Walking around campus on Saturday I had the honor of glimpsing two sacred events at the Princeton University Chapel. A funeral on Friday and a wedding on Saturday. I observed both from a distance because I did not want to intrude but I did manage to get a couple of snapshots with my camera phone. The first image is of four people arriving to the memorial service to pay their respects. The mourners appear to be an elderly couple accompanied by their daughter and son-in-law. I'm guessing the relationship because it was the younger woman who was affectionately setting up the man's legs in his wheelchair. What struck me about this scene was the orange sport coat the old man wore. I believe he wore this to honor the deceased and their relationship to the university. I find this to be a most loving and fitting tribute. It's power lay in the simple declarative statement the sport coat makes about their friendship and what their shared experience at Princeton meant to them and how it carried through the rest of their lives. Literally to the end of their days.
The second image was captured on Saturday morning shortly before a wedding. Again, for me, it captures the unique experience of what it must be like to be part of the ivy league world. You cannot see them, but the men wore dressed in formal wear while the women wore the most elegant summer dresses. And the flower girls were of the stuff you see in movies. All white and innocence. Then to the left is a young men dressed to the nines in modern Ivy League chic. A madras shirt paired with white jeans complemented with a black sport coat and black Chuck's. The slim fit makes the classic ensemble contemporary and not dated. And the juxtaposition of it all just fits perfectly.
So this is how the fraternity of Ive Leaguers come to remember departed loved ones and celebrate the occasions of the living. It was images of a world I dreamed about as a child when my parents first started talking to me about college. And it didn't disappoint.
The second image was captured on Saturday morning shortly before a wedding. Again, for me, it captures the unique experience of what it must be like to be part of the ivy league world. You cannot see them, but the men wore dressed in formal wear while the women wore the most elegant summer dresses. And the flower girls were of the stuff you see in movies. All white and innocence. Then to the left is a young men dressed to the nines in modern Ivy League chic. A madras shirt paired with white jeans complemented with a black sport coat and black Chuck's. The slim fit makes the classic ensemble contemporary and not dated. And the juxtaposition of it all just fits perfectly.
So this is how the fraternity of Ive Leaguers come to remember departed loved ones and celebrate the occasions of the living. It was images of a world I dreamed about as a child when my parents first started talking to me about college. And it didn't disappoint.
