The White Day

The White Day

It was a beautiful Saturday morning on January 6, 2007. The winter air was crisp and the view was amazing. The soft salty scent from the ocean filled the air. Off the balcony on the second story of the Long Beach Yacht Club I could see the light swells of the Pacific Ocean. The small crashing of waves added to the peaceful instrumental background sounds as the ceremony was about to begin. January 6, 2007, my wedding date, was a day that changed the rest of my life.

The ballroom at the Yacht Club was decorated with deep red roses and black ribbons, the perfect combination of colors for a winter wedding. Long, tall windows covered the walls to let all the guests experience the view of the nearby ocean. Each round table was decorated with a long black underskirt cloth, a shorter bright white tablecloth, with each placemat arranged around a beautiful vase full of red roses. The wooden dance floor, full of chairs for the ceremony, took up half of the room, while the other half was occupied with 15 round tables and one rectangular Head Table. As the guests walked up the stairs to our ballroom, they would see a guest book that was decorated with pictures and captions and ready for their signatures. On the path to the ceremony seating there was a small table that held our wedding cake. The white cake had textures on every level as well as an intricate frosting monogram of our initials. On the

inside of the aisle between the two blocks of chairs there was a dazzling display of black ribbon, red roses, and other greenery. At the end of the aisle there was a small pedestal which was watched over by our pastor. To the right of the pedestal was where I stood, with the best seat in the house, and behind me stood a line of groomsmen. Behind all of us was a small table with a glass of wine, bread, and three candles. All of the guests were seated and we all waited for the main attraction. Soon we would all witness the stunning bride.

As the music changed, a small boy of seven years old came hurried down the aisle holding a lighter. He walked right past us to the small table and lit the two lower candles. The only thing on his mind was getting his job done without burning down the house with his lighter. Following directly after him was the procession of bridesmaids. The first bridesmaid walked down the aisle, she was a friend of the bride. Right after her followed the second bridesmaid, her niece. Two more sisters followed the bridesmaid path and then, last but not least, the Maid of Honor made her way down the aisle. As the bride’s best friend finished her walk there came another small child. The ever popular flower girl of only three years old stumbled down the aisle dropping rose petals as she saw fit. Halfway down the aisle she ran out of petals and decided that she could then walk much faster to finish her trip. Once the flower girl had safely made it down to the end of the aisle all of the music stopped and everyone stood up.

The moment everyone was waiting for, or at least the moment that I was waiting for, was about to happen. A new melody started up and like the wave at a baseball game the “ooohhs” and “aaahhs” from the crowd started on one side and ended on the other. From around the corner I could see the very top of a balding head. After they came around the corner of the crowd, I could see the wonderful sight of my stunning new bride accompanied by her father, a tall rugged man who is slightly balding. They walked towards me one step at a time slowly, but surely. It felt like time had slowed to a crawl as I waited for her to reach me. Finally after what seemed like years, I walked out to greet my new father-in-law and my new wife. I shook his hands as he gave away his youngest daughter to start our own family, and then I reached out for the arm of my bride. Together we walked the rest of the way down the aisle and stood in front of the pastor’s pedestal.

The pastor opened with a prayer and then he began the ring ceremony. He spoke about the ring and what it symbolized and then we were able to face each other and speak our vows. As she spoke to me she could not hold the tears in and she sobbed the rest of the way through her vows. I remember