By the way, the wedding took place on the stage of the historic Gem Theatre in downtown Detroit, right next to Comerica Park, right when the Tigers were playing.
Now to the fun parts...
With the guests assembled and the groom waiting on stage, the bride walked in wearing sunglasses. The music was the old Soviet anthem, complete with lyrics about the unbeatable union of the Soviet republics (I was born in the former USSR, so I knew and understood the words). It took all of my willpower not to burst out laughing and to continue taking pictures.
Part of the vows the couple exchanged, were done in Dr. Seuss-like rhymes. Here's an example:
Officiant: "Will you love her when you’re glad and sad, will you love her through good or bad?"
Jim: “Of course I’ll love her glad and sad, and always for both good and bad.”
Later on, the officiant asks the bride: "Now, tell me please, if you will, can you love him healthy as well as ill?"
Gretchen replies: “Yes, I can love him when he falls ill, and I will even pay the bill.”
Etc. etc.
During the cocktail hour, the mother of the bride, as a surprise, gave out Groucho Marx glasses to everyone, which just showed where the bride got her sense of humor.
But it wasn't just hilarity... There were beautiful touches throughout, like the reception room with a lighted fireplace, the wedding hall with its deep-red decor and the bride's bouquet, which contained not only flowers, but tiny antique earrings, that, I believe, belonged to the bride's grandmother.
It's was a fun wedding!
