Come See the Wedding Pictures!!!

400 of the couple's most intimate friends ...

If you don't know that Ricki and Jamie got married yesterday, where have you been?!  We've been talking about it for months and months (years even).  (See our Special Pre-Wedding Moosletter.)

The week before the wedding, Ricki and Jamie hosted a Village Harmony singing camp with over 30 attendees staying at the house.  The camp ended the day before the wedding!  (Readers- are you remembering your own weddings and cringing at the thought of this?)  Only Ricki and Jamie would attempt this!

The picture on the right is Ricki in the morning (the wedding was at 2pm).  Her daughter, Jen, had arranged for her to have a massage when she woke up, so she was feeling gooood.

The weather was beautiful with a few moments of heavy rain, which means, according to the old wives tale, that the marriage will last forever.  (Those old wives really knew their stuff!)

A few hours before the wedding, at 11:30am, a small group of Ricki's women friends and family held a tribute ceremony for her in the "barn" (a beautiful building Ricki and Jamie created in the back yard).  We meditated together first and then we each took our turn telling Ricki why we love her.  I think we all would have gladly spent the day together in that quiet space, but we had a rather large wedding to attend!!!

Gallery of Wedding Photos

These 3 stooges were supposed to be working on the set-up, but ...  That's friend Josh on the left, groom Jamie in the middle and Ricki's brother, Peter on the right.

The small tent was for the food and the big one ended up being for the ceremony and the reception.  The ceremony would have been outdoors, but the forecast called for a storm with the possibility of strong winds.  Fortunately, we were spared the winds and most of the rain cleared up during the ceremony.

At left, that's Will, Jamie's youngest son.  At right, his oldest son, Eli.  Who says men don't make weddings?
There was a small staff of 4, (that's Ryan in front).  Ryan is engaged to be married soon, so he'll be hiring his own staff.  We know 3 great guys ... 

Ricki and Jamie had borrowed a refrigeration truck from Paul and Amy at Sidehill Farm and Norm, their next-door neighbor let them keep it in their driveway.  The guests brought their dishes there when they arrived.

Golf carts always come in handy (plus they're fun to ride around in)!

Sarah's husband, Mark, seemed to always be there when anything needed doing.

Did I mention how great the staff was?  This is Matt Szulborski, the team leader.  We first met him when he worked at Ricki's youngest daughter, Sarah's wedding two years ago.  ( This picture is a little blurry because he had a lot to do, and it was hard for him to stand still long enough for me to take his picture.)

Ricki's sister, Marci, worked tirelessly to make sure everything was done the way Ricki wanted it (as she has done at every significant event in Ricki's life.)  I think everyone would agree that Ricki  won the cosmic lottery when she picked Marci to be her sister.  (And visa versa, of course.)

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Sarah and her mother in law, Ann (wearing blue), arranged the cheese platters  for the appetizer table. 

Sarah had made beautiful labels for each of the cheeses.

Friend, Marcia, brought the watermelons.  What can we say?!

Kathy Bullock was recovering from a full week as one of the leaders at the singing camp. 
 She had stayed overnight for the wedding, but had to leave early to catch a plane back to her home in Kentucky.  She teaches music at Berea College.  During the ceremony, she led a much beloved song, written by her sister.

From 1-2, the guests arrived, dropping off their food at the refrigeration truck and then heading into the tent.

Sarah with her uncle Peter.

Jamie actually stood still for a moment!

Ricki's daughter, Jen, and her fiancee, Jason will be tying the knot next September.

These folks were practicing some of the songs for the ceremony.

When Ricki came through the rain to the food tent, the wedding party gathered around her to hear the plan (who would go first, etc.)  Anyone over 60 who wanted to be a flower girl was invited to participate.  (I did, of course, partly because I serve the Queen and partly because we got to blow bubbles as we walked down the aisle.)

That handsome man in the middle (I have to say that or he gets upset) is Jason, Jen's fiancee.  You'll be seeing more of him at the wedding next September.  To his right, you can see a glimpse of Eli, Jamie's oldest son and his brother, Will,  behind Jason.

Those are the bubble tubes in one of the flower girls hand.

There was a little gap between the two tents, so Peter and Marci prepared for the entourage.  The pretty lady on Marci's right came with Richard Dunbrack (the Thieving Magpie who made all the fabulous structures and the kitchen cabinets in the house).  After the ceremony, she and Richard set off some firecrackers, thus beginning the reception with a BANG!

At this point, it must be noted that the bride wore special sparkly shoes made by daughter, Sarah.  They started out as Crocs, so they proved to be quite practical in the rain, as well as gorgeous, of course.

The procession was almost ready and Peter was still standing with his umbrella.  However, for some reason, his head turned red which I thought complemented his green shirt.

Flower girls with bubble tubes, ready to go.

The rain ended and the sun came out just as Ricki began her walk to the stage. (Jamie had made a stage and painted it magenta, one of the Queen's favorite colors.)

Ricki's father accompanied her down the aisle.

Marci, Peter, and their father.  (Ricki's mother, Sandy, was there, from New Jersey, and Ricki paid a special tribute to her during the ceremony.)

Too many friends and family to name... At right, Ricki's buddy, Glenda, played the keyboard for many of the songs in the ceremony.

Kate Stevens, the minister of The First Congregational Church in Ashfield, officiated.  She has known Ricki and Jamie for years. 

Can you see the bubbles?  That's Sarah in the middle and friend, John Bos at the microphone.

Ricki's longtime friend, Jack from Vermont read a poem he had written for the occasion.

Jamie and Ricki read to each other from long scrolls (with big type for easy reading).  After that, they kissed (somewhat passionately, I thought for a family wedding!).  After that, I was watching it all too closely to get any more pictures but I can assure you that Jamie and Ricki are now husband and wife.

Meanwhile, back at the food tent, the staff was making progress with the meal.

Nancy Charbonneau worked with the staff for a few hours, then she drove Kathy Bullock to the airport in Hartford. 

Many folks had included a list of ingredients with their dish.

This picture was taken before the table was ready. but, believe me, it looked scrumptious.

The staff was getting it together just as the ceremony ended.

Eli breaking away.

As soon as the ceremony ended, the food tent was open for business.

Now Ricki and Jamie had the opportunity to chat with old friends and enjoy the day.

The wedding cake was made by Ricki's daughter, Jen, from Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog, their award-winning surface ripened goat cheese. 

It's always hard to tell whether Ricki's having a good time (hee hee) but we can venture a guess here...

To all of you- Thank you for helping to make this world a place where love is cherished and celebrated.