In Defense of Penny’s Rainbow

In Defense of Penny’s Rainbow

I am purple in Penny’s rainbow.  In my opinion, this is a marvelous color to be. 

When Penny asked me to be her Maid of Honor, I somehow didn’t hear what she was asking me, and instead focused on the fact that she was getting married and had met the man she was destined to be with, the one that would make her happy and complete.  It wasn’t until about a month later when her sister reminded me that I was her Maid of Honor. I acted surprised and said, “What?  I’m not her Maid of Honor, am I?”  I had to call Penny to confirm, and sure enough, Penny confirmed it. I then questioned my sanity, and probably her choice in picking me.

I’ve been in four weddings, but I’ve never been a Maid of Honor.  Aside from us being best friends, I’m not sure why she chose me as her Maid of Honor.  I’m not good at hair or makeup, and if her dress falls apart prior to walking down the aisle, I could probably fix it with Duct Tape, but don’t count on me to whip out needles and thread.  I’m not good at bachelorette parties because I’m too modest and awkward to let my hair down and let it rip.  And lastly, I’m not sure I have what it takes to be a gracious peace-making Maid of Honor because I admit I don’t always play well with others.

Penny jokes that I am her “Made of Armor” because she thinks I’m tough.  I’m not sure I consider myself “tough” but I will admit when it comes to confronting annoyances, I’m all over it.

In the last wedding I was in, the bride designated me her “Wedding Bitch.”  It’s not a title I am proud of, but it was also one I owned.  I wasn’t afraid to kick the pushy mother-in-law out of the bride’s dressing room because she was making the bride cry.  It didn’t trouble me to tell the parents of the kids sticking their fingers through the wedding cake to get their kids in line or I would.  And, I had no fear in telling the DJ I don’t care if the music sounds better loud, the bride wants it turned down and if he doesn’t turn it down, I will cut his power and there will be no music.  And, I can do all this in heels and a dress.  (Of course, it helps that I’m over six feet tall in heels).

At weddings, I’m all about making the bride happy, and that’s what I want to do for Penny.

Early on, Penny announced that she would not be confined to one color for her wedding.  She would not even be confined to two.  No, Penny was going Full Monty and she was going have her colors of the wedding be, drumroll please… the rainbow.  That’s right, ROY G. BIV, biatches.  Penny has loved rainbows since she was a kid.  Her son James has rainbow stripes on his bedroom walls.  Penny likes rainbows.  That’s all.  What more is there to say?

Quickly the bridesmaids began choosing their colors.  Penny’s sister and I were two of the last to choose, and it was down to green (my favorite color) or purple (Penny’s favorite color).  I ended up choosing purple and I couldn’t be more excited about it! 

I never once gave any thought to what it would look like to have seven women all wearing different colored dresses.  I wouldn’t have cared if Penny asked me to wear a panda suit.  I would have done whatever she wanted, because it’s her day.  I was more concerned that most of the bridesmaids had purchased their dresses and Penny still hadn’t gone shopping with three months to go before the wedding—she has her dress now folks; we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The bridesmaids’ lack of concern towards the rainbow colors appears to be the minority.  Many people are taken aback that Penny chose the colors of the rainbow for her wedding colors and have been downright insulting to her.  Really?  Of all the things one has an opinion about?  My initial reaction to Penny when she told me this was, “who cares what people think.”  But it’s easy for me to be flippant as it’s not something I’m dreaming about and planning in my head.  I am discovering, however, that criticizing someone’s wedding colors is like criticizing the name chosen for an unborn child: you just don’t do it. 

We’ve all been there; standing and listening to an expectant mother proclaim that she is going to name her child… “Mildred.”  The internal eyebrow inside us raises and we hope to God it’s not actually doing it on the outside of our face. We examine the mother’s face waiting for the look of horror because at this point, her face will mirror our own reaction.  We find ourselves composing ourselves and saying, “Mildred is a beautiful name!”  We don’t say “How interesting,” “Wow, how did you choose that?,” or simply, “What the hell are you thinking? Do you know she will get beat up on the playground?”  No, we are adults, and we tell the mother Mildred is a beautiful name.  And when Mildred is born, and we see the beautiful little girl swaddled tightly in her blanket, we wonder how on earth she could be named anything but Mildred, because it’s so perfectly her.

What people choose to do for their wedding should be treated the same way.  Tell the bride it’s going to be beautiful and a perfect representation of her.  Tell her you can’t wait to see it and be a part of it and if you can’t make it, tell her you want to see pictures! 

Penny’s wedding is going to be beautiful, because it will embody her perfectly.  Penny can’t be defined by one color, and she deserves a rainbow. If the naysayers can’t just go on politeness alone, here are some interesting facts about rainbows.  Rainbows symbolize hope, diversity, promise, creation, potential, harmony, spirituality, connection and beauty. To me, that pretty much sums up a wedding ceremony and marriage.

I think the next time someone looks at Penny and says, “Rainbow colors?  Are you kidding me?”  Penny should ask them what they did the last time they saw a rainbow.  Did they just say, “Oh look, another rainbow, whatever,” and keep on moving?  No, most likely they stopped what they were doing and took time to admire a rare display of natural beauty. 

Simply put, when rain and sunshine meet, a rainbow is created.  Sort of like the perfect and natural union between two people.  Celebrate it and admire the beauty of it, because, just like a rainbow, it doesn’t appear every day.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Songwriters: E.y. Harburg;Harold Arlen

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Oh somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Oh somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
If bluebirds fly in the sky
Oh why, oh why can't I?

Well, I see
Trees of green and red roses too,
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

Well I see,
Skies of blues and, clouds of white,
And the brightness of day, I like the dark
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I... I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than we know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world.

Oh someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Oh somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
If bluebirds fly in the sky
Why, oh why can't I, I?