The Mougin Wedding Garter

Stephen Mougin emailed me in early January, telling of his upcoming February wedding to his beautiful Slovakian bride. It was to be a small affair; a few friends and family in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, an intimate ceremony followed by a celebration.

I met Stephen when I was living in Massachusetts. He was the chorus teacher at Ralph C. Mahar Secondary School in Orange, MA, my stepdaughter being one of his students. I first met him when he was producing and directing The Sound of Music at the school. I volunteered to assist with the hair and makeup, and that was the beginning of many wonderful friendships, and the first of four musicals at that school in which I was involved.
Since leaving MA in December, 2003, we have stayed in touch. I have followed his musical career (he left teaching just before I left MA) with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, and now with the Sam Bush Band. He toured in Europe for some time, and that's where he met his love.

Jana

I offered to knit a lace wedding garter, and his response was a very quick "yes"! I chose the cotton thread (after trying to find some silk thread here in Lethbridge). Time was of the essence, and getting a garter knit and mailed was more important than doing it in silk.

The garter was knit on 1.5mm needles, with approximately Size 30 cotton thread. I chose a slightly fuzzy (not highly mercerized) thread, because I liked the softness, and the slight fuzziness added to the romantic appearance of this lace.

And here it is:

I mailed it in plenty of time; paid extra for expedited mailing and tracking. It left Canada the day after I mailed it, with a guaranteed 5-day delivery time.

Stephen received my email saying the garter was on its way. He waited. I waited. Jana waited. He emailed me, asking if I had tracked it. I sent him the Canada Post website as well as the tracking number; I checked it out and the message stayed the same. It left Canada the day after I mailed it, and after that, it disappeared.

Somewhere in the bowels of either the US Postal system, or The Department of Homeland Insecurity, a uniform containing a human being (presumably) decided to prevent that little package from reaching its destination on time.

Score one more for Bin Laden, and one less for Life and Liberty in The Land Of The Free and The Home Of The Brave.

So on Stephen's and Jana's wedding day, the garter which I had so lovingly knit was not worn by the bride.

The US Postal Service delivered it the following Monday, nearly three weeks after it was mailed.

Ok, so in the whole scheme of things, it's just a wedding garter. Stephen and Jana still got married, it was a wonderful wedding, and the world continues to spin.

Stephen sent me a beautiful email after they opened the envelope. They decided that the garter is too beautiful to store in a drawer, and they're going to have it framed. I am honoured.

One day I'm going to make Alfredo sauce (from scratch) and linguine, and Stephen and Jana are going to sit at our Dining Room table in my big house on Vancouver Island, and we're going to enjoy the meal as the sun streams through the holly trees just outside the dining room window.

And if they're there at the right time of the year, they may even get some fresh Kiwi fruit, grown right in my own yard.

Ok, you two newlyweds, Dorne and I are moving back to the Island Labour Day weekend this year. Plan accordingly!

Update: September 16, 2007
Offer: You, too, can have your own hand-knit lace wedding garter. Fees will vary depending on materials (silk, linen, or cotton thread, embellishments, etc.) . Please contact me a minimum of 6 weeks before the wedding date. Email me at: rosemarie dot buchanan at gmail dot com.