The following things went wrong at the wedding: the piper whom we had hired to do the music failed to show up. Fortunately, we'd also hired a flautist and she did an admirable job in filling in the gaps. Next, however, the wedding party started their procession a little early, causing seargent-master aunt Michelle to hiss 'I've lost control of the wedding! They're not supposed to go up, now! You (pointing to James), DON'T MOVE!'. James' mother forgot to precis her reading with the passage it was from (Colossians 3.12-17) and the 'Amen' that James used to finish his part of the vows sounded like it was spoken with the heartfelt relief of a condemned man who'd been reprieved.

But as James' mother, Pat, said, all weddings have things which go wrong with them. They are such enormous projects that something can't help but go wrong with them. And as these were the only things that did go wrong, we got off lightly. Kathy Wesley, a Buddhist teacher, happily pointed out two auspicious omens that did occur to the service: the half-hourly bells started ringing the moment James started his vows, and the sun was ringed with a slight rainbow effect when we left the church. She said that it means that the marriage is quite blessed. We won't disagree with her.

We'd also like to thank Dan Kukwa, who impressed everybody in the church with his piano playing abilities before the service. True, he was only playing, but with the quality of his playing and the piano he was playing on, he helped lighten the atmosphere considerably, and ease the hubbub that was building before the service. It certainly added to the already memorable experience.

Click on the thumbnail pictures to see the full picture
	Erin, her mother and her bridesmaids waited in the cellar of St. John's Church for the ceremony to begin. James and his groomsmen were holed up in the Church's sacristy. James fretted and paced, but Erin says that she was quite calm. These photographs suggest so.
	Erin's mother, Rosemarie, and sister Wendy lounge in the church basement as well, Erin's mother looking a fair bit more nervous than Erin looked in the previous picture...
	This is the flautist who saved the day when the piper failed to show up. Elizabeth Elliott performed well above and beyond the call of duty, filling in the missing music.
	Without the piper, the service went on as best it could. Everybody got ready, and the procession took place. Dennis escorted Grandma O'Connor to her seat, and Wayne Vander Tuin escorted Grandma Pheiffer to her seat. Dieter Krause escorted Erin's mother to her seat, and James escorted his mother to her seat. As James was doing this, his mother observed, 'who's holding who up?' With everybody in their places, the doors opened, and there stood Erin, beside her father, silhouetted against the western sun. She and he walked down the aisle, and the service was on.
	Here, James and Erin exchange their vows before the congregation and Father Stockhausen. St. John's Church is Creighton University's central place of worship; the Catholic church in a Catholic University. It was built in the later part of the 19th century, and is called a Chapel even though it has more Cathedral-like proportions.

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On to the Party!

. Last updated: June 20, 1999. Thank you for visiting.