Weding Weekend

(CW for food b/c alcohol and dinner mentions)
Yesterday, I went to a wedding and took Jamie along. Jamie didn't know anyone there but me, and I only knew three other people: the bride, the groom, and the rabbi. And, of course, those are the three people you don't really get to spend much time talking to at a wedding!

But it was an absolutely wonderful, fun, joyful experience. Watching the ceremony under the chuppah, looking at the ketubah, and just seeing how much the bride was smiling. Allison was SO happy. The love and affection were just contagious. It was beautiful.

We also got to meet a bunch of their friends from faraway lands, particularly Texas. A lot of them were college friends, and I ended up fielding quite a few questions about Judaism, which was interesting and fun.

I'd actually met some of them at synagogue the day before, which led to a particularly funny exchange.

The rabbi had called a bunch of people over for l'chaims, and this young woman named Judy, probably in her mid-20s, exclaimed, "Allison! I LOVE this synagogue!"

Naturally, a few minutes later I wandered over and asked, "So, I heard you say you love this synagogue. Is that because you haven't been to many synagogues before, or because this one is particularly different?"

She explained that she'd grown up Southern Baptist, and they would NEVER have had alcohol at something like that!

Anyway, everyone was having a wonderful time, and I think they really appreciated being able to ask questions about Judaism, explore things they were curious about, and show genuine interest without anyone trying to recruit them.

And I loved the dancing! Although, to be fair, my feet had been hurting since cocktail hour, so by the time dinner and dancing rolled around, they were already pretty sore. Apparently, standing around socializing is harder on my feet than I'd like to admit!

It was just a lovely weekend, full of joy, affection, curiosity, and people enjoying one another's company. And a very happy bride. I really can't overstate how wonderful it was to see her smiling so much.