After 8 years together — including high school dances, college visits, international travel, a move across the country, and graduate school — Alison and Mick finally made it official with a small elopement at Mick’s aunt and uncle’s house just outside of Seattle. Making it extra special, their high school classmate officiated the most personal, touching ceremony.
While micro weddings have become popular over the past few years during the pandemic, this affair was smaller yet. Therefore, the only stress to speak of was wondering if it would stop raining long enough to give the deck a fresh coat of stain.
Mick and Alison picked a day and we all pitched in. The two of them helped with the gardening and I rustled up china plates and crystal stemware from area thrift stores. A handful of family and friends arrived and the ceremony happened. We celebrated with a champagne toast followed by scrumptious charcuterie and authentic Vietnamese bánh mì. Mick also diligently created classic French chocolate éclairs using puff pastry he made from scratch.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the generosity of Mick’s aunt Cindy and uncle Jerry. In addition to offering their breathtaking backyard for the ceremony, Cindy’s extra personal touch included baking a wedding cake — that is, a scrumptious carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and topped with fresh begonia flower petals. Cindy sweetly explained that Alison and Mick needed a cake for a cake-cutting photo like the one she and Jerry had taken for their own wedding three decades earlier.
Lest us not forget Jerry’s thoughtful offering to accompany the wedding cake. He brought out bottles of 50-year-old Chateau Coutet, Barsac-Sauternes dessert wine (Barsac and Sauternes are the world-famous sweet wines of Bordeaux). With a hint of floral, the sweet, spicy liquid melted in the mouth like butter. Plus, Jerry sent the bride and groom off with an unopened bottle to share on their one-year anniversary.
In closing, Mick and Alison’s quiet venue was perfect. The intimate setting allowed them to focus on each other. They could not have asked for a more perfect day and location to start this next phase of their life together.
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