By Lee Scott
The community I live in has an outdoor pool that overlooks a large live oak tree. The tree looks so majestic with the Spanish Moss dripping from its limbs. Behind the tree is a creek that, depending on the tides, is either rushing water or scenic marshland.
Because of this tree and its view, there are many couples who come to get married under the live oak. Despite these weddings, our community pool does not close. And those of us who go to the pool regularly and sit on the upper deck that overlooks that live oak tree have found ourselves, inadvertently, the uninvited guests to many weddings. So, we started to embrace it.
“Where are you running off to?,” my husband asked on one of our recent fall Saturdays.
“There’s a wedding at 5 and I want a good seat,” I said.
I had already called my girlfriend and told her I was wearing my black bathing suit in case it was a formal wedding. She assured me that she too was wearing a black and white bathing suit with a black floppy hat. She had toyed with the idea of wearing a fascinator but decided it might be too flamboyant considering our uninvited guest status.
When I got to the upper deck, the crowd was already lining up their chairs turning them away from the pool, towards the live oak. Now let me assure you this crowd is respectful. No loud talking or attention getting. Fortunately, my friend’s husband had already secured a table with chairs for us. I jumped in the pool for a quick swim with my friend and we discussed the upcoming festivities.
By the time we got back to the deck, the official invited guests were being led to the wooden chairs lined up looking out over the live oak and the marsh. It was a perfect evening with a blue sky, comfortable temperature and a nice breeze. We voyeurs all commented on the benefit of the dry grass too.
As we sat there in our bathing suits and sunhats, drinking our iced tea, we admired the dresses on all the invited guests. Finally, it was time! The bridesmaids came first in their cranberry colored dresses. Then we noticed the father of the bride who wore a cranberry vest to match. “Nice touch,” we all agreed as the music started to play. But the bride was the center of attention in a beautiful white dress with a long veil. And as she walked down towards her future husband she turned her head and looked at all of us uninvited guests and smiled.
It was a perfect wedding under the live oak tree.
