The bar looks quite different now; all bottles are stored away and the crew is unpacking the glassware. Teri asks Craig and Drew to move the grand piano to the cocktail area and gives Sarah and Deneane the family photographs to distribute around the mansion. Patrick prepares Paradise Ice Tea adding lemons, oranges, and mineral water. Michelle cannot find the white rum needed for Mojitos, the favorite drink of bride and groom.

The sun shines through the parlor's finely etched glass windows, painting light flowers on the floor. Michelle and Amy, the photographers, follow the bridal party to exploit the filtered light and the antique charm of the mansion for their pictures. How beautiful bride and bridesmaids look in their lovely gowns, fully conscious of their dignity. Teri greets them. There are hugs, kisses and laughter until the clapping of car doors announce that the first guests have arrived.

It always amazes Teri that some wedding guests show up so early. Women always find something to do and men are left to their own devices. They usually end up at the bar. No drinks yet! Parker and Patrick, now in their black business attire, offer passion fruit ice tea and mineral water to the soft tunes of Frank Sinatra in the background.

Teri steps into her formal shoes before making a stock check. Quickly she counts bottles, and retrieves the straws that allow bride and bridesmaids to drink and keep their lipstick in place. But she cannot find the white rum either. No big deal; with car keys and company credit card in hand, Michele walks to the door. Teri remembers her first years as a caterer she worried about everything that could go wrong: late arriving vendors, wrong delivery, bad traffic, running out of food. Her closest encounter with disaster happened when a venue owner was 30 minutes late. Luckily, all vendors chipped in and everything was ready in time. Over the years she has learned to optimize her planning, pick the right event professionals, and deal with the stress.

The prep work for the appetizers is almost done and Teri turns her attention to the cheese display in the Oriental Room. While stepping back to get a better overview, she is surprised by a big hug from the bride's mother: "How wonderful everything looks, I cannot thank you enough!"
Through the glass door Teri can see Jeff heating the cast iron pan on the sputtering coils of blue, hissing flames to sear the Ahi Tuna for the appetizers. "I am so fortunate," she thinks, "to have such a talented and dedicated chef."

5:00 p.m.: Ceremony
All staff members assemble in the foyer to watch the bride and her father walk down the aisle. Then the door closes and the bustling begins: a last stock check, another tidying up of the mansion, Jeff collects the appetizers that need barbecuing. At the staff rehearsal five minutes later, Teri discusses the timeline, distributes the plans for the room layout, and assigns the tables.

The ceremony is over. Lisa accompanies the family while the official pictures are taken. The guests crowd in front of the bar, where champagne, wine, Mojitos, and mineral water are served, while a piano, guitar, and saxophone trio plays Glenn Miller.

Teri, Drew, Glen, and Sarah are lined up behind the kitchen counter. They prepare the trays with the appetizers. Like clock work they add napkins, toothpicks, flowers and herbs for decoration. The waitresses are in action. They take the filled trays and return with empty ones; cleaned and replenished by the kitchen staff, they are once again ready for another round. The waiters, in the meantime, change the ballroom; they remove the screens to the Cipriani Room and pull the chairs from the theater seating aside. With floor plans in hand, they carry the heavy, fully appointed tables to the designated spots. Something doesn't seem quite right. They check the floor plan again and again; today the tables are larger than normal and Teri has to help to locate their exact positions.

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