Walking Through Golden Leaves

Nathan and I met and married at a small seminary in 1997.  Our first home was, ironically, a motor home belonging to Nathan’s uncle. Nathan was delighted with the arrangement, since he had hopes of one day owning a motor home and traveling full-time. He had come to seminary to enhance his song writing, make it meatier, in order to extend an already blossoming musical future.  He had just released his first solo CD, Coming Home, and played music for a children’s camp across the road from the seminary, as well as playing out for small churches and other venues.  While Coming Home was his first solo project, he had a band CD to his credit, as his three-piece band had won the local Battle of the Bands earlier, and were given studio time as their prize. His main mode of transportation was an old BMW motorcycle, onto which he was known to strap his guitar and ride to gigs several hours away. His father brought out his other vehicle that summer – an old Nissan pickup truck that he had acquired for $50.00.  We met in June and became engaged in September, originally setting our wedding date for April.  We pushed it back about a week later, however, when the wedding plans were already becoming complicated.  I wanted a simple, outdoor wedding, and it was obvious that my definition of simple was just, well, too simple for people to get their minds around.

“I just want to go somewhere pretty and get married,” I told Nathan while we were enjoying a picnic on a crisp fall day in the rocky mountains, about a week after becoming engaged.   I looked around at the gorgeous, bright yellow Aspen leaves, and said, “This is pretty.  Let’s get married here!”
“Fall doesn’t last long here, ” Nathan said doubtfully. ” We’ll have to do it soon if you want it outside”
“Fine!” I said, cheerfully. “Let’s do it next week!” Nathan didn’t want a long engagement, and since we’d only known each other for barely 4 months, waiting til April seemed like an eternity. However, he was cautious, not wanting me to regret a hastily planned wedding. Following his Uncle Dwight’s very sage advice, he wanted to play the role of supportive fiance, allowing me to have exactly the wedding I wanted. I assured him “going somewhere pretty to get married” was exactly the wedding I wanted, but we decided to go ahead and ask the advice of six people – the seminary directors (who happened to be Nathan’s uncle and cousin) and both sets of parents.  If any one of those people had a problem with it, we’d reconsider. Not one did, except my Mom asked if we could do it a few days later than originally suggested to accommodate a meeting she had scheduled at work. That was fine with us. We would marry on Thursday, October 16.

We printed out invitations 4 to sheet, cut them, and I’m pretty sure we glued them to construction paper. We explored the woods on Uncle Dwight’s property, about a mile from the campus, and identified the perfect spot for the ceremony – a small clearing in the middle of an Aspen grove. Several had warned us that mid-October was a pretty risky time, weather wise. We could easily have snow, and the Aspens were often bare by then. There were several cool days, and on Saturday we had some flurries. The homey chapel on campus was available, of course, but I really wanted an outside wedding, so we continued to pray for the weather, and Nathan went ahead and mowed the path from the footbridge over Horn Creek out to “our” little clearing. My sister, Paula, took an afternoon to help me find a dress, and we bought long gloves in case it ended up being cold.

The day came, and the weather was perfect. The Aspens still had their leaves, the sky was a brilliant blue, the temperature could not have been improved by even one degree, and Horn Peak, which would serve as the backdrop to our reception, was sparkling with snow. I was so excited! But first on the agenda was our Greek quiz, which Nathan and I both aced, earning us extra credit for doing so on our wedding day. At 2:00 pm, all of the men and boys headed to our chosen spot. We didn’t have chairs set up, they just stood in the clearing and waited. The women and girls went in a group ahead of my father and me, singing Blest Be the Tie That Binds as they walked. As soon as they heard the strains, the men joined the singing, finishing as my Dad and I arrived at the edge of the group. Nathan’s Dad, who was officiating, led the group in singing O Worship the KIng as Dad walked me through the middle of our friends and family to Nathan.

I don’t remember the order of everything, but we had memorized the traditional vows and recited them to one another. Our mothers held the rings for us, and we used the ancient “With this ring, I thee wed, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost”, again with no prompting, as we placed them on one another’s finger. Uncle Dwight delivered the exhortation to “Provide and Guide”, and the group recited the Lord’s Prayer in unison. I remember the cheers from the community that had watched us fall in love as we were introduced for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Nathan George. My father-in-law led the group in singing To God Be the Glory as we all traveled back up the path and over the clear water of Horn Creek to the reception site. Several tables were set up, donned with lace coverings or pretty cloths, and set with an eclectic mix of china tea cups and teapots filled with hot tea, trays of delicate cookies homemade by the ladies of the seminary, and several fruit and veggie trays. One of the seminary wives, Ann Rachel, loved weddings, and had asked if she could coordinate the reception for us, and all of the ladies contributed their pretty things and homemade goods. Ann Rachel made the bride’s cake, and Nathan’s cousin’s wife, Beth Ann, made the groom’s. With the cake-smearing and picture taking over, we drove away in a Mercedes loaned to us by Uncle Dwight, who couldn’t allow me to be driven to my honeymoon in a fifty dollar truck! It was absolutely my dream wedding. *sigh* Monday morning, we were back in class.