We had the pleasure to meet with our organist Ginny yesterday for one final romp through our wedding selections… we decided to go with another piece for Steph’s entry:

“Cantilena” by Josef Rheinberger.
It’s a movement from his Sonata in D minor, op. 148 no. 11. A beautiful German romantic melody, I think it avoids some of the pomp these things sometimes carry in favor of some mystery and veiled, yet deep, emotion.

Today in church, Ginny played our prelude and postlude for the 11AM Rite I service. Around 20 people stayed afterward to hear the Widor Toccata. I had not heard the selection all the way through, and it was incredibly moving. It is a pyrotechnical masterpiece showcasing all of the power and fury that a grand pipe organ is capable of… too bad our organ is a piece of junk at this point! Anyway, I closed my eyes and saw my beautiful bride and me exiting the church together… three more weeks! I’m already ready already!

Last night Steph and I were able to sleep away to our “spot”; the C&O. Steph ordered for her man, and we enjoyed our usual martinis. I shared with her how ready I am for this… how every time I am in church now I visualize our ceremony, and how I just know that it will be beautiful and measured and, while I’m sure there will be intense emotional response spikes, peaceful. This is something we want more than anything, something our families want, and something that I feel God has ordained. It feels so good to just decide to let go of some of the worry!