A BIG DAY

So we woke on Saturday, the day of Danny and Rachel's wedding, wondering whether we should do the hour's drive up to The Clark and maybe MassMOCA in the morning.  We knew that the ceremony was not scheduled to start until 4 in the afternoon, but... did we have the energy?  Would the two hours of extra driving, there and back, be worth the effort?  Would it not be better to stick around this area, take a hike, perhaps, in this beautiful natural environment?  But we knew there was a Van Gogh show at The Clark.  We went online and took at look at Holland Cotter's New York Times review.  It was "not to be missed."  What a conundrum!

Well, we opted for Van Gogh.  Drove our rented VW Jetta up to Williamsburg--through glorious countrside--got lost in Williamsburg, found ourselves driving the wrong way up a one-way street and coming fender to fender with a cop car.  He was very nice.  Gave us directions to the museum and held up the traffic until we could get turned around.  So we did find the museum--no longer the colonial mansion we had visited a couple of times in the past, but now a spectacular contemporary campus designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando and a team of other designers.  And found what was nearly the last parking space in the furthest lot from the museum, and accepted a ride to the front door with a nice young woman in a golf cart...

And saw the Van Gogh show: Van Gogh and Nature.  And were heartily glad we had not made the other choice.  It was one of the best art exhibitions I have seen in a very long time.  An absolute education about this artist who is now so well known, so popular, that he's almost a cliché.  But more of this in another post.  I'll be writing more about it this coming week.  Meantime, the main event...

RACHEL & DANNY'S WEDDING

We arrived at the farm where Abby, Rachel's, mother lives in good time for the wedding ceremony, scheduled to begin at 4PM...

Ellie's wedding outfit...

Me in mine...

... and were greeted by an efficient bevy of catering and organizing aides who offered, first, a refreshing glass of cucumber water to counteract some of the effects of the muggy heat.  I have no idea what the temperature was, but along with the high humidity, it had us all sweltering away in a matter of a few minutes.

No matter, we found family seats near the front of rows of white chairs...

... set up facing a charming chuppah whose four posts were simple tree branches and through which the vista extended over green fields to the wooded hillside in the distance.  The rabbi stood here, waiting patiently, with a beatific smile...

... and seeming quite unaffected by the heat.  We sat in the sun for a little while before groom entered first down the grassy aisle, with his mother Susie, Ellie's sister, on one arm and his stepmother, Joyce, on the other...

... followed by a delightful little flower girl, Bianca, scattering rose leaves...

Then came the bridesmaids and the groomsmen, including Danny's sister Yardena and his two stepbrothers, Bill and Greg; and the best man, Naftali, his twin brother...

... Rachel was the last to walk the aisle, accompanied by her mother, and looking radiantly beautiful in her wedding gown.

Rachel, Danny, and Rabbi Ari Rosenberg

The ceremony started with two beautifully-performed songs, written long ago by Rachel's father, Aaron, a distinguished songwriter who passed away several years ago, and were especially moving for that reason.  The traditional ketubah, the wedding contract, had been signed and witnessed before the ceremony, and the rabbi read from it the words that attested to the bond between the couple.  There followed a prayer in Hebrew, the exchange of rings, the kiss... The glass, traditionally broken by the groom's foot to seal the vows, was a little late in arriving but successfully smashed, with a broad smile, by Danny.  It had all been meticulously planned, the men and women perfectly clad in complementary suits and dresses, the bride and groom and their three shared mothers all fashionably attired; and the ceremony was simple, beautiful, and moving.

There followed wine and hors d'oeuvres, the latter quite delicious, served by a crew of nice young people who knew how to be both friendly and not overly obtrusive.  And finally, escaping the still hot sunlight, the guests assembled at our assigned tables for the wedding banquet...

Ellie and I enjoyed the company, making new friends amongst those seated with us at the circular table; and Danny and Rachel made the rounds...

... greeting friends and relatives and sharing their own joy with enthusiasm and grace.  As dinner came to an end, we enjoyed a few brief, entertaining speeches, including a moving tribute by the best man, Naftali, to his brother and the bride.  Then Danny and Rachel led off the dance, and soon the whole company, including my usually reluctant self...

... was on the crowded dance floor.  With an excellent band, with an excellent male and an excellent female singer, the festivities went on until most of us were ready to drop with heat and physical exhaustion.

All in all, a wonderful and generous occasion, and one for which great credit goes to Abby, her daughter, and her new son.  We arrived back at our hotel with a good share of the collective elation, and had a hard time getting off to sleep.