By a little after 12, the whole thing was done. That was about what I had expected, actually. And since the schedule called for pictures to begin at 1, it was decent timing.
Once everyone else had gotten away from the hotel, Christina and I got ready and then headed back to the church ourselves. I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover that Kyndle had gotten corsages for the four of us who were designated as personal
I am so delighted to see Kyndle and Graham married that I cannot find adequate words. It is wonderful to see Kyndle so happy with her life, given how poor an experience Drew was for her. And it is always a pleasure to see a dear friend find someone who complements them perfectly, especially when that person is someone who becomes a friend as well. Kyndle and Graham belong together, and their joy in each other enriches the world.
I bolted for the back room the second the recessional was over. One of the pew candles had burned down WAY too fast and was going to create a horrible mess any second. Christina ran in just as I'd gotten the snuffer out of its package, and I handed it off to her. And thus we began reversing the process, taking down all the decorations and getting everything cleaned and put away. I drafted
The reception itself was decent. I wasn't too impressed by the food, but the hall was gorgeous and the service was pretty good.
All that stuff we'd loaded into the family cars? Turns out some of it was in the wrong cars. And there needed to be more space for some of the stuff from the reception. Yep, time for another running trip through the parking lot. Followed by another one to retrieve Kyndle's luggage, which was by now buried under everything else. At this point Christina and I moved the two remaining family cars from the back of the parking lot to the front to save running. There really wasn't much cleanup to do, but there was enough craziness and confusion that it was about an hour after the reception before I was sure there was nothing else for me to do.
Kyndle and her parents and other assorted relatives must have thanked me a dozen times, and I'm sure everyone else was getting thanked as well. I just kept telling them, that's what friends are for. I know that if I ever really needed help with something Kyndle could do, she'd be glad to do it for me. And weddings are generally one of the most important days of someone's life. It's so worth the time and effort for me to do whatever I can to make it easier and better.
I was sore for two days afterwards from the climbing and running and dancing and generally ignoring my limitations. I need to do this kind of thing more often.