Amy has been busy planning our wedding for the past six months or so. When asked about it, I often responded rudely with "its a formality at this point..." due to the fact that we have been together for 10 years. The big day came and is now gone.
Amy has been stockpiling string lights and antique dishes for the past six months. The wedding turned out exactly as she planned. About 200 people showed up to be with us. I wish I could have invited more, but the lodge only held so many.
We rented out a large barn in the county park 10 miles north of the city. It came with nothing. We got the beer from East End brewing, a local microbrewery. We got the wine from a Trader Joes in Ohio (cant get it in PA) and from the state store (where you buy booze in PA).
Our friends and families helped set everything up on Friday. A dozen people or so put in a 12 hour day getting everything ready. A great friend made a photo booth, and we had a room in which to put it. A friend made Amy's dress. So many people did so much for us in the weeks leading into the event that I will probably feel indebted for the rest of my life.
Our friends and families made the food, the cakes and the cookies. We had pierogies, sleek, seitan, grilled veggies, pasta, asian vinegar slaw. Everything was vegetarian, and all but the pasta and the cheese pierogies were vegan.
It has rained like everyday for the past two months. Saturday was the sunniest nicest day that I can remember in so long. We set up a small stage under a tree. We had an isle lined with mason jars filled with flowers. Amy's best friends played the live music walked down the isle to, which was "stand by me." Jenne has a beautiful voice. I started crying as soon as she started singing and didnt stop until the end.
This was kind of awkward because we were doing a self uniting ceremony, which is legal in Pennsylvania. So Amy read her vows first, because we thought she would be crying too hard if I went first. Wrong. She read hers, which just made me cry more. I babbled through my vows, wishing that I had brought a handkerchief the entire time. I regret not looking at Amy more because she looked so beautiful, but every time I would look at her, I would just start crying more.
We did the photo thing and the mingling. I saw people that I had not seen in 10 years. Some people that I have had some of the best memories of my life with were there. Everybody there helped make my new best memory possible. It was so freaking amazing. I never thought that it would be so great, and so emotional.
We ate. We danced. Little Somalia showed up. We had like 30 cakes on a cake table that our friends and families all helped make. I wish I could have eaten some of each of them.
We had to pack up the entire shindig by 1am. So many friends and family helped. I seriously did not think that it was going to happen. I pictured the county police fining me tons of money for going past the permit time. About 30 people stayed until after 1am helping pack our Uhaul with all the wedding stuff, which is now back in our dining room (does anybody need china and wine glasses?) ... That was one of the most amazing things, having so many people work at the end of a long day.
It felt so nice to be so loved.
Other Highlights:
- I was in charge of the introduction when we got on the stage. I said "thank you for coming, this is a self uniting ceremony, we are going to wed ourselves." .. which basically everybody thought I said that "we are going to wet ourselves."
- Dude wearing an Iron Maiden T shirt at my wedding. Amazing.
- One of maybe five days in Pittsburgh where the majority of people are wearing sunglasses. So rare to have that much sun. So awesome.
- Wearing old school vans (gorilla biscuits limited run) shoes at my wedding.
Hippies, Crust Punks, Hipsters, Old people.
Photo booth photo.
A friend owns a screen printing place and made us mugs that say "you are totally awesome" on them. They all had little flags that said guests names on one side and table number on the ohter.
Eddy Krall's flag.
The inside of the lodge all made up. A friend hand sewed all of the doilies to string to hang.
