It’s already 10:30 p.m. on Monday evening. We had a late night, but we accomplished a lot.

Daniel Ray and Verena are moved into their new living quarters. Son-in-laws Dustin, Daniel and Daniel Ray; Daniel Ray’s father Alvin; and two of Daniel Ray’s brothers were here today helping build the walls in part of the pole barn. They made a bedroom, and it already has a bathroom. The living room, dining room and kitchen will be an open concept. Not everything is done, but they have moved enough in to make it livable for now.

Thank you to everyone who sent wedding gifts or money. They really appreciated all the gifts and well wishes. They spent eight days on a honeymoon and are back home. They had a nice time.

The wedding was nice and worth all the work to get everything set up for it. We couldn’t have done it alone. Many hands make light work. They had about 50 cooks, 28 table waiters (servers), and special helpers who were Daniel Ray’s brothers and sisters and Verena’s older nieces and nephews. They do odd and end jobs such as passing the guest books, passing out the little gifts for everyone, etc.

The wedding services started at 9 a.m. We had 400 pounds of chicken here that needed to be grilled for both meals. We got up at 4 a.m., and soon after that, the men were already starting their grills to get the chicken started. Our sons-in-law, son Joseph, nephew Ben and brother-in-law Levi did the grilling. They all did a great job.

My sisters, Liz and Emma, were my head cooks and did a great job organizing everything and keeping everyone on their jobs. Our menu was barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, buttered noodles (it took 30 pounds), dressing (made from 36 loaves of bread), mixed vegetables, dinner rolls, garlic butter and overnight salad. Overnight salad can be made the night before, so it was easy to have that prepared the day before. Dessert was strawberry and peanut butter pies, fresh fruit (a combination of blueberries, watermelon, muskmelon and grapes), cupcakes (chocolate and white), ice cream and, of course, the traditional candy bars. No Amish wedding seems complete without the candy bars served last to everyone.

After the wedding services start, the bride and groom have a short meeting with the ministry. While they are absent, singing is done. These songs are all sung from the Ausbund and in German. Close family members are asked to lead these songs.

Before the ministry comes back, the mothers of the bride and groom, grandmothers, sisters, etc., all go in to sit close to the wedding party. At 11:15 a.m., the table waiters, special helpers and cooks all come to sit in the wedding services so they can see the bride and groom get married. At 11:30 a.m., the bishop marries the couple. After they are married, the table waiters, special helpers and cooks all leave again to get back to their jobs. The table waiters start filling the water glasses at their tables and get prepared to serve.

When the services are over, all the people head over to the building where the tables are set. Daniel Ray and Verena were married in our daughter Loretta and Dustin’s pole barn across the road. Family is seated first, closest to the “Eck” (the corner where the bride and the groom and their witnesses sit). Once everyone is seated, the bishop of the bride will announce that everyone is silent for prayer. A song is placed by each plate and is sung while the table waiters collect all the bowls of food they need to serve the table.

I will try to explain more about the wedding next week. Until then, God bless.

For more wedding pictures, visit Lovina’s Amish Kitchen on Facebook.