Our candles and flowers...

... a small part of all that was beautiful on our wedding day. We want to express thanks and love to our family members who traveled long distances to be with us on our special day, to our children and grandchildren, as well as to our dear, dear friends - all who joined in our celebration. All of you make our lives richer with your support, your laughter, your love.

Anticipation...

The Groom, the Best Man, and the Minister await the arrival of the Matron of Honor and the Bride.

A cherished friend performs the ceremony...

The Reverend Dr. David Graham and his wife, Pat, currently live in Arizona. They rearranged their California vacation so that David could marry us.

Here Comes The Bride...

Matron of Honor, Margaret's sister, Carol Schelb, enters the room, followed by Margaret and her brother, George McKay, who gave her away on behalf of her family.

Margaret entered the room to the closing strains of our wedding song "Close Enough For Love", (Johnny Mandel/Paul Williams) performed by the late Joe Williams. (See lyrics in right column.)

Let Us Pray...

The ceremony...

As part of the service, David recited words by Battle Creek poet, Gary Bundy. They are especially moving and we want to share them with you.

"Enter your new life singing

and memorize the steps of the

old men and women who danced before you.

Rubbed down by age,

notice they are smiling nonetheless.

Because like them, what you make

and leave behind

the world calls holy."

The ring that wanted to stick...

Our wedding took place during a heat wave; swollen hands nearly kept Margaret from getting Larry's ring on his finger. (She blamed it on the capers he'd eaten the night before!)

The lighting of the Unity Candle...

Time to kiss the bride...

We are introduced, "Larry and Margaret, as they have been and always will be. Forever."

Sisters sharing tears of joy after the ceremony...

Love and blessings from big brother...

Tears and laughter shared between George and Margaret.

The bride and groom...

Larry and Margaret stand alone with their beautiful candles of Individuality and Unity. These candles will be lighted on each anniversary as a reaffirmation of our love and of the vows made on April 18, 2009.

The Wedding Party...

The Bride and Groom share the stage first with their Matron of Honor and Best Man, then with the Minister.

The bride and groom alone - only for a moment...

Larry is caught unaware in a moment of contemplation.

Margaret takes her seat for the traditional "bride" photo. Do most brides already have their garter showing at this point?

The Groom and His Best Man...

Larry and Ira Wright have been as close as brothers for many, many years. There is no one else that Larry would have wanted to stand beside him on his wedding day.

Family formals...

Margaret and Carol are first to share the Steamers piano bench, followed by she and her big brother, George.

Let the reception begin...

Reverend David's smile over the festivities is completely infectious. He and wife Pat join George at their table - lunch is just about to be served!

The beautiful wife of the best man...

Delores Wright, the best man's wife, waits at the table for her husband and the bride and groom to come take their seats.

The toasts...

There were a number of toasts to our happiness, especially endearing were those from the best man, Ira, Terence, and Larry's cousin Dale, which went sadly unphoto-documented. Of course there were many gentle jabs, and a lot of laughter. Then, Margaret sent up her own toast to Terence, reminding all who were there that it was because of him (and Steamers) that she and Larry ever met!

Robin's kids - Brandon and Ava

We were so disappointed when we realized that some of Robin's family must have been hiding from the photographer. Ava managed to show up in a number of pictures; here she is hanging out with her mom. Unfortunately her dad, Andrick, was nowhere to be seen in anyone's pictures, and our fifteen year old grandson, Brandon, can be found only at a distance in a group shot. (His Uncle David can be seen in the background.) Unfortunately, this is the best we can do representing that cherished side of the family...

Our beautiful granddaughters...

...are hardly camera shy! Ava, who just started walking a few weeks ago was one well-traveled, busy little girl during the reception. Here she can be seen stealing the spotlight away from her cousins, as well as forging her own path into the crowds. Sophia was happy to spend a few minutes sitting with her "Grandma M", but she was thrilled to death when Carol gave her the Matron of Honors bouquet. We might be a little prejuidiced, but we think that our baby girls are about as gorgeous two little girls as you'll ever want to see!

Heather, David and Family...

We're not quite sure how David managed to miss the "family" shot with his wife and their three darling kids, Jonathan, Joshua and Sophia. Luckily, a friend managed to get a picture of he and the best man, and another got a particular touching photo of he and Joshua. "Mom" and Joshua are pretty cute together, too!

Larry and his two wonderful daughters...

Heather and Robin pose with their dad in front of Steamers. They both looked absolutely beautiful that day!

The Northern California branch of the family...

Larry turned to his cousin Dale Bates, "the closest things to siblings either have got", pre-ceremony, looking for help with his boutonniere. Ira and Dale's husband, Bob, took time to chat.

Bob and Dale Bates, and our close-as-family friend, Carlene Kahn, drove in from San Jose/San Mateo to join in the festivities. They shared their reception table with our dear friend, Bill Gobie.

Cutting the cake...

Our wedding cake was a-l-m-o-s-t too beautiful to cut! The bottom layer was red silk, with a chocolate mouse filling, and the top layer was almond, with raspberry filling, all covered in butter-cream frosting. Music notes rounded each layer, and the floral topper completed this work of art.

Frosting the groom's face...

Margaret and Larry had promised not to smash cake into each others' faces. But, Margaret didn't promise not to smear a little frosting on Larry's cheek!