Ben and Jessica marry with community help

In return for opening hearts, homes and hands to those around us, we are strengthened and encouraged by a community of family and friends. I saw this anew when I flew to Rochester, N.Y. to attend my nephew’s wedding the weekend before Christmas. I watched as old friends and new did everything they could to launch my nephew and his bride smoothly into marriage.
A month before the wedding when the groom leased an unfurnished apartment, friends offered enough furniture to fill two apartments. At home, the bride’s grandmother used her expertise as a seamstress to prepare wedding garments.
In the days before the wedding, friends and family made a party of decorating the church. They found and decorated a Christmas tree, prepared the rehearsal dinner, arranged tables and chairs, offered suggestions and asked for advice.
Plans for the reception included tables laid out with an assortment of Christmas cookies and hot drinks. Women from my sister’s church volunteered to bake a couple dozen of their cookie specialties for the wedding. As the big day neared tins, trays, boxes and plates of cookies began arriving 1,000 cookies in all: Mexican wedding cookies, pecan tarts, raspberry bars, lemon bars, chocolate-covered peanut balls, chocolate covered balls with chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter cookies with kisses on top, chocolate chip cookie, molasses cookie and gingerbread men with buttons, eyes and noses made of tiny M&Ms. Plus, a variety of sugar cookies: plain, with cinnamon sugar, frosting, peppermint drops and dyed and twisted to look like candy canes or stuff with mint bars.
I did my part as a family member and sampled one of each kind. I’m still debating which was my favorite. As a good friend of the Cookie Monster, I appreciate everyone of my sister’s friends who helped prepare the 80-plus dozen cookies.
I was a bit useful: I sliced bread and meat and cut up the vegetables the bride’s parents brought for the relish trays. Mostly, I watched as my sister’s friends cleaned the chapel, prepared and served the rehearsal dinner, peeked at the wedding preparations and praised it all liberally.
At the last minute the man who had planned to set-up the sound system was grounded at a foreign airport. An acquaintance from years past changed his weekend plans and adeptly took over.
Family and friends from school, work and church gave up their last Saturday afternoon of shopping before Christmas to witness the marriage. Fellow students from the bride’s college formed the brass quartet playing a prelude of Christmas carols. church and school friends took turns playing the piano while others sang. Old and young served at the reception and stayed around to help clean up afterwards.
Thanks to family and friends, my nephew and his bride were assisted with a smooth start into married life.