Herald & Lantern 5 January '83

, 19

A Wedding in a Week

By Libby Demp Forrest Moore How does a reporter cover her own wedding? (Will I someday be assigned to write my own obituary?) Can I remain unbiased, non-committal and uninvolved? On the other hand, if I gush over every last detail will the story suffer from overkill? I asked my new husband John Moore, an editor, how to handle such a task. "Just stick to the facts," he said. "Who, what, where, why, when, how."" "Why?" I pondered. "Why did we get married 9 " "Because we love each other," John said simply. ‘‘Just write the story and get it over with." Smack in the middle of the wedding reception when I was giddy with the moment, Darrell Kopp, publisher of The Herald and The Lantern, sauntered over and told me to writeup the story. I sobered up immediately and fell into my workaholic syndrone "How many pages do you want?” I asked obediently. But I held out for a little special consideration.*^: Will I make the centerfold?" "You have too many clothes on," Darrell said matter-of-factly and wandered away. So. on to Who Who is me. Within just over a week. I have gone from single girl to bride to married woman Who is also the bridgegroom. John Anthony Moore, of Washington DC., associate editor of The Oil Dally, a publication of Whitney Communications Corp. I have known John for 28 years. He was the best man at my first wedding. That answers who But it doesn't tell the whole story l also have two school age sons; John has three daughters and a son in various schools around the country So, in addition'to becoming bride and gro^m, we also became stepparents. This is not quite the same as two 19 year olds blissfully tying the knot. Yet, I think we discovered the second time around there is the same headiness, the same euphoria of two fools who knoweth not quite what to do next. I kept Saying to guests at the wedding reception. "Somehow we managed to compress into a little over a week all the wedding preparations most people take six months or a year to do," I don’t know how we

did it

On Monday, December 20. John said, "I^et’s appl$\ for a marriage license today." in the city of Cape May, a witness is required during a marriage application. We grabbed Ruth Kreh, the city nurse and an old friend, and applied at the City Clerk's office. When we got down to the line that requests date of birth, it became obvious that the day was John's birthday "Hit it, girls,” Clara Macciocchi directed her staff And the bureaucratic routine came to a halt while John was sung "Happy Birthday " Blood tests would be re quired. "Why 9 " I mumbled dazzed. "To test for veneral disease," I was told succinctly. That afternoon John returned to his job in Washington We had yet to

set the date, decide where to get married and who wouId/'perform the ceremony.

"Will\you buy a new dress foMhe wedding?" a friend asked "Absolutely not," I*aid. "Look, this is a second weddinfe. I'll just wear something I have." But. I lived to eat my words. Two days later, on my lunch hour, I ran past a dress shop and caved in. I brought a bright red dress. Red, to me. is a color of ' happiness. When I asked the salesgirl if she thought the dress would be appropriate for a wedding, she asked, "What kind of wedding?" "Mine," I replied. Along with a dress goes shoes, not only for the bride but her two sons who announced they planned to give the bride away. We foraged through the neighborhood finding jackets and shoes. The subject of where came up in an off-Kanded way when I told ,,Bonnie Reina, who lives in my most favorite Christmas house in all of Cape May, The Sea House, that I was getting married. "When?" Bonnie asked. "We're not sure yet," I said. "Maybe New Year’s eve, either before or after the stroke of midnight " The Herald New Year's eve party is traditionally held in Bon nie’s spectacular Christmas house "How about here 9 " Bonnie said I loved the idea, and called John to announce the bride and groom had been taken in by a friendly romantic. 1 call Mayor Arthur Blomkvest eight o'clock the next morning to ask if he would perform the ceremony on New Year's eve. He agreed although I had been told at City Hall that performing weddings is not his most favorite duty That left when still up m the air "What time should we be there 9 " friends asked when 1 started telephon ing invitations. "I don't know yet,’ v I said. "We haven’t d|*cided " On Christmas eve, in ad dition to decorating the tree, wrapping presents and hanging stockings, I was also mulling over the best time to hold the wedding. The bridgegroom remained in Washington through Christmas, running around getting his blood test, having his gray pin-striped suit cleaned and sightseeing with a ; aughter visiting from Ittsburgh. We phoned each other at one and two o'clock in the moming'with lists of who wa$>-tb do what. We also decided each of us would siiy something at the civil •Ceremony that was mean- , ingful to one another I thumbed through Bartlett's Quotations and finally gave up. 1 sat down at the typewriter and tried to out do Sheakespcare and all the great scribes throughout time. The bridgegroom arrived in Cape May a day and a hajf before the wedding The ‘morning before the wedding I telephoned a baker with an order for the wedding cake. He complied The morning of the wedding I called back and changed the color of the rosettes on the cake. He complied again. The evening before the

wedding, John and I rushed into a jewelry shop and asked the proprietor if she would make a wedding band overnight. She agreed to do it, but paused to quip, "Why didn't you wait until tomorrow?" That left the matter of the pre-nuptial agreement, the wills, getting the result of my blood test < I am happy to report I was given a clean bill of health), doing the family laundry and get ting the flowers. On New Year's eve day John and I hurried around town gettihg papers notorized, welcomed the best man u‘ho drove up from Washington, picked up the wedding cake and shined shoes. The wedding time had been set for 9 p.m At 6:45 I announced to John 1 wanted to call the whole thing off, "I’m too tired to go through with it tonight," I said. "Do you think we can do it tomorrow night in stead 9 " John wisely said he understood, that it might be a little embarrassing. but it was up to me. At 7 p.m. the best man's girlfriend asked me, "Aren't you ever going to get dressed 9 " I dragged myself upstairs and started getting dressed, cursing under my breath. "I'm never, never going to do this ever again," I grouched to John when he knocked on the bedroom door to ask if I was ready yet. We made our way to Bonnie's house, alit with tiny white lights, over 20 Christmas trees, pink crepe paper bells hung from the dining room

NEW YKAR'S'WEDDING — Cape May Mayor Arthur Blomkvest. left, officiated at the New Year's Eve wedding of Libby Demp Forrest, right, and John Moore. At left is maid of honor Lillian Basta. The new Mrs. Moore is a frequent writer for the Cape May County Her.ild and Lower Township l.antern, and the ceremony took place at the newspapers' holiday party at the Sea House, home of Bonnie Reina. the publications' general manager.

chandelier, a pink and white wedding cake (the baker should get a medal for artistry under duress), hors d'ouevres, party sandwiches, champagne, bags of rice for the getaway, and friends who gathered to see the old gal out and the New Year in. At 9 p m Mayor Blomkvest read the ceremony. John slipped the gold ring on my finger (the jeweler should get a medal for artistry under duress), and the bride and groom reached into their bag of tricks to read to each other what they had each chosen for one another without

having the- other knowbeforehand. John read a passage from The Booh of Proverbs in The Old Testa ment about the value of a wife in a man's life. I started to cry as his voice waivered at one sentence, and then 1 read my statement about our abiding friendship, my voice quivering too We asked those present if they would care to share their thoughts with us. and two brave souls offered quotations. Later. John and I cut the pink and white cake, and John proceeded to cut slices under his sister’s

cynical gaze. "Don't you know how to cut a wedding cake the right way?" his sister commented "Who do you think 1 am - Tom my Manville 9 " John retorted To depart from the facts. I have to say unbiasly it was the best wedding I've ever been to The bride k/cked off her shoes, she was no longer grouchy, she rose to the occasion as if the whole event had been planned for a year And the groom 9 He was perfect It looks like a good match

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