Sherri's and Gabriel's wedding
September 2004
Princeton, Maine
As told in Sherri's words.
This is the arbor that Jeremy made for us for the wedding. It has the names of everyone who contributed wood and other materials engraved inside. We have it here at our house. Isn’t it beautiful?
This next picture is of the cake that Joshua made for us. He cooked 17 individual carrot cakes (shredding each carrot by hand!) and then stayed up the entire night before the wedding decorating it with Jeremy. This picture does not do it justice. It took them some crazy amount of time to decorate it, they started at like 5 the afternoon before the wedding and didn’t finish until about an hour before the wedding, which was at 1. We were very blessed.
The most magnificent Susan Savell officiated the ceremony, as only she could. MAGICALLY! Here, Joanne Dana (Clan mother of the Bear Clan for the Passamaquoddy) bestows a blessing upon us. And Gabriel, patiently waiting his turn, watches my sister taking video.
The picture below is of our hands during the Native binding ceremony. It is one of our favorite pictures.
We had a Native giveaway as part of our wedding. The next two pictures are of us walking through the crowd giving each person a gift. I like the funny looks on our faces as we respond to the comments of the folks we are interacting with. In this picture my cousin John Bear had just told us a slightly off color joke and we’re trying not to crack up in front of the elders. Also, the fabulous beadwork on my dress is (of course) the work of the amazingly talented massage therapist AND artist Gal Frey. She and my mother made the dress. My mother also made Gabriel’s ribbon shirt.
Another picture of us working the crowd…See Liz Frey in the background. WE LOVE HER!
Once all the formalities were finished with (there are many that we do not have pictures of) we sealed the deal with a kiss. One of the funniest things about the ceremony is that Gabriel couldn’t get the part where you wait until the end of the ceremony to kiss the bride. He kept getting excited and grabbing me and kissing me, by the time he had done it three times people were cracking up, that’s when I said to him ever so quietly “honey- you’re supposed to wait until Susan tells you that you can kiss the bride” Unfortunately my words were on mike and everyone heard them and laughed even louder. He was a little embarrassed, but then he waited for official word.
Then we ate cake and everyone was happy, soaking wet from all the rain, and filled with love. As soon as the ceremony was over the sky opened up and there was a triple rainbow and these amazing green and bright pink lights in the sky. The sky was so amazing that it stopped traffic. People who were there always mention that when they see us.
And here is Mark Frey, Gabriel’s Dad, and his long time partner Mary Bird. They took this after the wedding when they visited Acadia.
It was so meaningful that he came to our wedding, as you know this is the first time Gal, Jeremy, and Joshua saw him since Gabriel was 18 months old. Gabriel had gone to see him in California, but no one else had seen him in 25 years. How incredible is that?!! That was a very powerful reunion.
After the wedding Mark Frey came up to Gabriel and said “So, my baby boy, tell me how you feel about being a married man?” And this next picture, below left, is Gabriel’s reply. I want to cry every time I see this picture and remember that moment. He didn’t need any words, his face says it all. Mark captured this picture then both men cried and embraced. I thought my heart would burst. It was a really beautiful day.
And finally… the end of this magical story
Here is the lucky girl, happy, shiny, and content to be a married woman. And they all lived “interestingly” there after. The end…Oh, I mean...The beginning.
Sherri Mitchell