Last weekend marked my first ever visit to Iowa. A friend of ours from college and New York was marrying the woman of his dreams who happened to have been raised on an Iowa pig farm. (Josh gleefully told us he hadn't paid for bacon in two years. And he eats a lot of bacon. Her family is losing money on this deal, I guarantee it.) The wedding festivities involved an entire weekend of fun and friends; for us it was like a mini college reunion. Well, more for Nick than for me, since they were all his friends in college. But since then, I've become close to lots of them, and to their girlfriends, so we had a lovely time. There was an open mic night in a huge barn the first night we got there, and I admit I was a little skeptical. The bride is getting a PhD in poetry and participates in poetry slams in her spare time. I am not a huge fan of poetry. Slam poetry, especially, always smacks awkwardly of white girls rapping. But the open mic night was lots of fun, full of folk music and singing (does everyone in the world other than me play the acoustic guitar?) and even some poetry that didn't make me cringe. In fact, don't tell anyone, but I kind of liked it. I'm sure it was an anomaly.

The wedding itself was in a state park beside Lake Okoboji, a glorious setting for a unique ceremony. First of all, I should say, the bride looked gorgeous, glowing and happy in traditional white with a train and everything. The ceremony incorporated the Quaker meeting format of silent meditation interrupted by any guest who felt so moved by the spirit to get up and say something to the bride and groom. People really got into and it ended up being quite beautiful. The reception followed what I call the Haverfest template, resembling nothing so much as that day at the end of the school year when Haverford College students drag boxes of wine, six-packs, blankets, frisbies, etc. onto the campus green and just hang out all day drinking and enjoying the sun. We took a dip in the lake, played some cards on a picnic table, mercilessly mocked the friends among us who aren't yet hitched, and just generally had a smashing time.

Most importantly, the entire event perfectly suited the bride and groom, and they were able to enjoy their own wedding. Which doesn't always happen. I'm glad we went, even if the air travel gave me a slight cold. How do I always manage to sit in front of the kicking child and his sniffling, sneezing, hacking grandmother?

Just lucky, I guess.

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 12:42 PM