Guest Book

I attended a lovely wedding this past weekend. I had met my friend through a Bible Study group here in Phoenix. Shannon bravely scheduled her outdoor wedding in the month of May. This time of year is tricky in Arizona. The weather is either on it’s way to hot, hot, or unbearably hot. The high on Saturday was 91 degrees, not terrible, but let’s just say that I’m thankful to not have been wearing a tux.

I drove across town listening to yet another book on tape and managed to pull into the parking lot around 5:10pm. The ceremony was to begin at 6:00pm. I enjoy being early. I keep a spare book in my car for when I arrive to my destinations ahead of schedule, as I’m prone to do. I finally decided to get out of the car at 5:15pm and make my way to The Wright House. It’s a lovely place to have a wedding or reception. I couldn’t quite figure out where to enter, as the doors and gates were posted with “please use the front entrance.” I walked around to the front entrance slowly (I wear heels about 3 times a year now) only to come up to a large oak door. Everyone else had been entering the “forbidden” entrances and now no one was going through this front entrance. Frightened of somehow embarrassing myself (what a thought) I decided to follow the crowd through one of the back gates. On my way I spotted my friend Rachel and her husband Anthony. They parked and then I decided to lead them through a door following some other guests. As we passed a blank sign holder I threw out my thought – “This really should say the name of the bride and groom here so you know where the entrance is!”

I vaguely recall passing a server with a cheese tray and then spotting the guest book propped on a table with two attendants standing by. I proceeded to the table and noticed the framed engagement photo with room for signing as well. To be efficient, I slid over to the guest book and penned my name in my finest cursive and left room for Rachel to sign well wishes on the matting around the photo. I had no sooner set the pen down when Rachel turned to me with wide eyes.

Rachel: Ginger, this isn’t Shannon in the picture.
Ginger: It’s not?
Rachel: And that’s not Kyle.
Ginger: Oh…
Rachel: This is the wrong wedding!!

We tore out of that garden like we had stolen something. Laughing eventually ensued as we found our way to the 2nd ceremony location at the Wright House. We asked everyone we saw if this was indeed Shannon’s wedding.


I signed a second guest book that day before taking my seat and settling in for a wedding.