theoldwolf

Wedding Day!

Mr. Rumson went to town
Riding on a pony
Bought a wife and brought her home
And called it matrimony

Mr. Rumson bought a bride
Out in Californee
He'd of saved alot of money
Staying drunk and horny

Oh, Susanna, he's happy as can be
For he's got him something
Better than a banjo on his knee

Rumson, he got married today
Married today, married today
Rumson, he got married today
What'll he do tomorrow?

Get the soap man water, whoop-ti-ay!
Get the soap man water, whoop-ti-ay!
Got a sweet perfumer
To dry his humor
It's Ben's wedding day

Wash him down and flip him, whoop-ti-ay!
Wash him down and flip him, whoop-ti-ay!
He's got a blue-eyed wonder
To pull him under

It's Ben's wedding
His wedding
His wedding day
Amen!

Took my beloved fiancée to Palmyra, New York, and we were married there in a warm, wonderful ceremony. Our friends and family are so scattered, and our logistics are so helter-skelter at the moment, that an elopement seemed the best way to go - and we can always celebrate with our many loved ones as opportunity permits.

We left on Thursday and drove up to Corning, NY where we applied for a New York State wedding licence. It turned out to be an adventure in and of itself, as the city clerk there wanted a copy of some documentation we had not brought along. We had to contact the city clerk in Manti, Utah and get them to fax a copy to Corning's office - and they sent the wrong one the first time. Meanwhile, the time was running out - we were already there past the official marriage license time. But the Lord was gracious, the clerks were wonderful and helpful and cooperative, and we got our license at 3:59 PM - One minute before the office closed.

We then had to wait 24 hours according to state law for the wedding, so we had scheduled our wedding at the Temple for 6:00 PM the following day. Before heading for Palmyra, we stopped at the Corning library, shared some of our favorite books with each other, and were directed to a book sale going on down the road, where we stopped and spent $45.00 on two huge boxes of books and LP's which were being sold for a song. Dangerous thing, taking two bibliophiles into a library book sale... we joked about going back the next day, when prices would have been even cheaper...

Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Victor, NY - just outside of Rochester - and were astonished at how well-run this hotel was. The cinnamon rolls they fix for breakfast, a recipe proprietary to Holiday Inn, were heart-stopping - our suite was comfortable and quiet, and the service was impeccable.

Friday morning we did touristy things at Hill Cumorah and the Joseph Smith farm in Palmyra...

At the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center

ToniAnne in the Sacred Grove

.. and at 2:00 we returned to the hotel where a dear friend - ToniAnne's buddy from Advanced Leadership - came to visit us as she lives and works in Rochester. She was so sweet - she brought us a bag of cute wedding gifts, including yummy goodies, a wedding book, wedding party napkins, and a flag for the car that says "Just Married." I couldn't believe how thoughtful she was. Thank you so much, Heather!

After Heather left we took a brief nap, and then headed for the Palmyra Temple.

We were greeted warmly and treated with immense kindness by the temple staff - the wedding was witnessed by at least 25 ordinance workers, who get very excited when they have a live wedding there, and we were grateful for their love and support. They even had a cake made for us:

After the ceremony, one of the temple presidency came out and took a few pictures for us:

... after which we were otherwise occupied for a while...

They kicked us out of the hotel at noon, so we packed up the car and wended our way South again, stopping once more in Corning to take in the museum of glass - it was totally different from when I had visited there in 1969, but they still had the huge first casting of the Palomar mirror there, which they had built the new museum around:

ToniAnne in front of the 20-ton mirror blank

We took in a couple of glass-working shows...

Hot Glass demonstration - the furnaces glow at 2300° F!

And visited the gift shop where I found a small (and affordable!) Waterford crystal dish, a glass hippo ornament for ToniAnne's daughter Katie, and looked at the beautiful (but totally and insanely unaffordable) Steuben glass display, among many other beautiful artifacts.

About 1 foot wide. Only $25,000.

We stayed at another Holiday Inn Express in Harrisburg, PA - it's amazing how two hotels of the same chain can vary so widely in quality. This one I would rate a "B", whereas the other on in Victor got an "A+" in my book. The manager of the Victor establishment really cares about his hotel, and it comes through.

Sunday afternoon, we drove to Chambersburg, PA, and attended church in the chapel where I was baptized in 1969, almost 41 years ago minus about 8 days. It was interesting to see the building again.

After which, we turned our noses home and arrived at 5 PM, to be greeted by lovely mothers' day remembrances from ToniAnne's children, as well as a beautiful box in the shape of a book, containing chocolates and delightful gifts such as a couple's massage, dinner at l'Italia restaurant, and a movie gift card, along with a bottle of sparkling catawba juice - all the makings of a honeymoon at home, courtesy of ToniAnne's kids and her mom. Absolutely thrilling.

I forgot to mention that about an hour after the wedding, I was called by the Census bureau and asked to work as an enumerator, and I start training tomorrow - so we'll both be doing enumeration until about June 15th or so.

So now, back to work!