The wedding (reception) planner

Three hours into vegetable grilling. Wine, please.

I must be a complete moron. What was I thinking?

Six months ago, this sounded great. “Derek, the Women of St. Paul’s want to give you a reception for your wedding.”

Today, as I started lugging out 246 pounds of china and silver for our youth minister’s wedding reception, I almost had second thoughts. Except, there was Donna Stokes-Rogers in the kitchen frosting 75 pounds of chocolate wedding cake. And there was the call from Ellen Kirk, who wondered if she had too many peppers for the nine pounds of pasta she’d just boiled for the pasta salad. And the promise from Susan Cowperthwaite that she’d pick up the platters for the Caprese kabobs after she got done with physical therapy. Oh, and did I tell you that Sharon Collins, who is getting 360 rolls for the turkey and roast beef sandwiches, has arthritis in her hands and I actually asked her to slice all the rolls? I didn’t know. I apologize. I didn’t know.

So, it appears, that even when I bite off more than I can chew I have the saving grace of compassionate friends. People who not only do not know how to say no but look for every reason to say yes.

Which brings me to the grilled vegetables. It sounded so easy six months ago. Grilled vegetables for 150 people. Do you know what that comes to? Thirty-six zucchinis and crookneck squash, four pounds of asparagus, twelve bell peppers and two pounds of mushrooms. That would be fine if you could just throw them all in a shopping bag, put them on the reception table and say, “Here you go.” But you actually have to prepare them. Cut them. Marinate them. And grill them.

Wine. I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. So I had a little drink about 4 o’clock. It helped. It helped that I stopped noticing the waves of smoke that hit my face every time I threw something on the Char-Broil Tru-Infrared. It helped when I got really bored because you can’t actually leave the grill when you’re cooking tiny pieces of vegetables. It’s helping right now as I anticipate the next step, which is making homemade seasoned breadcrumbs to sprinkle over the top of the grilled vegetables.

Tomorrow is the big day. Derek and LauraAnn, who are crazy in love, will get married. There is an army of women who have spent all day today cooking, picking up, doing flowers, and whatever else to make sure that their reception is as special as they are. I love all these women. They have my back. I would not have any back left if it wasn’t for them.

I will report  in the next day or two about the wedding and the reception. But now I have to make breadcrumbs. And maybe have another glass of wine.