AARP Bulletin - June 2010

; In the Know
WHAT I REALLY KNOW
About Weddings
By Lisa Compton Bellocchio, Haverhill, Mass.
As a senior at MIT, our only daughter, Holly, got en-
gaged. Soon the Army called her fiancé, Erik, to go to Iraq,
so they planned to marry after he returned and she finished
graduate school. As all brides do, Holly dreamed about her
wedding. She chose a dress, a church and a family friend as
organist. She chose her favorite processional and recessional
marches, one of which her father had composed.
But reality did not follow the plan. Erik was sent to Fort Sill in
Lawton, Okla., where he learned he could ship out at any min-
ute. Holly left school for a few days to see him off. The couple
decided to marry right away, the uncertainty of war looming
in their minds. They called to tell us, we arranged a flight but
were still in the air when they found a justice of the peace at
the courthouse. It happened so fast that the
bride wore blue jeans.
When we arrived, we made the best of the
situation and took them to dinner. As it turned
out, our new son-in-law didn’t get shipped
out that day. The base chaplain found out and
asked all of us to come to the local church the
next morning. We didn’t know why.
At the church, Holly wore a favorite teal silk
dress, and Erik his uniform. As we waited,
a miracle unfolded. The church’s entire
congregation came to support the newlyweds, whom they
had never met. Some even brought wedding gifts wrapped in
silver paper and big bows. Following a blessing ceremony, the
congregation formed a receiving line and greeted the couple
at the altar. We didn’t have a photographer, but our “wed-
ding guests” snapped away. They sent us their pictures, so we
have reminders of a very special occasion. It was a wedding to
remember for all the right reasons.

Holly and Erik Durso

; YOUR TURN!

Tell us what you really know about school days. E-mail your essay of up to 400 words to whatiknow@aarp.org or mail it to “What I Really Know,” AARP Bulletin, 601 E St. N. W., Washington, DC 20049. Please include your name, phone number and e-mail address. We regret we cannot respond to all submissions.