Coming out of the Logan temple.
Doesn't she make a BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!!
Adrienne and her bridesmaids...and me not matching because I had taken a long time to figure out if I was going to be able to make it to Utah or not.
The happy couple.
I had a WONDERFUL opportunity to go see my childhood friend Adrienne marry her sweetheart Trevor this weekend. It was a quick trip but worth every bit of effort. Adrienne has been the most wonderful friend I could have ever hoped for and it made me cry (multiple times in fact) to see her starting this new chapter in her life. And, to see her do it with the authority of the priesthood blessing her marriage was a wonderful example to me. It made me think about a lot of things...
Weddings in anthropology are all about the community, the joining together of two families, lineages, and histories and not really about the individuals in the partnership at all. Our modern day individualism has reduced that down to "it's my life and I'll do what I want" and I wonder where the line really should be. Obviously, it is about individual selection in a society where you start your own nuclear family and move away from both of the extended families. But, in a real way, both families are going to be intimately connected for the rest of the couples' lives. Trevor and Adrienne were really blessed to have so much family there to support them and I was lucky enough to go to the wedding dinner before the reception and hear both sides of the family talk about embarrassing stories and welcome a new member into each side.
Overall, I just thought about how happy Adrienne was and while it will be a major adjustment in her life and set the tone for the rest of it as she builds a new life alongside her beloved, I will never forget how she couldn't stop smiling and I hope she is able to stay that happy through all the challenges and experiences awaiting her. There was so much hope and love in every comment that day that I felt a big chunk of BYU-dating and Utah-bubble cynicism melt away. As I ponder on the difficulties of dating, including my over-analytical tendency to formulate theories and comment on the dysfunctional pressure-ridden culture within the Church and in general, I realize that it all comes down to individual people finding their paths in life and gaining their own experience.
So, congrats Adrienne and everyone else that has found their special companion in this crazy adventure called life. Hopeless romantic that I am, I can only hope that someday I can be as happy in my wedding pictures as she was!
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