THE WEDDING EDITION

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 76 JUNE 2012

THE LOWE/LOGUE WEDDING EDITION

Dear Children and Readers,

Saturday, May 5^th was a sunny, hot and humid day but most importantly rain free. By six in the evening, the time of the outdoor ceremony, one could even detect a faint breeze. A beautiful gazebo, draped in grape vines, surrounded with greenery, ferns and flowers complete with a crystal chandelier hung from the decorative wrought iron roof dazzled almost as much as the bride's dress and veil. The guests were assembled on rows of white chairs with my bows fluttering in the breeze, serenaded by the classical trio of musicians as the wedding party proceeded down the aisle.

The previous Saturday was not such a splendorous day. Coryn was standing in her dress and veil on a platform in Ida's Bridal Saloon with tears streaming down her face. Her dress was finally altered – after several delays – one time I noticed lots of dark curly hairs on the inside of the many layers of fabric and was assured that they were caused by static electricity sucking the hairs up from the carpet - rather than my suspicion that other brides-to -be were being allowed to try on Coryn's dress. Her veil had just arrived from Spain in the nick of time but as soon as we saw it we realized it was not the veil we had ordered. The owner showed us the style number on the order form and matched it to the one on the veil. Coryn asked to see the sample veil and much to my surprise they didn't claim it was lost or something but brought it out to compare and the beadwork was obviously very different. The owner claimed that this was the newer version of the style and that none of her other customers had noticed. I suggested that it was deceptive to show a style that was no longer supposedly available. Coryn was sobbing so hard that the owner offered to take the appliques off the sample veil and add them to her veil , claiming she would work through the night if necessary. That offer did not appease Coryn who pointed out that beads were missing from the sample. I tried to console Coryn by pointing out how beautiful the unwanted veil might seem to us if we hadn't set our hearts on the other. My advice to brides would be to make sure that the dress and veil both arrive way ahead of the wedding date so that if there is a problem there will be time to rectify it.

Unfortunately the very next day I put my back out somehow when helping Coryn and Jeremy assemble their gift bags for their hotel guests. It couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time as I had so much to still do for the wedding. I was amazed that it had happened at all considering how long I have been supporting your dad's weight! Fortunately my children decided that they were going to help me “walk” my back into better shape. I found myself kneeling on my butt stretching my hands out ever further, being assured that every creak and snap was a positive indicator that I was getting the kinks out! I hope Ethan didn't film this episode to share with Angela and Trevor. I have to admit that this walking forward with your hands therapy actually did help. By Friday I was on a step ladder hanging purple fabric across fish line on the ceiling of the Loch Lloyd Country Club.

Leslee Ann was helping me with this endeavor and we managed to hang one side but could not afix our second side. Fortunately Craig showed up and succeeded where we had failed which was most surprising as Craig is not usually very handy. He rose right to the top of my ladder that day. Sean soon pitched in and we had clouds of purple satin billowing over the dance floor. While I was climbing up and down ladders with pins, fabric, fishing line and paper clips holding onto my back ,Coryn was flitting among the tables with place cards, candle holders and favor jars. I did think to myself that it might have made more sense to swap jobs but had more sense than to suggest it. Coryn was the Queen Bee - we were just Lowely worker bees!

However our task was infinitely easier than Jeremy's aunt Sheryl's crew who were out on the greens in record breaking blazing heat and humidity wrapping grapevines around the arbor that had been built by one of the guys that works for Jeremy's uncle's company. They had driven trucks and trailers up from Clinton, Missouri with the arbor, grapevine and half of Cheryl's home decorating accents. Coryn and Jeremy were the first couple ever to be married on the greens, under an arbor surrounded by ponds and waterfalls.

Jeremy's mom and step father showed up to help and were given the job of setting the twenty-four inch tall candles into the candle holders. Once again Mother was proved right. I had suggested to Coryn that we might want to check that the candles fit into the candlesticks when the boxes were delivered to my house but Coryn rolled her eyes and told me it would be just fine. Since I have had problems with long tapered candles tipping out of the bases I was less confident. Soon Jeremy's step father had to whip out his penknife and start whittling the candle bases down to fit in the too small holders. Jeremy's mom still couldn't stabilize them so we tried a hot glue gun but to no avail. Someone suggested some sticky stuff that we could use from a hobby store. So Coryn bought out a store's candle sticking goo inventory. Thank goodness our friend Becky Clay came to help the day of the wedding and spent all afternoon using goo to secure dozens of candles. Without her help dinner would not have been a candle lit event.

Coryn had arranged to have all the Country Clubs dinning chairs slipcovered in white with deep purple bows tied in the back. I was glad that the company she had rented them from showed up to put them all on and tie all the bows as I was still struggling with my project and running out of time as we had to change for the rehearsal dinner after a walk through of the wedding ceremony.

The day of the wedding we all arrived in the early afternoon, the girls set up in the ladies lounge area with a makeup artist and two hairdressers to help beautify the bridal party. Not that this was really necessary as Amber Scott, Becky Dickinson, Megan Freeman, Coryn, Leslee and Kay Lowe are all beautiful girls. The groomsmen were holed up in a spacious two story area complete with bar and private deck with strict orders that if Coryn ventured out of the rooms Jeremy was to be kept from catching even a glimpse of her.

The florist arrived with all the purple and green floral arrangements and I knew that Coryn wasn't going to be tickled pink by the roses. We had had two meetings with her florists and thought they understood that she only wanted deep purple, ivory and green as her colors. Unfortunately the roses- which the florist insisted were lilac - were definitely more of a mauve pink and they certainly made the arrangements pop. I actually liked the contrast in color myself but I was not the bride. The florist was waving her ipod in front of me showing me the picture Coryn had given her as a guide, insisting that the roses were definitely more lilac than purple. I decided to break the news gently to Coryn fearing a bridal meltdown. I hiked my way up to the the girls room where Coryn was having her hair and makeup done. I described the floral arrangements, gushing over their beauty, gently warning her that the roses might be more pink than purple hoping to nip any tears in the bud. I hoped she was wearing water proof mascara. Coryn was disappointed but sagely commented that there wasn't much that could be done at this late hour. Jeremy's aunt Sheryl, who was generously footing the floral bill, was much more upset and negotiated a discount as about twenty floral arrangements were not as expected. Fortunately the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets were all perfect as were the boutonnieres and corsages.

We had a moment of panic just prior to the ceremony when we realized that the guest who was going to babysit baby Elena had not arrived. Her parents, Becky and Fred Dickinson, were both in the wedding so once again Becky Clay came through and literally was left holding the baby – a far more enjoyable task than candle sticking.

Jeremy is a very emotional guy and was concerned that he would have difficulty in maintaining his composure during the ceremony. He was moved to tears during the rehearsal dinner when thanking his family and ours for our love and support, and Coryn had to finish his speech for him. Probably something he needs to get use to anyway as I have noticed that today's husbands seem to lose their voices when they get married. As you may recall he had insisted that he didn't want to see Coryn that day until she walked down the aisle and I knew the sight of her would take his breath away and cause a waterfall of emotion – something which seems to have bypassed the Lowe male's genes. I have to confess that I was trying to get Jeremy to focus his tearful eyes on our side of the aisle rather than his as all his family and guests were dabbing their eyes with tissues while our family was grinning with delight to think that Coryn was now all his!

Our family all contributed to the day. Ming-Jon and Sean were ushers and Sean also acted as emcee,

Leslee was the Maid (Matron) of Honor and charged with the task of following behind Coryn - Pippa Middelton style- holding Coryn's long trailing beaded veil. I commented that I hoped her backside wasn't as distracting knowing that Coryn would want all eyes on her as she walked down the aisle. Kay was one of the beautiful bridesmaids, Bryn a groomsman and Josh had the honor of walking his sister down the aisle. He seemed to regard it as more of an assault on his bank balance bemoaning the high cost of a tuxedo rental. Bryn on the other hand would have been happier to pay more for a tuxedo that met his style requirements. He made us all laugh when he held the tuxedo pants up complaining that they were so baggy and out of style. He loves skin tight pants. Ming and Lori both gave readings during the ceremony and stepped in to help the ushers out when they realized that the wedding guests were waiting to be seated for an undesirable amount of time. Claudia handed out programs and Blake looked very dapper – they both did did an outstanding job of showing their appreciation of the rehearsal dinner and wedding buffet. Ethan and Craig were the family photographers and Marc was given the task of taking care of Norm: more on this later.

Once the actual ceremony was underway my eyes caught movement on Coryn's dress and I saw a large spider crawling up the voluminous skirt. The bridesmaids were directly in front of me and I managed to catch Becky Dickinson's eye and direct it to the bug. She nudged Leslee ,who as Maid of Honor was standing next to Coryn. Leslee has suffered with arachnophobia since she was a baby but she maintained her composure and discreetly reached down and shook the spider off. I then realized that the bottom edge of Coryn's dress had attracted a colony of ants. I decided they were harmless and wouldn't show up in the pictures – and to think my only concern about the grass was walking on it in high heels because the night before at the wedding rehearsal I'd walked out of my shoes when the heels sunk into the well watered greens. I never considered that six girls in long ivory dresses would be a magnet for every grass dwelling bug.

The wedding officiants did a stellar job of conveying the storyline of Coryn and Jeremy's courtship and obviously had great affection for the couple that they have come to know so well during the months that they have been preparing them for marriage. I was concerned that Jeremy might have trouble repeating his vows due to his high emotions but thank goodness he managed to get out the “I do” so now I can proudly say that three of my eight children are married, just five to go.

Fortunately the professional photographers that Coryn and Jeremy had hired really clicked away after the ceremony as they took family pictures on our side and the many sides of Jeremy's family and then of the newly weds so that we were able to get the guests assembled for the bridal parties grand entrance in a reasonable amount of time. At this time the classical muscians were replaced with a well known Kansas City singer/piano player , Dan Doran and a couple of his band players. It was so nice to be able to talk above the music for once at a wedding, wherever you were sitting in the room.

The buffet featuring beef medallions and salmon was excellent, the dark chocolate swans filled with raspberry mousse that were served later were a special touch and when the cake was finally served I missed out as I was visiting with guests but I was told it was delicious .

After dinner Coryn snuck away and changed into her second dress – from her first prom at Aquinas. In contrast to the ball gown style of her wedding dress( which she claimed was too voluminous to dance in) this one was very form fitting and every bit as glitzy. I was so thankful that I had saved it all these years. It was amazing that it still fit her so well – I just let it out a tiny bit in a couple of places. I think her reappearance in a another dress added to the “wow” factor of the whole event.

Since your father could not dance the traditional Father/Daughter dance Coryn decided to follow in her sister's footsteps and have her brother's each take a turn with her around the dance floor – it demonstrated that none of the Lowe boys can dance. Norm did gallantly manage to stand and give her a big hug at the end of the dance. Later when Leslee was inviting Craig to dance with her your dad mistakenly thought she was asking him and apparently got out of his wheelchair in an attempt to stagger to the dance floor. Fortunately Marc and Ming-Jon were able to hustle him back into it when they saw little Leslee sinking under his collapsing weight.

The stars on the dance floor were definitely the youngest of our guests. Mia Woodbury was the standout attraction with an adoring audience captivated by her very 'Beyonce' like moves. The adult guests fanned out around her and took their cues from the point of her finger indicating that it was there turn to get a move on. Drew tried to keep up with his big sister - a little break dancing with a hip hop influence- but Mia was on the floor dancing up a storm all night. When she starts attending school dances I have words of advice for Elizabeth and Brent – body guards to protect the boys from Mia. Apparently she was handing out invitations to all the Lowe boys to come and play at her house. We have all missed her so much since she moved to Fort Madison. Josh commented that Mia's parents could probably rent her out as a party starter.

Finally it was time for Norm to go home. He held up so well, enjoying the wedding as much as anyone. He took a nap in the room specially provided to accommodate his needs during the afternoon between family photos and the guests arrival. Marc and Ethan kept a close eye on him. Becky Clay was spending the night with us along with Ming-Jon and Marc. Ethan was spending the night with Sean and Josh. Since it I don't like to drive in the dark anymore I decided to have Marc drive my car with Ming-Jon and your dad as passenger's whilst I elected to go with Becky to show her the route home. I suggested to Marc that he might want to follow us home but he said he had got directions from Sean and had GPS on his phone. Becky and I pulled out of the pitch black parking lot and noticed that Marc was not behind us – I saw that he was headed in another direction and started snickering about how he was probably going to be lost in the parking lot all night. Becky and I made it all the way down the long driveway to the gatehouse and still no headlights shone behind us. We were very surprised that we made it a couple of miles down the highway with no lights behind us. We finally turned onto 135^th street and noticed police cars pulled off to the side waiting for speeders . I joked to Becky that it would be fun to pull up beside one of the police cruisers and report my car stolen. The thought of our hot shot LA lawyer being pulled over with a disorientated oriental in the front passenger seat and another lawyer in the back seat had us laughing so hard that we missed our turn and ended up taking the long way home. It turned out that Becky's night vision wasn't much better than mine as we struggled to see lane lines, street signs and even had trouble telling the difference between red stoplights and car tail lights.

We pulled into the driveway behind Marc and unfortunately Norm was in full seizure mode. He blamed it all on Marc's driving. For days afterwards he described the drive home from Loch Lloyd as a near death experience. Now I must say that your dad becomes very upset if he thinks he's lost. A few times I have driven routes to new doctor's offices to make sure I know exactly how to get there , where to park and where to go in the building. Apparently Marc almost ran into construction cones and a retaining wall once he figured out how to get out of the parking lot. Next time Marc will hopefully ride home on my bumper – something he is very good at as you will know if you have ever had the misfortune to be in a car with him driving.

I had hoped to get this newsletter to you all sooner but as you know Norm fell and broke his hip a couple of weeks ago and had to have a hip replacement. He spent nine days in the hospital and is currently in a nursing home with hopes of bringing him home. Coryn very thoughtfully was able to get a family photo from the wedding photographer which was proudly displayed in his hospital room and is now on his bureau at Delmar Gardens where all the staff can see him surrounded by his large and loving family as a husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa and uncle who despite his failing health never fails to light up like a light bulb when one of his children walks through the door or calls on the phone. Coryn and Jeremy gave him so much happiness when they included him in plans for their special day and their marriage truly lifted his spirit. We all wish Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Logue the happiest of marriages and of course we welcome Jeremy into our family and hope that we will be welcoming some more new ( and much smaller) members very soon. Love your Mother-of- the -Bride mom who would love to be a Mother-of-the Groom- again before my photos need to be air brushed.