By Staff
Leada Gore, Editor
It's strange to have your first year of marriage bookended by two hurricanes, but that seems to be our case. We married in the midst of Ivan and are celebrating our first anniversary in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
"It's been a year full of hot air," I told Greg with a smile.
Ivan roared through Alabama last year, hitting the Gulf Coast two days before our wedding. With a house full of family up for the wedding, I knew I was in for an interesting morning when the first words out of my mother's mouth were "don't worry."
I immediately began doing just that.
We headed out that morning for some last minute errands, watching as the sky grew darker and the winds stronger. It was pouring rain by the time we made it home that afternoon. We began making frantic calls trying to find an alternative location for our outdoor party planned for the next night.
"Don't worry," my sister-in-law said. "It's going to be fine."
Remarkably, she was right.
The rain blew through and our storm's only casualty was the actual rehearsal. For some reason, the wedding location remained closed the day before our wedding and neglected to call and let us know, so we had to wing our entire wedding.
"It wasn't too hard," Greg said later. "Basically, all I had to do was walk and stand. I can handle that without much practice."
The outdoor party came off without a hitch, the stars shining brightly and everyone having a good time. The wedding went equally well, the only problem being the groom's missing socks. Luckily, even that was soon rectified.
We pulled out our wedding photos recently, amazed they had been taken almost one year ago. There's something wonderful about those photos, with our families all dressed in their finest and smiling brightly. Everyone looks happy and relaxed. There's no trace of panic in anyone's face, no signs that most of the guests had spent a portion of the time before the wedding in a hotel with no electricity.
The groom and the best man are smiling, something the groom attributes to Auburn beating LSU just minutes before he walked down the aisle. Greg's son, Derek, the best man, is also smiling, though I suspect it had more to do with the knowledge he soon would be able to change from his tuxedo into a pair of blue jeans.
The bride looks happy, too. We had survived the months of planning and stress, the work involved with hosting even the smallest wedding and then, Hurricane Ivan.
And, one year later, everyone is still smiling. I'd be happier, though, if we could mark next year's occasion without the hurricane.