whimsical weddings

[jenP_97]

Well, let's see.  My wedding was pretty different, as my 
husband and I had to pay for it ourselves (my dad bought 
my dress, my sister's dress, and the main course, but 
everything else was either donated by relatives or paid 
for by us).  My husband's graduate advisor (counsellor) 
was our minister (she was a member of the Universal Life 
Church - you know, the "get your certificate through the 
mail for $5" type of thing - got it so she could officiate 
at her brother's wedding), and she did it for free (and 
it was wonderful, as she cried through half the ceremony).  
We had the ceremony and the reception at an old barn that 
was renovated for social occasions, and as it's owned by 
the cousins of my cousins, we got it for free.  My aunt 
and cousins made hors d'ouvres, salads, and the "men" 
barbecued the meat.  The minister and her husband actually 
bought a pinata and stuffed it full of REALLY COOL stuff 
and had the kids at our wedding (lots, as my cousins are 
all Catholic and there are 7 of them with children) pound 
the stuffing out of it (literally).  Then!  My husband's 
sister's birthday was 2 days later, so we bought a 
cheesecake for her and put candles on it and sang happy 
birthday during the reception.  And my husband made a 
huge batch of homebrew.  People were very drunk (and very 
happy) when they left.  My relatives still tell me that 
they had the best time at our wedding... and all for under 
$1000.

We went honeymooning at Lake Sonoma (and tasted a lot of 
wine), and got into a car accident the Saturday after we 
came home.  Totalled the car.  I'm still nervous when I 
drive because of that.

Oh, and my sister was my only bridesmaid, and I let her 
pick out anything she wanted, as long as it wasn't ugly. 
:)  And my husband's best man fell in love with one of 
my best friends at the wedding, and they're married now 
and are waiting for their new house to be finished.  Isn't 
that cute?

Jen (who made one match, but wasn't able to make the other 
one she attempted stick)

ps.  anyone have any links to their wedding pictures online?  
I think I did at one point, but my old "will always be 
available to you" alumni account doesn't seem to work anymore...