Thursday Thirteen

Things about our wedding 46 years ago (as of Sunday)

1. I had my picture taken in my dress, with my bridesmaids, on a fire engine


2. Walt wore a white tuxedo jacket coat with a grease stain on it

3. The Newman Hall choir sang a Mozart Mass (complete with string quartet) for us as a gift

4. Walt’s deaf co-worker had never been to a Catholic service before. His only comment: “It certainly was long.”

5. My bridesmaids were my sister, my sister-in-law and two friends

6. We were married by our good friend, Tim Toohig, a brand new Jesuit priest. We were his very first wedding.

7. My “something old” was (faux) pearl earrings that had belonged to my grandmother

8. The reception was at the Brazilian Room in Tilden Park (who knew then how important Brasil would be in our lives!)

9. Instead of plastic pillars to raise the tiers of the cake, they were raised up on inverted champagne glasses, with frosting roses under them.


10. A guy at the Physics Department made a foam champagne holder with dry ice that kept the champagne cold until we got to our first stop on our honeymoon

11. We have a movie of someone sneaking into the reception, from the picnic area below the Brazilian Room and stealing 2 glasses of champagne–and suddenly becoming aware that she was caught on video!

12. We left the reception in Walt’s 1953 Rambler convertible, which barely made it up the hill to where our real car was parked.

13. Phoebe caught the bouquet. It’s been 46 years and she still isn’t married.