One of the great things about being back in Oakland is that we’re just across the bay from another nice place, San Francisco. The West Bay doesn’t have Oakland’s nice weather, but there are times when it pays to cross the Bay Bridge. Today was such an occasion. I rode over with my folks to attend Cousin Ingrid’s wedding. Ingrid and Len chose the historic Swedenborgian church on Lyon and Washington as the location of their vows, and it is an incredibly sweet location. UPDATE: Here’s a short video taken with my phone showing Ingrid walking down the aisle of the church with her dad, Larry. ยป
The church was built in 1895 and survived the 1906 earthquake. (Famed architect Bernard Maybeck contributed to the original design. For those who check these entries for an East Bay connection, Maybeck was on the faculty at UC Berkeley and is buried in Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery.) The Swedenborgian church is a modest building with whole tree trunks serving as the support beams. The bark is still on the trunks. There’s a fireplace at the back of the small sanctuary and it knocked down the chill on a breezy Pacific Heights afternoon. When the sun peeked through the clouds it was just warm enough to hang out in the lovely garden next to the church. (Point of Interest: The Swedenborgian denomination is named for Emanuel Swedenborg, a swedish scientist and all around interesting character.)
The ceremony was perfectly suited to the location and to the couple. Ingrid is very thoughtful and creative, Len is gentle and cheerful. Their wedding was beautiful to watch and gracefully simple. I was moved.
