we tied the not.
after a year and a half of ashley planning, and me complaining, we had a wedding. and it was good.
it was a backyard wedding, in ashley's aunt stina's yard, the site of a handful of previous johnson family weddings, and endless family reunions and parties. this was my first party in the back yard, but i have a hard time imagining that it wasn't the best. of course i'm biased. but with the help of just about every one of our 150 or so guests, we pulled off the best wedding i've ever attended. a big thanks to all of them.
i arrived in crystal lake on the wednesday before the big day. it was 90 degrees and humid, just like i like it. i don't think anyone else was fired up about the weather, but it was my wedding, so tough shit. i was elated. the next couple of days were focused on the setup. any family member in the area was given a task each day, ranging from paper flower asembly to lawn mower repair. the johnsons settled into their tasks with ease, as i they had many times before. i paired up with fred, my new brother/ minister for pressure washing. this was my first experience with a pressure washer, though hopefully not my last. they are incredible machines. for two days the pressure washer astounded me not only in it's ability to remove unsightly mildew stains from concrete, tent tops, and floor mats, but more importantly, in it's capaity to keep my mind off of how nauseatingly nervous i was. the pressure washer was like a 6th groomsman.
while fred and i cleaned, ashley organized. so many millions of pieces were put together in those three days that i can't even imagine how she pulled it off. there were moments of panic. someone told ashley to make sure to stay hydrated. she was losing a lot water through nervous crying.
but somehow it worked. we made it through the rehearsal dinner on friday. saturday morning didn't bring any of the scattered thunderstorms that had been predicted. at 9:30 saturday morning, rev. fred, ashley and i went for a walk. we stopped at a park and practiced our vows. i think all of us cried. well, i did, and ashley did. fred might not have, but if he didn't he would make up for it later. i know that all of us were nervous, but it was a beautiful moment. it helped me, at least, to remember how great this day would be, and to not rush it through.
last minute preparations really were last minute. i think the altar was ready about 10 minutes before the ceremony. but it was ready. the guests were seated, the music was cued, and the precession started down the aisle to "naive melody" by the talking heads. a couple weeks earlier ashley second guessed this song. i think we both agree now that it was a good choice.
and then everything happened so fast. everyone did such a good job. the ceremony was beautiful and ended with a champagne toast.
then there's the party. we had been told, and soon learned, that you barely get to spend time with anyone on your wedding day. 150 people to thank, and catch up with, and tell them you love them. but my god it was still a good time. jeremy, our dj, played for something like 9 hours. and as expected, it turned into a giant dance party. god it was fun.
after the police came and left for a noise complaint, and after the crowd thinned out, the stragglers jumpede in the pool for a few hours before retiring to their hotels, or tents, or backseats of cars, floors, couches, or wherever it is that kev foy slept.
with help from seth and gina, kevin, my brother and best man, set up a tent in the back of the yard for ashley and i, flanked with tiki torches and flower petals. it was perfect.
the next morning started with cleanup and pies. after lengthy discussions and family deliberations over how much pie would be the right amount, we ended up with 15 extra. better too much than not enough. mike and lauren had brought a box of customized, hand tye-dyed trottier/johnson wedding tshirts which were passed out to anyone who helped with cleanup. the rest were reserved for anyone going to the post wedding phish show. when the house and yard were close to being back in their original states, ashley and i hopped into a car with martha and adriano, decorated for the occasion, and along with liz, drove to alpine valley for a continued celebration. twenty friends wearing matching tye-dyes, drinking miller lite in front of a school bus; priceless.
and that's where it ends. of course there was more that night, but this isn't a concert review. it was the best weekend of my life. ashley and i, for the past week, have talked so much about how incredibally lucky we are. not just to have met each other, but for the presence of so many amazing people in our lives that helped us put everything together, take everything apart, and surprise us with their generosity, and love. we got a good thing going.
