Margaret and Nathaniel's Wedding

Well, there is a lot to write about -- a windy hike to Seven Sisters, a foggy one from Ditchling Beacon, a visit to Anne of Cleves home, attempts to learn some British jive, and seeing Die Meistersinger at Glyndebourne.   However, a couple of you have asked about Margaret Crites and Nathaniel Barrett’s wedding, so I will start with that.

Here’s the happy couple on their wedding day!

There was so much love, joy, and gratitude in them and surrounding them, it truly was a blessing to take part in the celebrations. 

As you would expect from these two, the wedding ceremony was thoughtful, a true worship service.  I wish all of you could have heard the evocative, unaccompanied duet that Margaret composed for the occasion.  The service took place in a simple eighteenth-century church in the small town of Fuhrberg, near Hannover, Germany.   

Many of the buildings there, like this one, have prayers, proverbs or family histories written over the door. 

Both the wedding and the reception combined German and American traditions, which sparked some fun and revealing cross-cultural conversations.  Actually there were two receptions -- one immediately after the service and another one that night.  

Bridesmaid Katie Thompson at the first reception

Lindenhof 

Stefan Baral and Groomsmen Jamie Yarborough, Jared Henderson and Ethan Barrett

The evening meal progressed through various courses – aperitif, soup, salad, fish with vegetables, veal, and dessert – with ample time for toasts, stories, and conversation in between each one. 

Dancing preceded dessert, after which more dancing ensued, and then still yet another course!  The multi-tiered wedding cake was unveiled to the strains of the Bridal March.  (Margaret had walked down the aisle to a much more introspective song.)  People danced swing, waltz, disco, and salsa into the early morning.

Dancing Dan with Margaret's Mother Nancy

The celebrations continued the next day with a Texas-style brunch.  As we returned to England Daniel quipped, “We’re not jet-lagged, we’re party-lagged!”  British immigration let us in anyway.