I Do... Eventually

This week on October 7, my husband and I will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary. We were so young when we married and have endured a great deal over our marriage, but nothing compares to the day when we said our, “I do’s”.

Growing up, I had dreamed of a massive wedding with a long train and a huge wedding party, but since my husband and I were footing the bill ourselves, a lavish ballroom production simply wasn't in the cards. 

Fortunately, we already knew the perfect spot because my aunt had gotten married a few years before; it was such a nice venue featuring a huge dance floor, an open bar, and a wonderful buffet, making it feel special without breaking the bank. 

Knowing where we wanted to host our big day, we sat down with the venue coordinator to make it happen. Enter a man named Bill at The Flaming Hearth in Farmingville, New York. Bill was smooth, reassuring, and full of promises. He looked at our modest budget, smiled like a seasoned cruise director, and assured us that everything would be taken care of—down to the last detail.

The venue was locked in, the menu promised plenty of delicious eats for the buffet, and we figured we were all set.

When the big day finally arrived, all those wedding-day nerves were running high. The dresses were zipped, the guests were all seated and waiting, and everything looked like it was coming together as it should—right up until the moment we realized there wasn't actually anyone there to marry us.

Naturally, my heart skipped a beat, so we hunted down Bill to find out what was going on. He looked at us with complete bewilderment and casually dropped the bombshell: he genuinely thought we were the ones providing the officiant.

Needless to say, that is definitely NOT what we heard when we booked!

Realizing the mix-up, Bill sprang into action, but finding an emergency officiant on short notice is no small feat. While our patient guests enjoyed the open bar and leaned hard into cocktail hour, we found ourselves waiting a full hour and a half for someone to arrive.

Fortunately, Bill managed to pull it off, and our last-minute savior finally showed up to make it official. 

Looking back, our budget-friendly wedding had just enough unexpected twists to make it truly memorable. Thirty-six years later, we can easily laugh at the great officiant mix-up and the legendary 90-minute wait with Bill from Farmingville.

After all, if we could survive a missing officiant before we even tied the knot, I knew we could make it through anything life threw our way.

-Jackie