A good Laugh at an October wedding

This story is not about being a teacher or principal. I am reminded of it as we begin October.

It was a nice October afternoon. Connie’s cousin’s (Denny) daughter was getting married and they decided to have the wedding outside at White Pines State Park near Oregon IL. Although I thought an outdoor wedding was pretty risky for rain, we dressed in our “good " clothes for the ceremony. So did everyone else. I had on my principal’s uniform, black blazer and dress pants. There were nice elegant outfits on everyone. One lady even sported a fluffy black dress with a large black hat. We all looked nice.

White Pines has beautiful grotto along a stream with a limestone cliff in the background.  There was a podium up front and two stands upfront that looked like lanterns, but they were covered in some type of cloth. It was cool evening and the folding chairs were arranged in two sections. We were on the “brides” side. I was sitting between Connie and her brother, Bruce. Bruce and I were both worried about rain, but decided we were close enough to our cars to get there quickly.

The ceremony began with music and we all turned to the back. There were the groomsmen and the groom. The groom was holding the leash of a black Labrador retriever The dog was wearing a small bow tie. I guess he was in his formal attire. The dog was excited and straining the lease. The groom handed the leash to the best man. Connie remarked that they must have wanted the dog there because he was “part of the family”. I elbowed Bruce and said “This is going to get good”.

The bridesmaids and the groomsman paraded to the front and the best man continued to hold on to the excited dog. They stepped to the side as a man came down the aisle and stepped to each “lantern” He raised the cover and inside each was a white pigeon (dove). The dove handler disappeared.

The dog went absolutely nuts when he saw the birds. The dog was straining so hard, the best man couldn’t hold him and remain up front. Struggling he took the dog to the front row and handed the leash to the groom’s father. Bruce and I were laughing so hard we had to cover our faces to keep from distracting the wedding.

The dog continued to try and get to the birds. He tried to leap towards them. The birds became excited as well and began the flap around inside their cages. The bride appeared and Denny walked his daughter down the aisle. The ceremony preceded as all do, but the animal show up front continued and Bruce and I continued to laugh.

Finally the vows ended and the happy couple were preparing to leave as the music played. The bird handler appeared on the groom’s family side of the chairs. He bent down and uncovered a cage of doves. As the couple turned  the handler opened the cage door and the flock of white doves flew up and over the groom’s side spectators. If you have ever scared up a flock of pigeons, you know they all do the same thing when taking flight. They lighten their load. The doves did that right over the well-dressed lady in the black hat.  Now she was dressed in black and white!The dog went totally berserk. Fortunately the birds rose quickly and he wasn’t in their path.

Bruce and I were laughing so hard with put our heads down so we couldn’t be seen. I don’t know that I have ever laughed so hard.

We were afraid that everyone in the wedding party and especially Denny would be upset about what happened. When we reached Denny in the reception line, Bruce and Connie tried to be understanding and sympathetic, while Bruce and I continued to snicker.  Fortunately Denny also thought it was very funny. We had a good laugh together.

A few years later Denny passed away. This past July, we lost Bruce. Both died too young and that is very sad.  But with the return of October, I can’t help but laugh as I remember the animal entertained wedding we all experienced in the outdoors at White Pines.