03/23/2003

Andrea D'Amico and Michael Edwards

Our Lady of Mercy Church, East Greenwich

1.4.03

"Our wedding is all homemade and very wintry," says Andrea D'Amico.

"I had my heart set on navy blue velvet for the bridesmaids. I couldn't find anything so I made them." Her own dress is off-white crushed velvet with a train that is almost three yards long, trimmed in fur. "It was actually the second one I made -- the first one just didn't look wintry enough.

"I've always loved to sew -- my grandmother taught me when I was about five. I would make things, even design it myself, when I couldn't find what I wanted."

D'Amico has made the bouquets -- silk white callalillies with blue leaves. And the shoes for the bridesmaids: "I found some simple ones at Payless, dyed them blue and glued fur on them." She made her veil, and lace covers for her shoes to turn them into old-fashioned looking faux ankle boots.

The list of handmade stuff goes on: two garters, one to throw and one to keep; a crocheted cape for each bridesmaid, with a detachable hood that opens into an afghan; at Evelyn's Villa, site of the reception, each place is set with a mini-champagne-glass candle with cupids floating in it.

D'Amico, 26, is a student at Rhode Island College majoring in math and secondary education. She grew up in Cranston, graduating in 1994 from Cranston West High School.

Edwards is 31; he's a correctional officer at the ACI. He also grew up in Cranston, but the other side of town -- he graduated from Cranston East. He met Andrea when he was about 20 or 21, roughly ten years ago. During that time, they faded in and out of each other's lives until they started dating about four years ago.

He spotted her at her parents' house, washing the car. "I saw her, stopped, and asked if I could call her. So we made a date, and it turned out to be the date from hell! I got a flat tire, found a pen on the ground and used it to plug the hole. It stopped the leak, but then it wore down and when I went to pull it out, I splattered ink all over myself, then got it all over my steering wheel."

The date was supposed to be dinner and then Boston Billiards to play pool. "It turned out to be quite different from what I had planned, and I thought she would never want to see me again. But I called her the next day and she just laughed about it -- she has a fabulous sense of humour."

Today, at the ceremony, Catherine Mary D'Amico will give her daughter away. As the two of them stand in the doorway that leads into the rectory, Andrea's mother notices that she's still wearing the old loafers that she had worn to the church to keep her fancy shoes from getting dirty. "My shoes!" she exclaims, as "Here comes the bride" (Wagner's Wedding March from "Lohengren") starts to play. Andrea holds up her hand as if to signify "one minute please," as her mother runs into a side room to fetch her shoes -- at least she didn't leave them in the limo -- and then dashes back into position at her daughter's side.

Andrea smiles, takes her mother's arm, and makes her entrance.