“You always said you wanted to get married on the farm, surrounded by the animals,” my sister Anna said as we looked out the window at all the people taking their seats. “I’m just happy Auntie hosed them all down and gave them a bath so they didn’t ruin your wedding with their…umm…pleasant smell.”
I laughed. She was correct. Farm animals weren’t exactly known for their fragrant aroma, but they felt like family to me.
Ever since I was a teenage girl living at the O’Hara farm, I always knew the farm was where I wanted to get married. It was a beautiful piece of land and I would be surrounded by family and friends—and yes, that included the animals.
The animals became my sanctuary. Animals didn’tcare where you came from or what your past was like. They only cared if you were friendly and kind, so they had been some of the first friends I’d made here, and I wanted them to be a part of the wedding too.
It was the very end of summer, which was the dry season here—as a meteorologist, I had to make sure I didn’t have rain on my wedding day. So, naturally, I picked the climatologically driest part of the year. Plus, this was Northern California along the coast, so it never really got too hot here like it did in Vegas.
Hector had proposed only a month after he moved in with me.
“Iris, I’m forty years old,” he said to me after I said yes but questioned whether it was too soon. “I’ve lived through enough to know what feels right and not to waste my time when I find the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Okay,” I responded with happy tears. “But I want to get married on the farm in the summer.”
“Then call your moms and see if they can get it ready in two months, because I’m not waiting till next year to make you officially mine.”
After we celebrated, with him showing me how much he loved me with his hands and mouth, I called my moms to tell them the great news.
Mom was nervous we wouldn’t have enough time, but Auntie—who was very much a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants woman—assured me everything wouldbe ready and to start telling everyone so they had enough time to plan for traveling.
There was a knock at the door, bringing me back to the present, and Anna opened it.
“Is it okay if Hazel and I come in really quick?” I heard my sister Cora’s voice behind the door.
“It’s fine, Sissy. Let them in,” I told Anna.
“You look beautiful, Iris,” Cora said, smiling.
“You really do look stunning,” Hazel said to me, beaming.
“Thanks, ladies.”
“Gale is keeping an eye on the animals but promised to make an appearance in time for the ceremony,” Hazel said.
Gale—our very own poster child for introverts—did not do large crowds of people, and even though we only had about fifty people in attendance, that was too many for her. She had already talked with me about it because she was afraid that I would be offended if she wasn’t around much, but I knew her, and I knew things like this were hard for her.
She was in charge of the animals, but she would show up for some of the ceremony, family photos, and a little bit of the reception, and that was perfectly fine with me.
“You ready to get this show on the road?” Anna asked.
“Absolutely,” I responded, staring at myself one last time in the mirror to make sure everything looked as I wanted it.
I had a very simple white dress made of crepe andsatin fabrics draped with a little bit of lace. It was a one-shoulder gown that had a high split up to my thigh. The fabric was draped and weaved in a way that highlighted the curves I wanted to show and hid the others.
Hector said he adored my curly hair, especially when it was wild, so I’d left it mostly down, only pinning a few pieces right near my face so they wouldn’t fall into my eyes.
My sisters had all gone in together and gotten me the most beautiful pale-blue undergarments, including custom underwear that said “All for Hector” on the back.
Rita let me borrow her dangly teardrop ruby earrings, which were stunning.
With everything checked and perfected, Anna and I made our way outside for the ceremony. Anna was my matron of honor, and Hector’s father was his best man. Since I didn’t have a dad, both Mom and Auntie were going to walk me down the aisle—each holding one arm.
Hector’s dad also served as our sign language interpreter so that Dani could follow along with everything that was said at the wedding.
Even Sarge was here as our ring bearer, though when he walked down the aisle toward Hector, he kept stopping every five feet to let people pet him.
The music began, and that was my cue.
