Last Saturday my older sister got married. It was a gorgeous wedding ceremony and reception, but the reception wasn’t in a place you would usually think of when you think of weddings. It was at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Horseheads, a museum filled with the history of airplanes. The display hangar is filled with war airplanes and other historic artifacts; this is the room that housed my sister’s reception.
When I first found out that my sister was having her reception in this building, I wasn’t so sure about it. Even after visiting the site, I questioned her choice. The place seemed nice but definitely more suited to a museum than a wedding with all of the display war airplanes.
However, when we started decorating it the Friday before the wedding, my entire perspective changed. I saw the place transform right before my eyes from a large museum floor space into a beautiful dimly-lit garden paradise. And it wasn’t that we hid all the planes (which would have been impossible to do), but the accents, glass, and greenery only enhances the rest of the scenery surrounding you.
Though there were some jokes about the war airplanes symbolizing something for the couple’s future, I think the place symbolizes that you can’t let inevitable hardships cover up the beauty in everything. The hardships will always be there, but the good times make those hardships worthwhile.
If I learned nothing else through my sister’s wedding day, I at least came away with the knowledge that you can’t judge anything from first glance, and you may be surprised what a gem you can find in the most unexpected places.
Renee Cooper
