skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Holy Matrimony, Batman!
In answering an old friend's questions about the circumstances of my wedding, I pulled out the old photos and made a facebook album of some choice shots. Our wedding was decidedly no frills. I always was uncomfortable with dress ups and fancy ceremonies. How I ever got thru my sorority days was a miracle, and going to church was an ordeal of an h
our of rolling up my hair during Gunsmoke, so it would bend a little on Sunday morning - a day I grew to dread more than Monday’s return of school. My younger sister had recently had a huge Church wedding with lots of bridesmaids and fancy dresses and a big reception at home - so I figured I was now off the hook. Mike and I knew we’d get married but wanted to wait until we were done with grad school before taking that step. We intended to stay on in Iowa City, having grown attached to the place, and with both of our families 2000 miles away, just figured we’d go and get hitched here. We planned no ceremony and didn’t expect anyone to come all the way out to the boonies even if we had. Getting married for us was just a legal matter. We planned to go to the Judge’s house after work on a Friday, sign the papers, and then go sign a lease on a little rental house we had been eyeballing for our new digs. After that business was done, we’d pick up Robert and John; Mike’s in town brothers, go to the local steakhouse and then play cards. A fun filled evening by our standards. But no, in-laws took us by surprise. Mike’s older brother Joe flew in from Colorado, insisting that Robert and John were too young to oversee an event of this magnitude, along with my parents – who refused to be left out of their eldest daughter’s “Big” day. Well, we worked through the “big” day as usual, me at H
o Jo’s, making up beds, and Mike at the Frame House, framing pictures. In the afternoon when I got off work, my folks came over to our apt to strategize. Dad asked if he had to rent a suit and when I said “nope!” promptly took a nap. Finding that we didn’t want to plan anything, Mom took matters into her own hands and busied herself making arrangements for a “proper” dinner at a posh restaurant and cake afterwards. The “ceremony” of paper signing at the judge’s home was almost
drowned out with music blaring up from the basement, where her kids were watching the TV show, Batman. Who else can claim that infamous 60’s theme song as their “wedding song”? The day after our nuptials, my folks took us around with a realtor looking for a house they could buy and rent to us until we got sick of this Iowa business. Since we had passed on the fancy wedding, they sprang for a U-Haul truck to move our stuff from California back to Iowa. After 33 years we’re still living in that house and haven’t gotten sick of it yet.
our of rolling up my hair during Gunsmoke, so it would bend a little on Sunday morning - a day I grew to dread more than Monday’s return of school. My younger sister had recently had a huge Church wedding with lots of bridesmaids and fancy dresses and a big reception at home - so I figured I was now off the hook. Mike and I knew we’d get married but wanted to wait until we were done with grad school before taking that step. We intended to stay on in Iowa City, having grown attached to the place, and with both of our families 2000 miles away, just figured we’d go and get hitched here. We planned no ceremony and didn’t expect anyone to come all the way out to the boonies even if we had. Getting married for us was just a legal matter. We planned to go to the Judge’s house after work on a Friday, sign the papers, and then go sign a lease on a little rental house we had been eyeballing for our new digs. After that business was done, we’d pick up Robert and John; Mike’s in town brothers, go to the local steakhouse and then play cards. A fun filled evening by our standards. But no, in-laws took us by surprise. Mike’s older brother Joe flew in from Colorado, insisting that Robert and John were too young to oversee an event of this magnitude, along with my parents – who refused to be left out of their eldest daughter’s “Big” day. Well, we worked through the “big” day as usual, me at H
o Jo’s, making up beds, and Mike at the Frame House, framing pictures. In the afternoon when I got off work, my folks came over to our apt to strategize. Dad asked if he had to rent a suit and when I said “nope!” promptly took a nap. Finding that we didn’t want to plan anything, Mom took matters into her own hands and busied herself making arrangements for a “proper” dinner at a posh restaurant and cake afterwards. The “ceremony” of paper signing at the judge’s home was almost
drowned out with music blaring up from the basement, where her kids were watching the TV show, Batman. Who else can claim that infamous 60’s theme song as their “wedding song”? The day after our nuptials, my folks took us around with a realtor looking for a house they could buy and rent to us until we got sick of this Iowa business. Since we had passed on the fancy wedding, they sprang for a U-Haul truck to move our stuff from California back to Iowa. After 33 years we’re still living in that house and haven’t gotten sick of it yet.
Yay! I never get tired of hearing that story.
ReplyDelete