It started out to be a beautiful fall day. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. There was a slight breeze but not enough to speak of. We hadn’t seen the signs of a storm in two months. It looked like any other day as of late. The last we listened to the weather was the night before and they said it was going to be a typical day.
My daughter Caitlin’s wedding reception was to be outside in the yard near the Pool. We had a big back yard with a thousand square foot stone patio. We had a built in Grill and other amenities such as a sink and Refrigerator. So it was the perfect place to have the reception. We did hire a Catering service to do the cooking and Cleaning so that things would run smoothly. We also had a good amount of Alchohol available and plenty of champagne, beer and wine. That was set up on a separate table with a hired Bartender to take care of mixing drinks.
The Tables had white plastic Table Cloths including the one with all the plastic plates, napkins, cups, plastic silverware, etc. The plan was to serve buffet style. We had 11 big tables set up, as we expected 110 people for dinner. We also rented a Chocolate Fountain for strawberry and assorted fruit desserts.
Everything was all set up and we went to the Churches for the wedding ceremony. Sometime during the ceremony, a freak wind storm blew in. We hadn’t noticed because we were inside the Churches and deeply enthralled with the ceremony. After the Bride and Groom Kissed, we went outside for the reception line and I couldn’t believe what was happening. Leaves were blowing everywhere. Litter was also blowing everywhere. By the time I got home, all had calmed down.
I went into panic mode and flew to the house. When I got there, I found napkins, plates and tablecloths all over the yard. The Caterers had just arrived and were running around frantically trying to clean up the mess. They assured me they would have it all straightened out so I could get back to the Church for Photos. I called my husband at the church and told him I was on my way to do the Photos. Thank God that all the photos could be done that I didn’t need to be in while I was gone.
Anyway, everything was fine by the time I got home and the guests arrived. It was certainly a topic of conversation at the reception and a story that we tell every time a wedding gets mentioned.
The moral of this story is:
1) Plan well and pay less
2) Weedings are not a perfect event
3) Always expect the unexpected
Wind Blown Wedding
Marie Baker