Josie's rollerderby coach got married last weekend, in what had to be the most fabulous wedding ceremony we've ever been privileged to attend. The entire Junior Derby League served as rolling attendants -- Josie heard they set a record for most flowergirls on skates, but I'm not sure anyone from Guinness was there to document it.
Coach Betty had issued clear instructions: "Arrive at 1 pm. Meet in Youth Group Meeting Hall. Get your tutu (we will have them all there) and get all gear on and skates. Wear a solid white t-shirt or tank. Tights can be pink or white. You can wear tights or fishnets over tights or pink and white skull socks over white tights or one pink sock and one white sock or with hearts, that is up to you but just keep it pink and white. ONLY PINK AND WHITE. Angela will be coordinating skaters - get dressed and wait quietly for further instructions. DO NOT STROLL AROUND THE CHURCH IN YOUR SKATES."
Which is how we found ourselves spending two hours in a large room filled with extremely excited young ladies on wheels, all of whom were simultaneously discovering and defying Barbie's Third Law: tulle and velcro don't mix.
There was a fair amount of waiting around: "No, you may NOT use the foosball table. Put the pool cues down, please. Find something quiet to do, girls!" Lil Vicious had the right idea:
Eventually we took a brief foray outside for pictures:
Josie is on the right, back row, silver helmet:
And then Angela (who really deserves some sort of medal) got them all sorted out by size into four separate lines.
The girls killed a little bit more time applying "Richard & Krista" heart tattoos onto each other's arms. (It took us a minute to figure out who the heck this "Krista" person was, as we've only ever known the bride as Betty Ford Galaxy. It was a little unnerving, frankly -- like suddenly coming face to face with Clark Kent.)
Then it was time for the ceremony. We slipped into the sanctuary and sat near the back, conscious that we didn't really know the happy couple, but happy to witness their vows all the same. Forty-six rollergirls started it off, gliding down the aisle at stately intervals, as Melinda sang "Brand New Key." The guests rose to their feet, cheering and whooping. Then came the groomsmen in powder blue tuxedos, mirrored sunglasses, and giant black afro wigs, each with a stunning bridesmaid on his arm. The groom followed, sauntering along in a blue tux & white top hat. Then the bride, of course, swaying a bit on her pink glittery platform heels.
The ceremony was beautiful and moving -- all the fabulous campy costumery didn't distract at all from the dignity of the vows, the rings, the final kiss. We were honored to be there, and we wish Richard and Krista many years of happiness!
We talked with one of the dads a bit about how these rituals -- weddings, bat mitzvahs, whatever -- always place everybody in the room squarely on life's continuum: either you've done it yourself and you're welcoming the participants into this next phase of life, thinking about what lies ahead for them; or you're watching them step out ahead of you, wondering what it will be like when and if you get there someday. This time we had the added rush of seeing our own beautiful daughter, dressed in white & pink, come cruising down the aisle with a solemn smile on her face. It was hard not to imagine that one day she might be the one in the big poofy dress.
Aftermath
Josie loved her tutu so much, she decided to wear it to school the next day. We expressed support for the idea as a concept, but wondered if she thought other kids would be able to handle the presence of this pink-and-white fluffy garment in their midst, if the Dress Code didn't say something about not distracting other students from their studies, and if someone in authority would be likely to object and make her take it off. We told her we didn't want her to set herself up to have her beautiful, joyful tutu feeling squashed -- either by her Lord-of-the-Flies peergroup, or by the soulless bureaucracy.
So she agreed to wear something normal under it (normal for her, that is), and to bring along a bag to stuff the tutu in should she be required to take it off and keep it in her locker. On the way to school she gleefully announced: "I'm happy! I'm happy because I'm wearing a tutu! Anybody who is wearing a tutu is happy!" Apparently things went well -- she still had it on when she got home, and we recorded this:
Coach Betty had issued clear instructions: "Arrive at 1 pm. Meet in Youth Group Meeting Hall. Get your tutu (we will have them all there) and get all gear on and skates. Wear a solid white t-shirt or tank. Tights can be pink or white. You can wear tights or fishnets over tights or pink and white skull socks over white tights or one pink sock and one white sock or with hearts, that is up to you but just keep it pink and white. ONLY PINK AND WHITE. Angela will be coordinating skaters - get dressed and wait quietly for further instructions. DO NOT STROLL AROUND THE CHURCH IN YOUR SKATES."
Which is how we found ourselves spending two hours in a large room filled with extremely excited young ladies on wheels, all of whom were simultaneously discovering and defying Barbie's Third Law: tulle and velcro don't mix.
There was a fair amount of waiting around: "No, you may NOT use the foosball table. Put the pool cues down, please. Find something quiet to do, girls!" Lil Vicious had the right idea:
Eventually we took a brief foray outside for pictures:
Josie is on the right, back row, silver helmet:
And then Angela (who really deserves some sort of medal) got them all sorted out by size into four separate lines.
The girls killed a little bit more time applying "Richard & Krista" heart tattoos onto each other's arms. (It took us a minute to figure out who the heck this "Krista" person was, as we've only ever known the bride as Betty Ford Galaxy. It was a little unnerving, frankly -- like suddenly coming face to face with Clark Kent.)
Then it was time for the ceremony. We slipped into the sanctuary and sat near the back, conscious that we didn't really know the happy couple, but happy to witness their vows all the same. Forty-six rollergirls started it off, gliding down the aisle at stately intervals, as Melinda sang "Brand New Key." The guests rose to their feet, cheering and whooping. Then came the groomsmen in powder blue tuxedos, mirrored sunglasses, and giant black afro wigs, each with a stunning bridesmaid on his arm. The groom followed, sauntering along in a blue tux & white top hat. Then the bride, of course, swaying a bit on her pink glittery platform heels.
The ceremony was beautiful and moving -- all the fabulous campy costumery didn't distract at all from the dignity of the vows, the rings, the final kiss. We were honored to be there, and we wish Richard and Krista many years of happiness!
We talked with one of the dads a bit about how these rituals -- weddings, bat mitzvahs, whatever -- always place everybody in the room squarely on life's continuum: either you've done it yourself and you're welcoming the participants into this next phase of life, thinking about what lies ahead for them; or you're watching them step out ahead of you, wondering what it will be like when and if you get there someday. This time we had the added rush of seeing our own beautiful daughter, dressed in white & pink, come cruising down the aisle with a solemn smile on her face. It was hard not to imagine that one day she might be the one in the big poofy dress.
Aftermath
Josie loved her tutu so much, she decided to wear it to school the next day. We expressed support for the idea as a concept, but wondered if she thought other kids would be able to handle the presence of this pink-and-white fluffy garment in their midst, if the Dress Code didn't say something about not distracting other students from their studies, and if someone in authority would be likely to object and make her take it off. We told her we didn't want her to set herself up to have her beautiful, joyful tutu feeling squashed -- either by her Lord-of-the-Flies peergroup, or by the soulless bureaucracy.
So she agreed to wear something normal under it (normal for her, that is), and to bring along a bag to stuff the tutu in should she be required to take it off and keep it in her locker. On the way to school she gleefully announced: "I'm happy! I'm happy because I'm wearing a tutu! Anybody who is wearing a tutu is happy!" Apparently things went well -- she still had it on when she got home, and we recorded this:
All we can say is: How could we not?
3 comments:
all i can say is that whoever sweeps josie up in her big poofy gown will be the luckiest somebody ever.
i just have to say that i watch this everyday to make me happy. like my own personal tutu.
I just found this video and it makes me so happy. And it's even better with the story.
It makes me feel old, but also very very happy.
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