Eriic & Amanda

It was time for Amanda’s wedding. Six o’clock on a Saturday evening at the St. Louis History Museum. It was an elegant affair.
Denae watched Puck for the evening. And OLeif and Collette arrived at around 5:30, following Brit and Lilli in the car ahead of them with Liselotte (who was blowing kisses and sporting darling little pigtails), Blessing, and Esther in the back seat. Already the sun was beginning to pour light into the west.
Inside the great atrium, chairs clothed in white and black were set in rows behind the statue of Jefferson, where Grandpa and Schroeder were already seated. Carrie was talking with Samwise and Aunt Galena (whose long dark hair had been woven up around her head in a very pretty way). Shortly later, Aunt Tuuli and Travis arrived. Uncle Hilario (who gave the blessing) and Aunt Corliss (who read from Scripture) were already there, as were Uncle Clarence (who walked in Amanda) and Uncle Balthasar (who escorted Martha down the aisle). Dad would escort Eriic’s parents down the aisle and give the blessing at dinner. Bristol and Nerissa arrived just before the ceremony was ready to begin. She was more than ready for their twin girls to arrive and was scheduled to go to the hospital that Monday. By the time Jashub and Polly had arrived (Fernando had stayed in Boston), everything was ready to begin.
Three of the The Laclede Quartet provided music for the ceremony. The bridesmaids wore black and carried bunches of velvety roses in autumn shades. And then Amanda arrived, looking very tall and poised and elegant in her slim, cream-colored gown. She took Eriic’s arm, who seemed perpetually bashful, and the ceremony was soon concluded.
While the atrium was being rearranged for dinner, the bar was opened out by the fountains. Family pictures were taken.
After the entire Snicketts/Black clan had organized themselves on the museum steps, they barely fit within the frame.
Toasts were first – some of them. Eriic lifted his glass and spoke kindly of his new bride, stumbling over things a little, wishing that he had “remembered his notes”. But he was very sweet and shy and at the end, said that he was enjoying the process of “becoming a Snicketts”.
“I can relate to that,” OLeif laughed.
Somehow that tended to happen, whether a Snicketts or Black girl was married, or a guy was married.
And Eriic was already fitting into the family very well. Intelligent, quiet, kind.
After Dad said a prayer, dinner followed with a first course of Mediterranean salad: mixed greens, fire roasted red peppers, dates, toasted almonds, Feta cheese, and pomegranate vinaigrette. Next came the main course: chicken roulade, which was chicken breast stuffed with sundried tomatoes, artichokes, mozzarella, and pesto cream sauce. This was also served with Soulard Market vegetables and a Yukon Gold and sweet potato gratin.
When the servers brought out the wine bottles, Collette and Carrie were overlooked as being under 21. But when Dad told the server that she could pour Joe a glass of Stone Hill Steinberg White, Collette and Carrie began to laugh.
As soon as the server had left, Collette whispered to Dad, “Joe’s only 20, Dad.”
“That’s ok.”
“He has to be 21.”
“It’s only 18, right?”
“Dad, that’s for smoking cigarettes.”
Dad began to laugh at his error. And Joe thought the whole thing was very funny.
Then out came the cake. White, a light creamy frosting, and raspberry sauce laced beneath the slices.
By this time, the dance floor had opened. After the initial first dance, all of the brothers and sisters got up to dance a slow Frank Sinatra number. Afterward, however, the DJ got things pumping with SexyBack. That’s when Aunt Galena let loose and really started to dance. The best thing was seeing Uncle Clarence out there with her.
“He dances just like Rose,” Carrie said later. “Uncoordinated maraca shaking.”
They had never seen Uncle Clarence dance like that before.
Dad was red from laughing. When Aunt Galena came back, she urged Samwise to join her.
“Come on, Samwise, come dance.”
“Oh, no, no. I don’t think I can do that, Mom,” he shook his head. “I, no. I can’t.”
“Well, where’s your brother?”
“I think he had to leave. Bathroom or something.”
It was a comical evening. A good evening.
So Collette and all the cousins had a new uncle, and Mom, Dad, and the other brothers and sisters had a new brother-in-law.