The Wedding

Los Angeles, California

A great big shout out to those of you who joined us yesterday for our surprise Easter celebration. Yes, there was salmon and a pork roast. Chocolate Easter eggs and an abundance of ceramic bunnies throughout the house, some wearing gold wired-ribbon bows decorating their necks. Guests were advised to attend in 'party' attire. Joel wore a white band-collar shirt with light tan slacks, and I wore an ivory, midi-length lace dress.

Our guests were greeted with Veuve Cliquot brut rosé in a variety of champagne flutes which I have collected throughout the years. There was a small team in the kitchen and hors d'hoeuvres were offered on trays throughout the living room and den of the house. I think there might have been a ripple of expectation, even though we kept our plans under wraps.

Once everyone was there and the appetizers had circled, we asked everyone to fill their glasses for an Easter toast. And it was then that Joel announced that the day also included... a wedding!

We had previously asked our friend, Carole, to officiate. She had done so for her brother, Todd, when he married Christopher. As soon as we decided on officializing our relationship, I knew I wanted Carole to provide this service. At Todd and Christopher's wedding, she was warm, light, and stellar.

We had planned to hold our ceremony, so to speak, outside, but we were having one of the rare rainy days in Los Angeles. So, instead, we gathered in the den of my home where a fire was burning brightly in the fireplace, creating a cozy scene.

Joel and I have been together almost ten years and our knowledge of each other's past is deep. We had talked about what was most important in our relationship when we made this decision to wed. Trust, we agreed was the most important thing. Transparency had been lacking in both of our previous marriages and it was vital to us. Support, which means an ear and a shoulder for each other at all times. We pledged to honor the Maraña in our relationship, which is a made-up word we created to express what is at the center of our shared lives. It is the body and soul, passion and depth of us. And, lastly but supremely, we promised to Salsa Dance together for as long as we were capable of standing.

Carole stood by while we spoke the vows we had already long upheld together. There was no written script. We stumbled and mumbled a bit, which made it earnestly meaningful to us both. At our age and with our combined experience of life's epiphanies and downfalls, we both know that fumbling is not a bad way to go. To keep going. Life can knock you down, and sometimes muddling through it all is the best you can do, and that's ok. But that doesn't sound joyful, and despite our verbal stumbling, everything about this day was joyous to us. We had gathered our closest friends; the people who meant the most to us in our lives. We were both family-free, and that was also good for us at this juncture. Everything was esta bien.

The party continued with salmon and pernil. There was scalloped potatoes, roasted asparagus and baby carrots, tamales, and more brut rosé. The servers also poured provençal rosé, and Casamigos reposados tequila. From its hiding place in the service porch, came a beautiful, layered wedding cake which was chocolate with raspberry filling and white frosting. On the top of the smallest layer was the golden couple which had adorned both my grandparents' and my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary cakes. Joel and I will not make it to a 50th anniversary. With luck and good health, we may make it to our 20th. But I wanted to use that topper, because it's not about the longevity of the marriage. It's about us being golden.

Thank you to all of you who attended and raised a glass for us. We love you all.

POSTSCRIPT: April Fools !!! Joel and I are still blissfully unmarried together. But that meal really sounded good, didn't it?!?