Our Wedding On Wheels

this was the moment, for me

Four years later, our wedding was just highlighted on the local wedding blog, Offbeat Bride.

I guess I am getting comfortable enough with you people that it's now time to take out the wedding albums.

No seriously, it was a wonderful time, our wedding, and a bike ride was a big part of it. We didn't want to arrive by car to such a special event and we knew that most of our guests would ride there anyway, so without too much thought of the implications we invited folks to meet us at Cal Anderson Park beforehand for a ride together.

mingling

As we gathered and mingled with our riding guests it really dawned on me, this IS the wedding. The majority of our guests had opted to show up early and take a ride with us! It wasn't simply the bike-punks and bike commuters and other daily cyclists who participated. It was former coworkers and their kids and friends who had to borrow a bike to come along. And my dad! One friend of mine since college took our wedding invitation as the push she needed to finally learn how to ride!

Look at the Lovely Bride! and so Offbeat!

Cal Anderson Park, in Sunny Seattle. Cal Anderson was Washington's first openly gay legislator and they named a really nice park after him.

I was touched by all the guests who chose to ride in the parade. That's what it felt like, too. A parade. A celebration in the street.

Now, no offense is meant to tandemists here, but I've always been skeptical of the idea of the bicycle built for two as the primary image of velo-romantic love. The "pilot/ stoker" relationship just doesn't sound mutually empowering to me. Prove me wrong, tandeming couples! Comment! Both of you!

Much more romantic to me is the couple riding side by side. Sometimes paths diverge, but with good communications we can try to stick together, experience the ride as individuals, mutually supporting one another. Strong in unity and individually.

strong, mutually

The other thing that makes a bike parade (Matrimonial Mass? Wedding Mass?) so damn apt is that group rides are a lot like communities anyway. Individuals are continually balancing mutual interest, mutual self-interest and plain old self-interest as they move through space and time. Like a big bike ride. Populate the ride with your loved ones and friends and you actually have your community, on wheels.

big big love

Riding together, surrounded by that community was the most romantic thing I could think of.

all photos by Robin Stein

Also, my dad on a bike!