An elopement in Putney

A wedding toast in Putney. We can't say why couples come to Hickory Ridge House to get married, but they sometimes do. Teresa and Nick dropped in on us last weekend to see the inn, and were here again this weekend for their wedding. An elopement. A quiet affair in the parlor, with Hep as Justice of the Peace... she has the most wonderful smile when she talks about the powers vested in her by the State of Vermont... candles, and cameras, and flowers, and such.
Nick brought along a bottle of champagne, and we provided glasses, an ice bucket, and Miriam's tea cookies. Miriam loves being a witness at our parlor weddings, and I love to be a witness at Miriam's being a witness.
I was asked to propose a toast. Always hard to say exactly the right thing, and I was a little tongue-tied. But it occurred to me that Hickory Ridge House has been a bed and breakfast inn for some 25 years, and that literally hundreds of people have been married here, and that many have come back to visit and revisit Putney and the "home" of their wedding. I also recalled Mark and Wendy, who married here in October of 2002 and are about to have a baby in April -- we were flattered that they actually came back to tell us about it.
So we talked about these things, and proposed this wish for Teresa and Nick: that all of the blessings and happiness of all of the weddings at Hickory Ridge House become part of a spirit that brings them the same happiness, too.
To Teresa and Nick.