“That was an absolutely beautiful wedding and your lovely officientness made it all the better. We decided that we should stay in touch!”

Tabby and Helena (pronounced Hel-EE-nah) (my third instinct after HEL-ena and Hel-LAY-nah) got married at the stunning Park McCollough House, a 35-room Victorian mansion in North Bennington, Vermont.  A bit of a haul for me, but worth it, as it was an exquisitely beautiful fall day, and perfect for some cross-country leaf-peeping.

When I arrived, the gals were getting dressed in separate quarters as various aubergine-clad bridesbabes ran last-minute errands.  I checked in with both of them, saw that all was copaesthetic, and went to head out to the gardens where the ceremony would take place.

Suddenly, I got a shout-out from one of the attending women, who was running towards me with a pillar candle.  “They’re lighting a unity candle!  Can you stick this somewhere?”

I hadn’t known they were lighting a unity candle, there wasn’t a place to put it in the garden (other than the ground), and I didn’t have any prepared candle-lighting text.

However, we here at Vermont Wedding Officiant are nothing if not improvisational.  I ran into the public bathroom at Park McCollough, and found a little white wicker side table stacked with tourist magazines – which quickly ended up on the floor, as the table exunted to the garden with me.

Then I ran out to my car.  It happens that Tabby and Helena’s wedding was the first of three that day, and the third ceremony DID have a candle-lighting as part of the proceedings.  So I grabbed that page, tossed it into the folder the the rest of Tabby and Helena’s ceremony and we were good to go.

I should add that Helena gets extra props for both bravery and total commitment.  As she was delivering her vows to Tabby, someone from the Assembled Group called out to her that she had a wasp on her back.  Quoth Helena, “I don’t care.”  She was like a totally dedicated postal worker.  Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor scary stinging insect could keep her from her appointed vows.

I have a feeling that Tabby’s in very good hands.