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The early stages of planning our wedding were not easy.  The where’s, when’s and how’s were undecided and there were many ideas.  Andrea finally asked me, “What do you want?”  After mulling over this seemingly simple question, I finally responded, “Above all else, I want it to be easy.”  I’ve been to lots of weddings and other functions that weren’t easy.  Some of them were outright ridiculous.  After that, the quest for ‘easy’ was on.

Some things in the middle weren’t easy, but we have tried to arrange the wedding to be as easy as possible for our guests, the wedding party, and ourselves.  In every place where it was possible to eliminate something ridiculous or overly elaborate, we have done so.

The reception was proving to be very difficult.  Where to go, what to do, and how to do it was a debated topic.  Finally I said, “I don’t care.  We can have an open-pit bar-b-q and serve everyone burgers.”  Andrea said, “OK.”; so now we’re having a bar-b-q picnic for our reception.  This should be easy and fun while beating the pants off any fancy affair we may have tried to throw.  It also falls into the category of ‘easy’.

The marriage feast is a tradition dating from earliest times, and we saw no reason to ignore such a long-standing tradition.  Food has been a social event since Adam said, “This is at last flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones.  Now, where’s my dinner, woman?”  (This was also the beginning of the invention of the restaurant.)

While food is a sustaining necessity, the social traditions of food have been institutionalized since the beginning of humanity.  There have been gods and saints dedicated to food and cooking, and in one tribal culture in Madagascar, people do not get married to have children; they get married to have someone with which to share meals.

I have always found that formal dining is oppressive, and I’d rather sit comfortably, rest my elbows on the table, and not have to figure out which fork or knife I’m supposed to use.  I have always preferred setting where I am permitted to use my fingers and gnaw on the bone.  Cajun bar-b-q, while possibly inelegant, is comfortable and enjoyable.

Since cake is quite possibly the world’s most perfect food, we decided to follow this tradition as well.  Finding the right cake wasn’t easy, but after many tries (and Andrea’s eternal patience) we finally came upon the right combination of ‘looks good’ and ‘tastes great’.  I wanted old-fashioned wedding cake, which seems to be disappearing in favor of other flavors.  After many samples, Maurice’s Bakery finally agreed to bake our wedding cake to my flavor specifications, and decorate it according to Andrea’s instructions.

We have dispensed with everything else; throwing the bouquet, throwing the garter, and the money dance.  We feel that some of these traditions are demeaning, even if they are done in good fun. 

We hope our reception will be memorable, enjoyable, easy, and meaningful.  Something, in the dim future, to be thankful for the things we have had.   

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