home300about300contact300

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Wedding.



My cousin, Marissa Petrilli, married her fiance, Mitchell Roush this past Friday. My family of 4 loaded up in my mom's car and headed north on Thursday afternoon. We stayed the night in Kansas, and finished the trek Friday morning. This roadtrip was a bonding experience for the family, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the 22 hour trek!!!



I utilized the video on my iPhone, and got a couple of funny clips. I put together some clips and photos to the song, "Us," by Regina Spektor. My cousin walked down the aisle to this song, and I thought she and my family might like it. I'm having issues with Regina Spektor's copyright laws...no other songs have given me this much grief! Regardless, the video, I'm sure, will be up eventually. Until then, photos will have to suffice!

(If we are on friends on Facebook, you should be able to see the video here: http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=9619026)

The wedding itself was special, and I was so glad we were there. A little background--

My mother is the youngest of 5 Italian children, born in New York. Her oldest brother, John Petrilli, was described to me as "the golden child." He was good looking, athletic, drummer in a rock band in high school, and the first-born. Even though there was a significant age difference between Uncle John and my mom, they had children the same exact ages. My cousin Marissa is 24, just like me, and my cousin John Michael is 21, just like my sister (or just like she will be on Tuesday, I should clarify...!)

For Uncle John's 30 year high school reunion, he flew from California to New York. He was a drummer in a band in high school, and the band was going to play at the reunion. Tragically, he suffered an unexpected heart attack behind the drumset, and quickly passed. You can imagine the shock that we all went through hearing the news.

My Uncle John toasting to my parents at THEIR wedding

He left behind my two cousins, and his wife, Michelle.

My cousin, Marissa, married the man of her dreams on Friday. Her brother, John Michael, walked her down the aisle. I haven't seen JM in years, but watching him walk her down the aisle...he changed from my "little cousin" to an honorable man. When Mitch's dad, the minister, asked JM, "Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?" my cousin answered, "On behalf of my father, John Petrilli, I do." Tears flooded my eyes. I was so proud of him. I can't imagine losing my parents at such an early age, and I can't imagine growing up so fast.





As I looked around the room, I noticed...we were the only Petrilli blood at this wedding in Lincoln, Nebraska. Both of my mom's parents are deceased. Her brother, the bride's father, was deceased. No other siblings made it to the occasion (in their defense, they live in New York, Florida, and Germany, so they are rather far...). I looked at my mom and knew she realized this. In addition to JM, we were representative of the Petrillis at this occasion. I was happy to be there for my cousin Marissa, and I had a blast dancing and talking with family. But most importantly, I felt we made my grandparents and uncle proud. It made the 22 hour drive seem like a drop in the bucket...it was SO worth it to be there.


When it was time for the typical father-daughter dance, a family friend danced with Marissa. JM lives with this friend, and he has served as a fill-in father-figure in California. He played in the band with my uncle. They danced to "In My Life" and the moment it came on, tears fell again. I embraced my mom, and knew she was thinking about the old film reel that went along with the same song. It had photographs and video footage of her childhood, with her brother and parents, and was the perfect choice. My cousin Marissa looked so happy on her wedding day; I really admire her strength and ability to honor her father while still having a fun and exciting wedding.

The wedding was far from "traditional"-they shared letters, held a balloon ceremony, and used all recent/relative music. I loved it. It was sentimental and unique. My cousin, Marissa, looked absolutely stunning.

And as far as the roadtrip goes...Laura and I had a blast cracking up in the backseat. We laughed at my parents fighting over directions. Finally, I became co-captain with my dad, and my mom and sister became the jokesters in the back. I don't know when our next roadtrip all together will be, but until then, I'll laugh at this one.

No comments:

Post a Comment