Many of you have asked about the wedding arch featured on my website. This arch, also a chuppah for this fusion wedding, was constructed over the course of the summer by the bride's brother. He collected driftwood from Eastham beaches near First Encounter Beach, where in September his sister's wedding would take place. Before the ceremony, as the sky turned a steely grey and the pools formed by the retreating surf reflected the evening sky, the wedding planner, decorated the arch in preparation of the bride and groom's arrival. As the the family and friends gathered, one of the honored guests gave into the pull of the tides, and ran out on to the sand flats and began to sway and swirl. I never got a chance to ask if his hilarious, yet haunting dance was some ancient Marin County fertility rite or inspired by the Sufis.
The entrance of the bridal party, the processional, was down a long steep set of wooden steps, starting on a high bluff and ending at the beach. The attendants were goddesses, the mother of the bride, an Italian beauty,garnered a few whistles, one no doubt from the dancing man. The bride appeared at the top of the stairs on her father's arm. This is always the moment where I look at the groom. The expression on his face, as he gazed up at his bride, told me everything about the nature of their love. Ben was nearly having an out of body experience. It was as if his mere physical form, could not contain his supreme happiness at the sight of his Kathleen.