MARCH 2008

from the EDITOR
A Wedding Story: Nightmares in the midst of dreams
On the morning of
my sister Stephanie’s
wedding my dad was
nowhere to be found. We
woke, brewed coffee and
found his car gone. We repeatedly
called his cell phone but
there was no answer. After
more than an hour of panic, he
walked into the house with a
smile on his face and his typical
cheerful mood.
“Dad, where have you
been?” I asked in an irritated voice.
“Church,” he replied as if I had no right
to question. Where else would he be?
“Church, for what? We are going to
a full mass in a few hours.”
“I had to pray for something else,”
he said.
“What would that be?”
He looked at me with serious eyes
and said, “Four girls down, three to go.
You’re next; I had to pray that you find
a husband.”
VANESSA
DENHA-
GARMO
EDITOR
Of course, he died before I
walked down the aisle.
However, the unexpected
events of the day continued to
expose themselves that
Sunday. After I left for the
salon for my hair and makeup,
my dad called minutes later to
tell me that the rental place
had given him a women’s tux.
“WHAT?” I shouted on the
phone.
After hearing the panic in
my voice, he told me not to worry, he
would have it under control. I found out
later that he traveled to several tuxedo
rental shops to find them all closed.
Then he remembered he knew a
Chaldean guy in the business and
begged him to open his store. The man
was able to fit my father with a coat,
cummerbund and tie but not pants. He
compromised and wore a black pair of
slacks. No one knew the difference.
A sigh of relief came over me as the
maid of honor who was charged with
making sure the bride didn’t experience
any stress.
We arrived at the church,
Marygrove College Chapel in Detroit.
Stephanie and all of her bridesmaids
did last-minute hair and makeup
touchups in the bridal room while waiting
for the summons. Time passed and
we were now 15 minutes past the
scheduled time of the ceremony. We
didn’t understand the delay.
My dad walked in with a worried
look on his face. He was joined by a
nun. She looked at Stephanie and said,
“We have a little problem.”
Stephanie replied in a nervous
voice, “Is Scott here?” referring to her
soon-to-be husband.
That was not the issue, explained
Sister. She went on to tell us not to get
upset, but the priest was not there. My
father said in his calm, fatherly
demeanor, “Don’t worry.”
After nearly 30 minutes behind
schedule, my father had an idea. Our
Chaldean priest, Fr. Emanuel, was
invited to do the blessings in
Sourath. Although he was unprepared
to do the entire service, he
gladly obliged. While Scott vowed to
love and honor his wife, Stephanie
vowed to love, obey, do her wifely
duties, cook, clean and have babies.
It was sweet and comical; the most
important thing was that they wed.
Anything can happen on your
wedding day. Of course, it is the one
comment every bride hears as the
days approach. Stephanie never
broke a sweat, raised her voice and
never showed any signs of panic.
She was the image of the glowing
bride and enjoyed every moment of
her day.
This issue is our annual wedding
guide. This year we feature horror sto-
FROM THE EDITOR
Continued on page 11
10 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2008