Wedding misunderstanding with my mama 3/28/06

Either my mother's on drugs or she needs to be. Bless her heart.

She can tear up a piano, and she's had a gig playing at the Ocean Isle Beach Chapel for years. Ministers of all denominations, races and levels of fire-and-brimstone come to the chapel throughout the year. For one Sunday's service, they get the use of a sweet canal-side house for a week.

My mom is also a very prominent crime victim's advocate and has many friends in high places.

I'm the only one of her three daughters to have a proper wedding, so it's hers as much as mine, and I am fine with that... to a certain extent. She's been such a help with the planning (who knew people could discuss napkins for an hour?) so I asked her to put out her feelers for a civil wedding officiant in case I couldn't find a Unity chaplain.

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail she sent to one of the ministers she knows from the summer beach chapel line up.

Points to consider:
1. I specifically said I did not want a religious service.
2. I told her I've already hired classical string musicians.
3. You've all seen me drunk out of my skull and doing some stupid things, but I would die of alcohol poisoning before I could imbibe enough to request anything by the artist she mentions.

Start reading at the bottom.

I said bless her heart. :)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: my mother
Date: Mar 28, 2006 4:32 PM
Subject: Fwd: Re: Hello
To: Leighann Frink <leighannf@gmail.com>

Hi LA,

This is from my friend Sandy. What do you think. You may want to ask her to do it or you can let Rusty and have her sing ocpello (I can't spell that word) sing without music.

What do you think. Would you and Steve be willing to let her speak with you before the wedding?

Love,

Ma

Sandra wrote:

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:44:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Sandra
Subject: Re: Hello
To: my mother

Dear and Leigh Ann,

Thank you for thinking about me to officiate for the wedding. Yes, I am licensed to perform marriage ceremonies even though I have not. However, Russ is a Chaplain and he has performed many and does them quite well. I do the singing. We can rearrange our plans for both of us to be there. Our usual fee is $150.00, plus travel expenses.

If this is close to what you had in mind, please let us know. We would love to do it and I know that it will be very special. Would you have available the sound system to play the Amy Grant's Amazing Grace?

Typically we require pre-marial counseling before we marry anyone. We would like to sit down and talk to the couple on Friday for atleast for 30 minutes. Please get back with us. Love and Agape

Sandy
my mother wrote:

Hi Sandy,

Look forward to seeing you this summer.

I have several questions. Are you licensed to perform marriage ceremonies? If so, are you free June 3rd at 3:00PM. My daughter is getting married at the Mordecai Chapel in Raleigh. It is extremely small. Will seat approximately 30 people.

We would like the Amy Grant version of Amazing Grace and that would be only song. There is not a piano or organ in this little chapel.

The rehearsal would be Friday evening. Leigh Ann would like just the simple marriage vows, nothing extra.

We would provide a motel room for you for Friday night. If you could perform this for us it would be extremely special. We had hoped our dear precious Judge Ola Lewis (she's our surrogate daughter) could perform the wedding but she said she is licenesed to perform marriages. Do you know Ola? Do a "Google" on her.

What would your fee be?

Leigh Ann is also contacting someone, but we would love to have you be a part as I consider you family.

Let me hear from you asap.

Love ya,

my mother