Love really does come in various forms.

We learned that on Saturday as we attended a wedding in Massachusetts.

The event was really quite lovely, particularly because we initially thought we were attending merely a celebratory dinner for the couple, who got married earlier in the spring in another state.

At least that’s what our invitation said.

We arrived at 6 p.m., found our table, and met several interesting and engaging people of all ages including retirees, professionals, students and even a 6-week-old baby.

We nibbled on fruit and cheese and sipped drinks in anticipation of dinner and dancing in the intimate clubhouse setting overlooking a beautiful lake.

Around 7 p.m., we met a town clerk who was a cousin to the woman being married.

The clerk, also a justice of the peace, said she was going to perform the marriage ceremony out on the lawn by the lake.

The room was abuzz with excitement, as most of us did not know that we would be witnessing a wedding as well. That had already occurred, we thought.

Well, it turns out, the state in which the couple got married does not recognize their union as legal, so they were having the official wedding in Massachusetts.

By now you may have guessed that this wedding was unusual in more ways than one.

It was a same-sex marriage, and the first I, and most of the 40 or so wedding guests, had ever attended.

Being a sponge for information about all things new and different, I watched and listened with particular interest and curiosity.

What would the vows be like? How would the guests react?

I found myself comparing my experiences with other, more conventional weddings, to this one. How were they different? How were they similar?

With every word spoken, every gesture offered, and every promise pledged, my psyche was being tested. I had to look at each moment in a different way, seek to understand, imagine reality from another perspective.

As these two young, highly educated and sensitive young women pledged to love, respect and care for one another until they died, we watched, listened and contemplated, just as we have at other weddings we have attended.

Will they be happy, we wondered? Will they have children? Will they face adversity? Can they overcome difficult days? Will their marriage last?

After the ceremony and the picture-taking, we toasted the couple, shared a gourmet meal and listened to speeches.

Mothers, aunts and uncles congratulated the couple, praised them for their accomplishments, welcomed their in-laws to the family and promised to support and love them both.

One young man held up his iPad and clicked on photos of “the couple happy” — happy while at the beach, happy while hiking, happy at a party, happy at home.

One aunt said she was proud of the women for being true to themselves. They are grounded, they know who they are, they know what they want in life and they are sure to be successful, she said.

The couple watched, grateful for the kind words and visibly touched by the sentiments.

After the dancing ended and the evening wound down, one-by-one the guests hugged and kissed the couple, wished them well and said their good-byes.

I left the celebration thinking that no matter what people think of same-sex marriage, one thing is abundantly clear:

That room Saturday night was filled with an enormous amount of love. The couple exuded it for each other, and their friends and family showered them with affection in return.

What are the words from that old Beatles song?

“All you need is love …”

Amy Calder has been a Morning Sentinel reporter 24 years. Her column appears here Saturdays. She may be reached at [email protected]