Our fabulous stage manager.

Photo credit: Mark Retnam

We followed our Welcome Dinner with a rehearsal for the wedding ceremony. I had asked my friend, M, to be our stage manager for the wedding and this was great decision. M and I met and became friends about 5 years ago while working on a show at a theatre in Chicago. Later, he stage managed a show I directed and I discovered how GREAT of a stage manager M really is. He doesn't do it too often these days, but he is organized, kind, patient, and he has a sense of humor and good artistic taste. Even when things get hectic and stressful, M exudes a good-natured yet in-control attitude.

M and his wife, M, are good friends of ours and were making the trip to attend the wedding. Somewhere along the way, I realized it would be necessary to have someone to help us through the timing of stuff and keep us on track at the rehearsal and wedding. I needed someone to help pull off this shindig. I know as much as I would have opinions- I am a director after all- I needed someone on the outside to take charge. I wanted to ask M, but M is a guy, so I hesitated. I wondered if he would mind if I asked him to stage manage a wedding. But I decided that the idea of having him stage manage made me feel WAY less stressed and I trusted him implicitly, so I went ahead and asked- and much to my relief, he agreed! :)

Photo credit: Melissa Maloney

Photo credit: Mark Retnam

So he and minister M ran the rehearsal and helped us all figure out what we were supposed to be doing and where we were supposed to go. It was great. Stage manager M kept us on track and calm at the rehearsal and on the day of the wedding. He also did an amazing slide show for us with photos and music that we played at the reception. What an fabulous gift! And he ended up filming the wedding too when we ended up needing someone at the last minute.

Stage manager M and our minister M and wedding party and our wonderful friends and family pitched in and did so much to make it all possible. It was amazing.