Our wedding

Sam and I got married on Saturday, July 8, 2000. [1] The wedding was outdoors in the Clydesdale Barbecue Area at the Alpine Grove Banquet Facility in Hollis, New Hampshire, in an open area with a gazebo near soaring pine trees. Our friend and Sam's former English teacher Ella Jo Regan married us, in a ceremony written by the three of us.

Ella Jo brought the perfect mixture of sensitivity, joy, and authority to the celebration, and made sure that everyone remembered what to do. Sam's sister Lindsey was her maid of honor, and my sister Megan Shope was my best man. Sam's brother Brian delivered a lovely reading from E. E. Cummings, and a brass quintet performed selections from Handel, Verdi, Joplin, and others with admirable style.

The wedding was absolutely without flaw. I was astonished at how well it went, after all the months of nervous procrastination and planning. The weather was perfect-- sunny, dry, not too hot. Afterward we changed into play clothes, had a cookout, and played mini golf, softball, horseshoes, and volleyball on the premises all day long. Sam and I are not very athletic and mostly just socialized with the 60 or 70 friends and family members who were there. We all had a great time. I can't imagine a better beginning for our married life together.

[1] For any lawyers or federal/state/town government officials who may be reading: We weren't legally married on July 8. Ella Jo isn't a clergy member or justice of the peace, and we hadn't made the extra arrangements to get married in New Hampshire (necessary because we are Massachusetts residents). Therefore we had a brief legal ceremony on Wednesday, July 12, 2000 at the home of Arlington, Massachusetts justice of the peace Sue Anderson. It was very informal but surprisingly sweet; the only guests present were Sam's parents. I recommend Ms. Anderson to anyone planning to get married in the Boston area.

(I also think that Ella Jo could make a fantastic JP if she wanted to do it. If the ceremony had been in Massachusetts, we actually could have gotten her a one-shot marriage authorization from the governor's office, but that would have taken even more planning.)

We had also had a Kibological wedding of sorts at a party in Brookline, Massachusetts in September 1999. Internet legend James "Kibo" Parry officiated and a papier-maché eggplant was involved. (Photos courtesy of Scott Ramming and his Web site.)

• The traditional holding of the fake eggplant
• The traditional breaking of the fake eggplant