Wedding of Note Escapes Paparazzi

Milwaukee Wedding of Note Escapes Keen Eyes of Paparazzi on 11-11-11

The Bride and Groom

Amidst the multitude of weddings that took place on 11-11-11, one in particular slipped by the watchful eyes of paparazzi. The wedding took place in Oak Creek, Wisconsin's Southside Church of Christ. The blushing bride, a Milwaukee County local, is the younger daughter of Voyager II design team scientist, Dr. E. S. Warden, niece to New Orleans weight loss surgeon, Dr. Clark Warden, niece to freelance photographer W. L. Jones and sister to three prominent siblings: Jazz guitarist, Steve Warden, Schneider Excavating, Inc. vice president, Eric Warden, and the most renowned of the siblings, award-winning author/blogger, Beth Durkee.

How did the former Miss Warden escape prying public eyes? One has to wonder, but it was not terribly difficult. As all eyes were focused on the very unpublic bridal couple, most non-family guests remained completely unaware throughout the wedding and reception of the bride's esteemed family ties. She and her groom stay off the public radar by living ordinary lives, unencumbered by publicity. When their engagement was confirmed, it was not even announced in the papers. Between the bride and groom, a mere 200 guests were invited, many from church, work or school. The bridal couple's family took care of almost all the talent required for the ceremony, with the exception of some beautiful flower arrangements prepared by a friend.


Bride with Brother, Steve Warden



The Ceremony

This well-designed ceremony was one for the fairy tales. It unofficially began a few minutes late (the photographs took longer than expected) with the gentle strands of the guitar as Chicago Jazz guitarist and Roosevelt University graduate, Steve Warden (accompanied by friend and guitarist, "Tommy"), personally played music he had arranged for his sister's wedding. His uncommonly skilled and intricate finger-work could easily have revealed his identity if the assembled guests had been paying attention to the music, but their eyes were focused on the back of the church, awaiting the bride.
 

Bride with videographer niece

This ceremony was video recorded by the bride's teenage niece (pictured at left with bride), Anne, who is an honors student and acitive board member of several high school clubs. But do not expect to see any footage. This event was completely private! It officially started with the bride's young cousins (Dr. Clark's daughters), walking down the aisle from the front of the church to drop battery-operated tealight candles into clear, glass candle holders beside every other pew. Next, the bridal couple's parents were escorted to their seats. Mom Warden, sweetly ushered into the church by both of her adult grandsons, entered immediately before Brookville, Pennsylvania pastor John Kerr of the Church of Christ-Roseville, the church in which the groom was raised. Then proceeded the groom with his groomsmen, behind whom the bride's two nephews / ushers walked dutifully to the front of the church.

Each usher took the end of a rope on either side of an aisle runner. They pulled to unroll it. It stuck. Photographer W. L. Jones, put his foot on the end of the runner to try to hold it down while the ushers unrolled. The runner began to unroll, but it stuck again and started pulling out from under "Uncle Lee's" foot! A good uncle, he put aside his camera to reach down with his hand to help the wedding go smoothly for his niece. At the same time, matron of honor Lindsay also ran to the rescue. She added her hands to hold the snagging runner's end until it was fully outstretched.

Successfully in place, the first of two ring bearers stepped onto the aisle runner. He walked quickly to the front of the church to be immediately followed by the second ring bearer, an adorable little man, the matron of honor's son. The little guy toddled up the aisle, stopping along the way to look at the floor, his grandma helping to get him up and moving toward the front of the church. After more than one urging from his grandma, he determinedly marched toward the altar and hurled his ring pillow at his daddy. (Fortunately, the wedding rings were safely tucked away in a groomsman's pocket.) The entire church burst into laughter at the tot's frustrated and unhindered response to his grandmother's proddings. In such an otherwise perfect ceremony, the young boy's unintentional bit of comic relief started everything off with a humorous reminder that marriage is unscripted and imperfect.

A precious, tiny, flower girl followed the boy's comic relief, throwing flower petals to the floor. Then it was time for the bride's grand entrance. 



Bride escorted to altar by dad, Dr. E. S. Warden

Guests remained seated as the bride entered, in a beautiful satin dress, on the arm of her father. He was graceful and stately. She was beautiful! Her smile radiated through the entire sanctuary. An evening wedding, planes passing overhead saw her radience and mistook it for a beacon. (Oops. Sorry. The fiction writer within me just could not resist! My bad. In reality, the airport was very close to the church but no airplanes actually saw the light of the bride's smile. Giggle. Airplanes don't have eyes.)


Dr. Warden gave his daughter to the groom, the pastor greeted the guests and, announced simply as the bride's sister, Beth Durkee rose to the pulpit in a rare public appearance. There, the author did what she does best: She told a story. It was the creation of woman from Genesis 2 (Video available at http://youtu.be/qqAEZ5L-54w). After the creation of woman, Ms. Durkee recited two paragraphs from First John (Video also available at http://www.bethdurkee.me/More.html/), then was ushered back to her seat by her son.



Bride's sister, award-winning author & blogger, Beth Durkee
with freelance photographer & beloved uncle, Lee Jones

The rest of the ceremony went as practised to the very end, when the bride and groom exited the church and then returned to greet and usher their own guests out and on to the dinner, reception and dancing -- which went as fairy tale wedding receptions do, perfectly.

The couple honeymoons on Carnival Cruise Lines in the Caribbean.