What a Wedding!  I have not had so much fun in all my days… so much laughter and hilarity mingled with such joy and happiness.  I sort of felt like family, you know what I mean?  I am so filled with excitement and exhaustion all rolled into one glorious bundle!  I have so much to share with you all, so grab your munchies and pull up a cushion, as I regale you with all the events of the day…

Where to begin, oh yeah, I might as well start with my early morning escort… what an honor!  The royal house actually sent an envoy, to accompany me along the path.  In charge of the group sent to fetch me, was none other than my friend Pflurrt.  I had a pleasant chat with him along the way, learning that his wife Flora, was expecting their first batch of kits.  You could see the joy in his bright eyes, as the squirrel spoke of the upcoming births.  I made a mental note to prepare a gift for them, for when the wee ones arrive.  I will have to ask Flora for her due date, as Pflurrt could only say soonish… I needed more than that to go on. 

          Anyways, we arrived at the site of the ceremony within about half an hour, and I was shown to my seat… in the back of course, as I would block the view of absolutely everyone if I were up in front.  I want to apologize now, for not having pictures of the ceremony… they actually took my phone and put it in a basket at the back. They were more savvy than I gave them credit for, so I am left with describing things as best I can. Here I go…

          As the old abbot approached the small platform built for the Nuptials, he nodded for us to have a seat.  As soon as the crowd quieted, down the royal tree came the entirety of House Acorn.  It was actually very touching how the young couple were lovingly escorted to the front, by their whole family.  Then the ceremony commenced.  For being such a small woodland creature, that old abbot gave one of the loveliest wedding speeches I have heard.  Over the next forty-five minutes, there was a great amount of laughter, as well as tears, shared among us all…  Father WalNut shared the story of how the two young hearts came to find each other, and it really was like a fairytale story.  I pondered how similar the complexity of the human heart is to that of squirrel hearts.

          I will admit that I had tears in my eyes when the two exchanged their vows.  As much as I want to tell you the whole story right now, it is truly a story in and of itself, and I wish to save it for another day.  Besides, I think there is so much to regale you with from today’s events alone, once I finish that part, I’m going to need a nap.  Why?  Because, let me tell you, once the I Do’s were exchanged and the couple were announced… the valley erupted in music, and the crowd went Nuts! 

          While we were at the ceremony, behind the scenes were all the volunteers, busily setting up the party!  They had been setting up a stage with a band and everything.  No expense was spared for the young couple.  Apparently, the Royal House hired the princes’ favorite band, the Brazilian Nutcrackers!  When the music started up, every young squirrel among us jumped up and sprinted in the direction of the music, and the hilarity began!

          With the music playing, and the whole valley alive with party goers, the ladies hurriedly set about laying out the food.  All the while, the older gentlemen squirrels brought out barrels of Beernuts.  Not long after this, the fur collars began loosening… and there began the games.  It was absolutely hilarious to watch a miniature version of human like antics, played out before my eyes.  From Pin the Feather on the Raven to the Three-Legged Squirrel races, a good number of funny comparisons played out in my mind, as I sat on the grass tapping my foot to the music.  At one point I even felt pretty confident I knew how the games worked. For instance, I immediately recognized the Bobbing for Acorns game.  I will admit, that one was an easy guess, but since the barrel was too tiny for my face, I opted to simply watch.

Looking back on things, I wish I had employed this same wisdom when I was approached by Father WalNut, requesting I join his team for a round of Squirrel Mitten.  Let’s just say that I thought he was going one way, and he thought I was going the other way.  When we connected, I accidentally drop kicked the elderly squirrel into the hedges.  Luckily, squirrels are lightweight and mostly fluff, so the abbot landed safely in the foliage, and just chuckled the whole way back onto the court.  We finished the game, but with a healthier distance between us, for his sake.  After the game ended, I decided I might be less of a hazard if I checked out the food area… perhaps I could help serve, or even play with the little ones while the mums were busy.

Now, I know I am a human and all, but the food was amazing!  There were bowls of Blueberry Cordial, constantly being refilled and topped with chilled rocks from the nearby river.  The tables reminded me of a potluck, filled to overflowing with differing dishes and utensils for plating up the many choice morsels.

There were stacks of Strawberry Tarts, and tiny dishes filled with fresh Dandelion and Soy Nut Cream for dipping…

Hazelnut Pie with a pomegranate topping, accompanied by a spicy Peanut Sauce. You may think that the sauce would not work, but oddly enough, it does.

Atop each table were bowls filled, and overflowing with Candied Walnuts and Pecans. 

If you have never tried a Pistachio Dumpling, I highly recommend you try them because…  Ummm… Wow!  Oh, and there were these wonderful little tables placed throughout the area, to be kept filled with a special treat for all the babes. 

On each table sat a tray of light, fluffy Oat Scones, accompanied by a Cherry Marmalade.  You know all those babes I thought I might play with, well, they were all passed out snoring beneath the tables.  I am pretty sure that every single wee babe, lay blissfully unaware of all the grown-up goings on; dreamily they nibbled on crumbs, still lodged in their tiny whiskers. 

By the way, whoever made the wedding cake, completely outdid themselves… Five tiers, Sunflower cake with an Elderberry filling, covered in a Bavarian cream.  The table was strewn with an assortment of colorful and fragrant flowers, and the ground beneath the table was blanketed by gifts of every shape and size.

The bride and groom received some lovely things, one of which was this beautifully hand carved plaque, made by Father Walnut.  The inscription read, “May all your seasons be filled with Laughter, Love and Prosperity”.  I saw that Flora Pflurrt made a wonderful Bridal comforter, made from the down of the Canadian Geese, visiting last season.  It wasn’t much, but I gifted the young bride a bag of wildflower seeds, for her garden.  Towards the end of the gift opening, a line began to form in front of the couples’ new digs.  One by one, each family entered the new home and deposited a hand-crafted piece of furnishing or a bushel/barrel of some type of winter supply.  I was left feeling so touched to see the care everyone in this valley took, in supplying this new couple with a fully supplied home, to begin their new life together.

The sun was beginning to set by the time all was said and done, and after assisting in the clean up of the day, I took my leave and headed for home.  I sat down in front of my laptop as soon as I arrived home, so as not to forget anything in the telling of the day’s events.  I am only just now, untying my shoes and slipping into my fluffy socks… my feet are aching, and my back is punishing me for my attempt at Squirrel Mitten.  I still feel bad for the old abbot, though everybody there thought it was a riot!

**Disclaimer… I had to improvise with pictures that are obviously not from the actual wedding (Thank You Pexels), on account of my phone being confiscated until I went home. Also, I did my best not to misrepresent any woodland creatures, in my recalling of the days events.**