After learning former Richlandite Sherry Miller’s married name and likely location, I did some searching, found an address for her, and shot off a letter. And yesterday I received an email message from her.

It was great to reconnect with Sherry after so many years.

But I also discovered that there were gaps in my memories. No big surprise really. I had completely forgotten about her family’s moving to Manheim, and when I forwarded her email to my sister, she reminded me that Sherry’s daughter had been the flower girl at her wedding.

Which got me to thinking about weddings.

I remember when Reed (my uncle but only three years older than I am) married his high school sweetheart Wanda. I was an usher and I recall being at the wedding rehearsal. And I remember Wanda telling me that the minister recommended not using Wagner’s Bridal Chorus because if she knew about its origin she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it (I have no idea what he was talking about). She ignored his advice and used Wagner’s traditional music as she walked down the aisle.

At the reception I caught her garter. I still have it. And that’s all that I remember about Reed and Wanda’s wedding.

Their marriage ended in divorce. I don’t think it was because I was an usher at the wedding.

I was also an usher at my cousin Kathy’s wedding when she married Gary. Kathy and her parents lived in Maryland at the time, so I went to stay with them a day ahead of the wedding to be there for the rehearsal. The night before the wedding Kathy and her parents Neal and Fumiko (my uncle and aunt) and I were playing cards, and Fumiko and I got smashed drinking way too many shots of peppermint schnapps. I can still picture Fumiko holding up her shot glass of schnapps and urging me to join her.

I don’t recall anything about the wedding itself, but the reception was held at Neal and Fumiko’s home, and we all had a good time there.

Kathy and Gary’s marriage ended in divorce. Again, I don’t think it had anything to do with my being an usher. But they did remarry several years later. Just like in a soap opera.

Then there was my sister and her high school sweetheart Skip’s wedding. Once again I was an usher. I don’t remember anything about the wedding itself (aren’t all weddings alike?) but afterwards at the reception I recall that the band was pretty good.

Their marriage ended in divorce. Is it possible that my being an usher jinxed them? No, I don’t believe in jinxes.

When cousin Kim married her high school sweetheart Doug I was once again an usher. This time I do recall the wedding. My sister sang a song and when Kim walked down the aisle, tears were streaming down her face. Tears of happiness, I presume. I had never seen a crying bride before. So this wedding was different from all the other weddings I had been in, and perhaps that’s why I remember it.

And their marriage did not end in divorce. They are still together and living in Arizona, so they broke the curse of having me as an usher, I guess.

When the other cousins got married (Robin, Randy, and Connie), they no longer needed my services as an usher, and I don’t think I even attended all their weddings. I was living in Philadelphia by then anyway. Two of their marriages ended in divorce, but Connie and Lou are still together. And just as I typed that I realized that I do recall attending Connie and Lou’s wedding, I just don’t remember any details about it other than my mother telling me…well, we won’t go into that.