Monday, February 14, 2011

Our Wedding ~ Part Five

It felt great being able to get back into the house and away from all the slow church songs that the uncles kept singing.  LV and I had to get sheets of paper ready with all the youth girls names on it so the boys could pick who they wanted to take to the table that evening.

We had just finished writing the names down when the first buggies with young folks  started arriving. LV handed the sheets to our hostlers and they went outside to where the boys were all hoping to be there early enough in hopes they would get to escort the girl they wanted to.

The girls came into the house to place their gifts on the table that was already overflowing with gifts. It simply couldn't hold anymore and they began piling on the floor around the table. It felt a little different to have all my friends coming by and everyone seemed a little uncomfortable not really knowing what to say other than smile in my general direction and then visit with whom ever was standing next to them.

Uncle Ezra came up the stairs and asked me if we have any white medical tape that he really needs some. I told him we don't but we do have bandaids. He said that would work and after I found a bandaid for him he left.

A little later he appeared with a huge barn broom and leaned it against the pile of gifts. Taped neatly to the handle was the bandaid where he had written "From Uncle Ezra"  I tried to suppress the laughter that wanted to bubble out, at that sight. Good old uncle Ezra, no one else would have thought to use a bandaid.

Someone announced that the boys were coming in already and all the girls went into the living room to wait until their name was called to be paired up with one of the boys. The boys piled their hats on a shelf in the sewing room and then stood waiting until the hostlers called their names.

LV's cousin Wilmer and my cousin Nathan were the hostlers and took turns calling one of the girls names. She would walk up to them where they told her who wanted to escort her. After she said yes they walked over to the sewing room door and called the boys name and together they walked into our big kitchen to watch and wait until everyone was paired up.

Once everyone was paired up one of LV's married brothers came to tell everyone in what order to go out to the showroom to eat. Table waiters, cousins, and steadies would go first and in that order. The rest could come however they liked to. We headed back downstairs and out to the showroom where the next two hours would be spent singing. This time nice songs. It seemed hard to believe that our wedding day was almost over already.

To be continued

According to the dictionary hostlers are men who care for horses for other people. I was surprised to know we used to use an English word for that. At Amish weddings two or three hostlers take care of the horses for the bridal party. Since we didn't drive to church they didn't have to worry about horses but they still played an important role of getting all the boys and girls paired up for an evening of singing and eating.

16 comments:

  1. I bet you guys were tired after your long wedding day.
    I noticed that they did not have ya'll kiss in the ceremony - it is against the Amish belief's to show affection in public? And I know that this might not be something that you want to share - and that is ok - but I am just curious as to when you got you first kiss from LV?
    Have a great day!
    Lisa :O)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am enjoying your description of your wedding and am so happy when I see you've posted the next "part". Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Uncle Ezra sounds like a practical-minded character. :) I had to chuckle over the "nice songs" reference. I've also heard many church songs that sounded more like a funeral dirge than a glorious hymn, lol. And, of course, this one is another excellent part of your wedding story! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So neat, Maryann! But wow what a long day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a day! I bet you were tired by the end of it, but excited too. At first I thought your uncle (or someone) had an injury! However, your uncle had something more practicable in mind. Very resourceful. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I assumed that the hostlers were similar to the ushers in mainstream American bridal parties - they help the ladies to their seats, generally lend a hand to guests - they're not the same as groomsmen but they're an equally important part of a large wedding ceremony as they help things run smoothly.

    It is interesting to learn that this is an English word as I assumed it was not and just tried to glean the meaning from the context instead of looking it up.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Now, you're having fun! I remember it being a bit awkward when I was standing in the recieving line and all my friends were coming through. No one really had anything to say, exept "congratulations" .. very unlike some of them!

    I have to wonder what happened to "leftovers" when the girls and boys were paired up. Talk about awkward!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just love reading your blog. I feel like I'm reading a book in installments.
    Still trying to get caught up on all your previous posts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes, a long day!
    Waiting for the next one :)!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Interesting!!! Thanks for sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. hi Joyful,
    I love your blog. wasn't able to read everything yet but I decided i would catch up on the wedding. Enjoyed it very much
    your stories are very well written and interesting! they have the same feel as the 'little house' series.
    looking forward to reading more from you
    take care!

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's curious to me why they pair up the boys and girls - I'd think that would feel very awkward for both sides unless it was a "couple" who were kind of going together. It's not a bad thing, just interesting. ;) I'm glad you're sharing the story with us ~ ♥

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have a stylish blog award for you at my blog if you care to accept. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your wedding day sounds so very different from mine. Trust me, mine was so bland, there's not much to say. But I loved reading your story, and can't wait to hear the rest!

    Happy Valentines Day!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What if there were girls that were not requested by any of the boys or two boys had requested the same girl? Wasn't this part awkward for the singles in the crowd or was it just an accepted part of tradition?

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am enjoying reading your story!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.