Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb2016

eddings ain’twhat

they used to be, or at least

that’s what my mother tells

me. When she married

my father in the early

1980s in McMinnville,

Tennessee, a few friends and

family members gathered at their local church and then

showed up afterwards for a light

reception in the fellowship hall,

followed by dinner at a local steakhouse.

Although that’s likely an oversimplification of their

big day, today’s weddings are intricate, action-packed

affairs with many lead-up events that involve a great deal

of planning. I know this because I spent the past year

“helping” my now-wife, Jenna, plan our wedding.

Last year, on Christmas day, I surprised Jenna by

driving up to Easley, South Carolina, to do Christmas

dinner with her family. Little did she know when I arrived

that I had a bigger surprise in store.

I first met Jenna at a Clemson football tailgate, and

it took me about five seconds to fall for her. Initially, she

didn’t feel the same. It took her five months to give in to

my persistence. But as I drove up to Easley last Christmas,

A Blur in the

Rearview Mirror

One GrOOm reflects On WeddinG PlanninG

By jOe SeMSar