Sometimes in the disappointment of an unexpected tragedy, a miracle is birthed. Such was the case with Alexandra’s wedding, which took place several years ago. The wedding was set within the lush Botanical Gardens, in Dallas, Texas. Buses pulled in front of the atrium dropping off my husband and I along with many other guests, two hundred in total. All of them relatives and friends who had traveled from all over the United States and Canada to attend the event.
But as we entered the reception hall, we were shocked to see a stark, bare room, unembellished and quickly learned that the caterer had assumed the wrong date, leaving Alexandra, her husband Mark, and all of the guests without a party. A very troubled Father-of-the-Bride paced the floor in desperation.
Instantly, concerned guests congregated together and organized into committees. Cell phones buzzed as we searched for the quickest, most accessible restaurants and food stores where supplies could be purchased. Alexandra, Mark and their parents were instructed to concentrate only on the actual wedding and to leave the reception to us.
As the wedding ceremony drew near, three groups set out in pursuit of the supplies we needed to quickly create a Cinderella reception. One group of men focused on purchasing drinks, while another tracked down dozens of pizza parlors. A group of women, including me, dressed in our evening gowns and high heels, invaded a nearby grocery store. We literally emptied shelves full tablecloths, paper plates, cups, napkins, plastic utensils, tea candles and bag after bag of assorted chips and other snacks, tossing them into our carts.
We arrived back at the reception hall carrying our wares and unloading them on a table. Immediately the other guests flocked around the table to help. Several women ripped the plastic from the paper tablecloths and began covering the tables. Several others established an area to the side of the room for drinks and snacks. Fortunately, the florist had arrived delivering the flower and arrangements were set on every table, along with candles they had brought. In less than a half hour, while the wedding party posed for pictures in the garden, oblivious to the flurry of activity taking place in the reception hall, the room looked as if a fairy godmother had transformed it.
Someone noticed that we needed more ice. So, my friends and I, now heady with glee, went back to the grocery store. We called ourselves, “the fifteen minute wedding planners.” When we returned with a carload of Styrofoam coolers and several bags of ice, we discovered that the men had also set out for the same purchase. An orchestra had arrived. They were seated at the head of a dance floor, instruments tuned and ready in their hands. I ran up to the balcony where I could overlook the whole scene. Marveling that within the past hour, every single one of Alex and Marks guests pitched in out of love, sharing heartbreak over the caterer’s mistake, and together as a unified team reversed the tragedy into the most amazing wedding I have ever experienced.
From the balcony I watched the bride and groom with their wedding party enter the reception hall. Expecting a gloomy scene, they were stunned when their eyes beheld a beautiful room full of ecstatic guests and dazzling tables. The congregation of guests applauded the Bride and Groom as the orchestra serenaded them into each other’s arms. Shortly afterward, the appetizing smell of pizza drifted through the room and if you can imagine, there were enough pies for over two hundred people to have their fill with plenty of leftovers.
The mix-up with the caterer was indeed a tragedy. One that Alexandra’s mothers still finds difficult to talk about. Memories bring back that moment of pain that comes with unfulfilled expectations. Yet the guests, who dearly love this family, will always remember how desperation united them with the ability to reverse the pain of calamity.
Alexandra and Mark will face challenges in their lives, as every married couple do, but the difference is that they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that their family and friends will always be available to help and support them in their times of need. In the ugly face of disappointment, hope pierced through the darkness, encircling them with love.