Dorothy Elizabeth's Wedding

Today, May 10, my firstborn Dorothy Elizabeth Cilwa became married to Frank Lee Kinder, in a ceremony performed at Sedona's Red Rock Crossing. My granddaughter Cailey and grandson Zachary were ring-bearers. The ceremony was attended by immediate family members, and was followed by a short swim and then dinner at the Red Planet Diner.

The drive to Sedona involved three cars: The Kinders' rental van, our SUV and John's hybrid. We stopped along the way at Rock Springs for a few moments at what turned out to be a combination gas station, convenience store, and head shop. And photo op.

We had originally intended to hold the wedding at Bell Rock. But they are doing road construction in that area and the convenient parking lot I expected to use no longer exists. So I gave Dorothy Elizabeth several choices, and she decided on Red Rock Crossing, with its splendid view of Cathedral Rock.

On the ride up, Mary, Jenny and Karen had put together bouquets and boutonnières out of materials Michael picked up.

The flowers were lovely and added a very nice, not-rushed touch to the proceedings.

The attendees:

Kathy and Joe Kinder
parents of the groom.

Mary Cilwa
mother of the bride.

Michael Manion
step-fether of the bride.

Jenny Cilwa
sister of the bride.

Karen Cilwa
sister of the bride.

The ceremony began with Cailey, Dorothy Elizabeth's daughter, ring-bearer, flower girl, and wedding planner, leading the way in the bridal procession.

I officiated (I am an ordained minister), and read from the Book of Ruth.

Cailey carried her mother's ring, while Zachary was ring-bearer for Frank's ring, a duty he performed with the proper solemnity.

At the conclusion of the ceremony came "the kiss". There were two: one between Frank and Dorothy Elizabeth, and one that included Cailey.

Introducing: The Frank Kinder family!

The obligatory now-that-we're-all-in-one-place-we'd-better-get-photographic-proof photo (click on photo for high-resolution):

A few of the bride's "beauty shots":

We then finished up our visit to Red Rock Crossing with a little dip in Oak Creek.

Cailey was a little hesitant to go into the water. Used only to swimming pools, she looked into the water and said, "It's gross!"

"Honey," I advised, "as you grow you'll learn that the most fun things are usually gross."

A young man passing at the time turned around and said, "You got that right, man!"

Still, it took some urging to get her even ankle-deep.

The deep water was out of the question, though.

Not everyone wanted to swim, but even those who didn't enjoyed the sound and scent of the rushing water, the trees, and the magic of the place.

This was exactly the kind of wedding I prefer: Small, meaningful, in a beautiful location, and fun.

And I think Dorothy Elizabeth and Frank agreed.