I recently attended a small wedding that was held at a boutique restaurant in the heart of downtown.
Since we live in the northeastern part of the country, it was a bit daring to schedule a wedding in early January.
Our winter weather is severe and unpredictable. On the day of the wedding, the outside temperature plummeted to twelve degrees below zero and it was snowing like crazy. We accumulated six inches of snow within an hour and the roads were nearly impossible to navigate. I was forced to drive fifteen miles an hour the whole way to the restaurant. I kept my heater and defrost blasting the whole time and still had difficulty keeping the windshield clear. Because of excessive amounts of snow, it was difficult to find a place to park. I didn’t want to get my car stuck. I ended up walking four blocks to reach the restaurant. Considering I was wearing a dress and high-heels and carrying a bulky present, this was an ordeal. I was very anxious to get inside the heated venue. When I arrived, I discovered the restaurant was clogged with smoke. To create ambience for the ceremony, someone decided to light a fire in the fireplace. They neglected to open the flu and the restaurant filled with smoke. To air the place out, they then opened up windows and doors. The management refused to pay for heating that would simply escape outside. With no heating, the restaurant was freezing cold. All of the guests were huddled near the fireplace, trying to take advantage of the heat. The bride and her bridesmaids wore their coats for the ceremony.