I loathe weddings for the most part. Not because I am a grouch, but because they are so rarely sincere. Between being an alter boy, my time in the band (where I was attached by a drunk father-of-the-bride) and then as the dutiful boyfriend/husband, I have been to more than my share. People lose their way and become outwardly focused instead of hanging on to the simple fact two people are going to be spending their lives together. Between being an alterboy, my time in the band and then as the dutiful boyfriend/husband, I have been to more than my share. Amy and I eloped, and it was amazing.

The wedding last night in a Missouri Synod Lutheran church followed by a reception on an acre of lawn cut from a soybean field in verdant New Haven, Missouri, was absolutely unique in its planning and purity of intent. The bride, Amy's friend Natalie, conveyed a rare appreciation for the very best and most beautiful aspects of rural America. It was the most thoughtfully planned and lovely wedding I have ever seen. It's tempting to list individual aspects, but taken out of context, they wouldn't do. Natalie and her family harmonized food, music, design and a loving spirit into an event meaningful to everyone who attended. It will stand alone, I'm sure, for most as one of the only perfect weddings.