Saved!

Never underestimate the powers of prayers and an Irish grandmother. We have the originally planned reception hall secured for certain now, thanks be to God! The only hang-up is that the city of Riverside has now passed an ordinance that no alchohol is to be allowed on the premises. After some thoughtful consideration, we have decided that this might actually be for the better (the money saved will be quite a bit, and the consumption of wine, in any quantity, actually makes me so flushed I would look just awful in the pictures . . .) and reserved the hall anyway. I imagine everyone will be a little bit disappointed - Catholics are firm believers in wine. But, all things are to be enjoyed in moderation, and to my relief, and since there are those who do not understand this, I can rest in the relief that my relatives will now have a concrete answer for why there isn't a heckuva lot more booze around, and hopefully they won't be dragging it in against my wishes. An ordinance may carry more weight than my preferences. That's definitely an upside. :)