A Natural Wedding

Let's face it: Weddings can run the gamut from stultifying to sublime. Put two tremendously creative naturalists (Jeff Gordon and Liz Bennett DeLuna) together in the piney woods on Delaware Bay, let them unleash their love of nature and hospitality on a few lucky guests, and you have sublime cubed. When I think back on this wedding I see a swirl of color and beauty, doors flung wide, nature a full participant. There was whimsy in every detail.
Liz, not being the kind to want a train on her gown, nevertheless had a trainbearer: Liam, with James the Red Engine.
This is how she spent part of the morning before the wedding. I was awed at Jeff and Liz's ability to kick back and enjoy the preparations. It rubbed off on the guests and we all just fooled around and had the best time on this fine, hot weekend.
The bubbly flowed at the reception.The cake was perfect, and there were flowers absolutely everywhere--not just cut flowers, but flowers in pots and planters, gobs upon gobs of flowers.Bill and I listened to the homily and the vows and got all choked up. With 13 years of pulling together and making it work, every word cuts to the bone.
Liz left her lovely silver shoes in the reception hall before the wedding; Jeff picked them up and stuffed them in his suitcase so she wouldn't lose them, and nobody could find them at 4 p.m. So Liz went barefoot.
Does Liz look like the kind of person who would sweat the small stuff? Here she is, demonstrating the proper use of Italian pepperoni.

Luna moths were the theme--their colors and shapes have always enchanted Liz and Jeff. And one was perched on the building next to the chapel when we came out from the ceremony.The Flower Fairy meets her muse.