Michael and I were married on July 15, 2000....a nice easy date to remember! It was hotter than blazes that day...naturally, my mom-in-law was in town so the weather obliged her and was unseasonably warm (as opposed to the unseasonably cold she's normally greeted with during her visits here). The church was supposed to be air-conditioned, but the caretaker never showed up to unlock the thermostats and get the AC up and running. As a result, our groomsmen were merrily jimmying the lockboxes on the thermostats and turning on the AC for us only a few hours prior to the event. The only problem here, really, was that once the AC cycled once, it would turn off. The groomsmen would then have to jimmy the lockboxes again and reset the thermostats. Needless to say, it got warm. Fortunately, Michael and I are used to wearing warm clothing on the weekends anyway since we are Russians for the SCA.

Here we are in the "dressing room" waiting for things to get started. My bridesmaids were very good about distracting me as we waited....and waited....and waited for the flowers to arrive. They did show up finally....only a half hour after the ceremony was supposed to start.

Michael was so peeved at the flower delivery service that he almost went and cut the wildflowers out of the church's garden just so we could get the show on the road. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and my bouquet was worth the wait......And it was very free thanks to a lot of loud threats from one of my bridesmaids to the floral department that goofed up.

Here's me with my Mom and Mom-in-law. I'm lucky to have not one but TWO wonderful mothers now!

When I finally got to walk down the aisle, I was the happiest woman on earth. Yes, this was the first time Michael had seen me in "full regalia" and I hadn't seen him in his tux yet. Everyone had kept coming in to tell me how handsome he looked and they weren't kidding.

	He is, afterall, a rooster in so many ways.....
We were married by a good friend of ours, Elizabeth (who is Sarah Sophia on the weekends that she isn't being a minister). One of our photographers got this particularly ethereal shot of her in front of one of the stained glass windows....

During the ceremony, we were serenaded by a friend of mine with a gorgeous voice and another friend of mine who plays classical guitar. The John Denver tune, "Annie's Song" was their musical contribution during the lighting of the Unity Candle.....which didn't want to light because the wick was too short! We're still chuckling about that one.

We also each presented a reading to one another during the ceremony...breaking away a bit from the otherwise highly traditional ceremony.

Once the ceremony ended, it was time for cake, wine (homemade and provided by our friend John, aka Little John), and bubbles!

We also braved the heat of the day (which was actually nicer outside due to the breeze...) for some picture taking on the church lawn. We couldn't resist including a picture with one of the devilish traffic cones that blocked the entry way to the church for several blocks either way....yes, our guests drove through a construction zone to attend!

We had plenty of fun for the cameras....

Michael enjoyed this a lot...although, when my brother picked him up single-handedly and handed him to the bridesmaids, he was a little befuddled!

What a motley crew we had for the groomsmen! Looks like they're ready to go hunt someone down, doesn't it?

All in all, even with all the little problems, it was a beautiful day, shared with wonderful friends and family. I wouldn't have traded it for anything!

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