Taj Mahal

...the perfect setting for a proposal

When the mother of the bride tells me they plan to serve a whole roast pig at the rehearsal, I have to figure this will be an interesting event. Then to find out that the groom proposed to the bride in front of the Taj Mahal in India, well, I just couldn't wait to be involved.

If you're thinking there is big time ethnic diversity going on, you'd be incorrect. Both families are Texans from Wylie, and the bride & groom are in grad school at Texas A&M. They just happen to be well traveled and absolutely thirsty for knowledge and experience.

Richard and Brittany were actually the proverbial high school sweethearts at Wylie High School.

Too bad I don't have pictures of the rehearsal dinner but even a picture wouldn't do justice to the main course. Seis Lagos clubhouse was a wonderful setting and the roast pig was done to perfection in a "Chinese box" by the father of the groom. Nothing says "good time" to a southern boy like me quite as much as roast pork.

Wedding day included the usual pre-ceremony butterflies and tears (from the bride and the groom). A few more tears during the ceremony. The bride was stunning, as you can see in the pictures, and for some reason her dress and hairstyle brought to mind images somewhere between a classic 1940's movie, or maybe my hippie days in Austin in the mid-1960's (cue Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)

Except that the groom had to respond to certain questions in the ceremony, I'm not sure he heard a word I was saying--he was totally focused on his bride. It's okay, Richard, everyone else was, too.

An interesting element in the ceremony was a "knot tying". Literally. The couple decided to add an interesting twist to an ancient Celtic tradition called handfasting--they tied a figure-eight knot as a symbol of their commitment and unity. When viewed on its side, the knot forms the math & science symbol for infinity. Nice touch and I liked it. The knot is now part of their keepsakes.

I have to give propers to Sharon, mother of the groom, who was my initial contact and the one responsible for much of the planning (since bride and groom were in grad school). Her regular emails and phone calls to me were a blessing and kept me in the loop for planning. When I know someone is handling all the myriad details of a wedding, it allows me to relax a little and just concentrate on bride, groom and ceremony.

Blessings,

Ken