. The DJ had moved inside and the music carried us through the rest of the evening. The final farewell was a mad dash with umbrellas to the getaway car, and the newlyweds were off to the Willcox.
I may remember the hundred details that were foiled by rain, but all our friends said, “Rain on a wedding day is good luck,” and they were delighted by the intimacy of the occasion. My wonderful family talks about all the fun they had and how rain could not deter the merrymakers from celebrating with gusto. My planning and fretting was all for naught because there was a spirit of love and cooperation among all the guests. Mission accomplished!
Aiken has been a place of many sweet times for us. Holidays with family, the Aiken Trials and The Masters week with friends, and now a wedding that we will never forget. The newlyweds returned a year after the nuptials to take anniversary photos at Hopelands. It was a perfect sunny day.
