—by Olivia Hitt

It was my last gig of a very busy spring wedding season. I arrived at our local botanical gardens with plenty of time to set up. The weather was absolutely perfect for Alabama. I passed through the main building to get to the outdoor garden venue, and the coordinator caught up to me. We chatted about the wedding details as we walked; it was a pretty typical ceremony. I had requested to be staged on the groomsmen side so I would have a better view of the wedding coordinator for cues. She guided me to my spot, and I started setting up. 

The coordinator indicated they wanted to begin the ceremony at five o’clock sharp. I acknowledged that, but requested the coordinator give a very clear cue to begin the ceremony anyway, since a lot can go awry at the last minute. Playing it safe didn’t seem to be her plan; she said she would rather have me play the entrance music right at 5:00 p.m. However, we did finally agree to her giving me a cue. Both of us satisfied, she left and I began tuning. 

The prelude went well, and close to 5:00 p.m. as stipulated, the wedding coordinator gave me a very clear cue for the entrance of the grandparents and parents. I began playing “River Flows in You” and the grandparents came down the aisle just as planned. They got settled, and I kept playing the requested piece for the minister and groomsmen to enter by the altar. I played and played, but no one showed up. The grandparents and guests started looking behind trying to figure out what was going on. I was nervous because I was not sure of the correct music protocol when the next set isn’t arriving like they should. I didn’t see the coordinator anywhere, so I just keep looping the same piece, hoping that it was a minor issue and they would send them down soon. 

After looping that piece for what seemed like forever (it was definitely a good five minutes of awkward waiting), I began to wonder if the bride ripped her dress or if someone was having cold feet. Finally, I spotted movement from the groomsmen as they lined up in front. After that, the parents of the groom and bride all arrived, too. Phew! Talk about nerve-racking. 

The rest of the entrances proceeded smoothly without any more mysterious delays. The minister began the ceremony and noted how relieved he was that they finally found the missing ring! I still don’t know who lost whose ring, but I was glad to have that awkward entrance over with and to know what the delay was. I’m still scratching my head and laughing over the peculiarities of this wedding, but I am so happy it ended well for all. •