Steps to Throwing a Wedding

Step One - You need a bride and a date

“We picked a date,” my son and now daughter-in-law told us. Great! My wife and I were overjoyed that my son would marry his high school sweetheart, Samantha. If we could pick our child’s soul mate for him, we would have picked wonderful and beautiful Sam.  I do not have the words to express how happy we are that she is part of our family. She is all a mother and father could wish for their son.   

Step Two - We do not need a wedding planner?

For everyone out there who has done this themselves you know the monumental under taking that it is, but with a can do attitude and a year to plan, how hard could it be? We defiantly boasted….Fast forward to the night before the wedding - As we know, Parkinson’s for me tends to magnify my emotions, thus the overwhelming urge to curl up into a fetal position and cry when I saw how much we still had to do. Don’t cry at the wedding, I told myself and I was going to start a day before.  

Back to present time….and I quote myself, “we could put this together in a month if we had to!” Other equivalent boasts throughout history:  Waterloo, that sounds like a great place for a big victory by me. Maybe put up a nice bed and breakfast after we win, you know, retire.  Napoleon

Step Three - You need to plan

The door on my office should have said War Room, and we were at Defcon 2.  I think that’s bad. At least it is in all those movies I watch and if not, it was definitely fourth and goal, the bases were loaded, a must make free throw,  and we had to pull our goalie as it all came down to a free kick to make that 20 foot putt to win the game. That’s what it felt like….every day of that week leading to our joyous event. My son, the calm rock he is, was steady and supportive as his bride-to-be thought of one more thing to add in as my wife would interject her own thoughts on the subject thus extending the length of time that I stood there my Parkinson’s tremors steadily increasing because a moment earlier I heard those frightening words, “Could you come in here? We need your opinion on something.” Actually a few of my ideas did make it through into the plans and in the distance there was hope like an island to a survivor of a shipwreck. I would just have to swim past all those teal and blue sharks that happened to be the wedding colors.

Step Four - You need family and friends

I always thought a test of friends and family is when you ask them if they could help you move. I was wrong. The measure of your friends and family is when without hesitation they answer yes to the questions: Can you perform the ceremony, have the rehearsal dinner at your restaurant, make the cake, play the violin, sing, DJ, photograph, video, decorate, transport, set up, and take down?   I have found that the one thing about Parkinson’s is how much I count on my friends and family. It simply amazes me at the love, kindness, generosity, and support that they give. This post is a thank you to all the wonderful people that made that day so special. We love you all so very much!