We gained a new appreciation for the expression “wedding party” during a late June visit to California for a family event. What a wonderful experience! Grandma and I went to extend well wishes to nephew Tony and his bride, and we came back much richer. The ceremony and reception took place at Hummingbird Ranch in Simi Valley, just a mile from where we last lived before returning to Lubbock in 2003. It was a beautiful, wooded setting for a late afternoon event that went well into the night.
Tony not only married Kristine Bagramyan, but embraced a large, traditional Armenian family; and the gathering after the wedding ceremony bore wonderful testimony to the ideas of weddings as celebration and of the uniting of families.
The wedding ceremony (on the lawn) was short, sweet, and direct, and participants sat facing north, toward the villa, which was uphill, on the other side of a brook and small pond. Following the ceremony, there were light hors d’oeuvres and drinks around a swimming pool before the group gathered for dinner and the real party.
What a spread!
All were directed to assigned tables – 10 people each at 14 tables. As we entered the dining courtyard, each table contained a variety of salads, many representing one corner of the world or another. Each table likewise was generously provided with whiskey, wine, and soft drinks.
After about 45 minutes of eating or so, the music started. The bride and groom took the floor. Then others joined, and the pace increased. Soon the courtyard dance floor contained dozens who waved, clapped hands, talked, laughed, shouted, tried various steps, and carried on – for another 45 minutes. Then we resumed eating, and they brought in different courses. In three quarters of an hour, the call to dance rang out again as the pace and the volume of the music increased.
And so it went, well into the night. Somebody pulled Nancy onto the floor. Finally, I joined the dance long enough, evidently, to be noticed. The father of the groom (“my English is broke”) came over and shook my hand. Tony came over to our table and pronounced “a successful party” because “you got up and danced.” It’s difficult to argue with that reasoning.