I still have the mosquito bites to prove I was there...

I think I've mentioned it a few times in the last few entries, but a good friend (and sister of the Fourth of July groom) got married in an outdoor ceremony on Labor Day.

The ceremony was held outside at a church ampitheatre in picturesque Ellicott City, MD. It seriously couldn't have been a more beautiful day. In fact, I think that people should invite the Maestro and I to their outdoor weddings. We seem to bring good weather with us. The bride's siblings provided the special music during the ceremony on acoustic guitar.



The bride and groom appeared peaceful as they looked on.



The Labor Day bridegroom did two particularly unique things for their atypical wedding:

1. Instead of a guestbook that has the potential to sit on a shelf collecting dust for years to come, the couple asked guests to sign a platter commemorating their day. Every time they have friends over to their new house in North Carolina and pull out this platter, they'll be reminded of their wedding and the people in their lives who love them.



2. Instead of a traditional towering wedding cake, guests enjoyed cupcakes on a tower. I've seen cupcakes on Style network wedding shows recently that have incorporated cupcakes into their dessert scheme, but this still wound up coming off original nonetheless. Cupcakes were yellow with chocolate or white icing and chocolate with chocolate or white icing. When the Maestro asked me what kind of cupcake I wanted, I replied, "The whitest possible cupcake, please!" not realizing how ridiculous I sounded until the words came out of my mouth and several people left the room howling in laughter. The cupcake tower had a huge cupcake with a cake topper at the crest for the couple.



The couple didn't want any big wedding traditions at the reception. There was no garter or bouquet toss, no electric slide. We basically had a picnic on the lawn adjacent to the amptitheatre and the historic Hebron House mansion.

The couple left straight for their Disney honeymoon from the reception. We waited around outside with bottles of bubbles to send them on their way.



The Maestro and I were still smiling by the end of the evening.



I consider that a small victory.