The Ceremony

Jeffrey wanted to be at his best. He has been so very fond of Randy forever and in the preparation for this wedding he grew to love Miriam as well. His comments were not what he had planned: he had wanted to talk about the extraordinary journey Miriam’s parents took from the Soviet Union to the United States in the 1970’s and he wanted to describe a different sort of journey that Scott and I traveled from our childhoods to where we have together created a multi-cultural and multi-racial life for us and our children. 

The ceremony included the many traditional elements. One of the most beautiful was the bride and groom circling each other seven times. When it came time for Rand to breaking the glass, he did so with gusto! Jeffrey, Rand and Mir looked proud and beautiful under that Chuppah.

Jeffrey reported that Miriam was attuned to the environment – what was going on around her – and to what needed to be done at every turn. Rand, on the other hand was totally focused – he said “bazooka focused” – on Miriam. His intense attention helped to draw her into the moment and to be centered during the ceremony.

While Rand and Mir were sharing a moment of peace and while we got ready for them to sign the Ketubah, their marriage contract, our guests went downstairs to the first floor for hors d’oeuvres. The food was fantastic: stations included caviar and champagne, oysters on the half shell, and sushi. Some guest thought this food that was so ample and so delicious, was the dinner. They were to find out more was coming later.

The Reception

The reception was perfectly staged. Mir had selected the best band – Soul Solution – eleven musicians who provided a dance beat that had everyone up. You knew it was going to be special from the first moment. Even Caleb, age 2, danced from the moment he arrived in the space to the end of the night.  At several points in the evening he

The MC provided direction and commentary unobtrusively all evening and brought out props from time to time. There were lime green boas, bowler hats, elastic rose headbands, lighted rings and wands, and lime green top hats.

It was such a delight to see everyone who had come. There were family members from Boston, Florida, and Maine. There were high school friends of Rand’s and Mir’s, there were college friends of them both, parents of friends, close friends. Weddings bring people together and Rand and Mir collect friends like many of us collect knick-knacks. They stay in touch with each other. As Judy A noted, “It is fabulous what lovely adults these kids who have been close since early childhood, have turned into.” Elizabeth spoke of sharing brief, yet sweet, moments with friends and with the Langen-Steketee clans. I am sure the Kushnir’s family and friends were having the same moments of shared joy and delight. Mir and Rand’s delight in each other and in the excitement of the day was infectious.

Continued

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was out on the dance floor and, thinking he was alone, looked up at all the adults dancing around him, seeking Grandpa or Daddy or Mommy or some familiar adult. The adults around him were so big and he was so little.