by Barb, looking forward to Books in Boothbay this Saturday

Kate and Briana in first grade

Four years and a bit ago, I wrote about a wedding in Portland, Maine. The post was about a lot of things including a very special bride and groom, but fundamentally it was about two little girls who met at nursery school, recognized something in each other, and stayed friends from that day to this, despite time and distance.

My daughter Kate had flown back from her year living in London especially for Briana’s wedding. At the time, Kate had little idea what the next chapter of her life would hold. She’d been working on her Masters in Creative Writing at London Metropolitan University–a fun, time-off sort of year–when inspiration struck. She wanted to teach writing at the college level. Kate had accepted a place in the MFA program at UMass Boston, but everything else was a blur. She had the summer to finish her master’s thesis, find a place to live, get some sort of part-time employment, and find a life in Boston after college years spent spent in Durham, New Hampshire, followed by five years working in Manhattan, and then school in London.

Kate and Briana at Briana’s wedding

None of us knew on that day that Kate would finish her thesis that summer  and graduate from London Met with distinction, then  three years later graduate with her MFA, and love living in South Boston and then in Jamaica Plain. None of us knew she’d get a job teaching composition and literature at Mount Ida College. And definitely none of us knew that on the exact same weekend, four years later, she would also get married in Portland, Maine.

But that’s exactly what happened. Kate met Luke, and they fell in love, and through a series of twists and turns, they found the wedding venue of their dreams at the Portland Company. They picked the weekend before Memorial Day for a variety of good reasons–four years exactly after Briana and Nick’s wedding.

Briana’s daughter helps the bridesmaids get dressed. Photo by Abby Lorenz.

This time, Briana stood up for Kate and signed her marriage contract as a witness. And maybe most fun of all, Briana and Nick’s two-month-old daughter was along for the ride.

Sometimes we don’t know how things are going to turn out. And then they turn out exactly the way they should.

The bridesmaids. Briana far left. Photo by Abby Lorenz.

Briana comes down the aisle with Luke’s brother Hansen. Photo by Abby Lorenz.

The ceremony. Photo by Abby Lorenz.

Briana witnesses the marriage contract. Photo by Abby Lorenz.

Briana and Nick at the reception.

Save

Save

Save

Save