Where do I even begin to describe my bicycle wedding day?  It really was just a ridiculously fun day –all the fun, but none of the jitters of a real wedding!

Getting ready for the Hawaiian themed wedding and luau reception was half the fun.  My roommate, Arleen, out did herself creating “the wedding cake”, which was in the shape of a bicycle with two banana cream pies (my favorite) used as wheels.  Plus, she made amazing lasagna, meat and vegetable for the affair.  It was a potluck luau, and guests made the spread exceptional.

My cousin, Ingrid, flew in for the event and was an amazing Maid of Honor.  The wedding was intended to be a send off party for my bicycle trip (where the plan was to leave the following day), so no invites to friends and family outside the Bay Area were extended.  However, my cousin is always an exception.  She feels like part of my Bay area family as she has visited numerous times since I moved here two years ago. This is thanks in part to her job as an airline attendant and also because of her sheer zest for fun and adventure.

My wedding day started out rainy, which added interest to our morning flower collection efforts.  Ingrid, Ryan (friend), and I pruned the neighborhood and amassed a lovely collection of bright purple, pink, yellow and white flowers for the bridesmaids’ and my bridal bouquets.

Amazingly, the clouds parted and the sun came out just about the time we began gathering at my friend Scott’s home for the start of the festivities.   The plan was for the “wedding party” to meet at Scott’s home to get dressed together in our Hawaiian attire, decorate bicycle, and fancify Scott’s home for the luau before hopping on our bikes and heading to the City Hall for the ceremony.   Everyone got laid…I’m mean leis, and Scott just happened to have an excess of Hawaiian shirts so the wedding party and non-wedding party friends got Hawaiian flair for the occasion!

At about 3:30 p.m. fifteen or so friends departed on bicycles for Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, while the others drove support vehicles.  Scott cranked up the tunes from the stereo setup on his bicycle, and we all relentlessly rang our bells, hooted and hollered.   We stopped at the beach to snap some amazing wedding photos –thanks to my very talented friend Brenda (owner of Bijou Blue Photography).

We carried on up and over the coastal foothills on the bike path with breathtaking vistas of the ocean.  The sun was starting to set, so we opted for an Oceanside ceremony – which proved to be a more beautiful option than City Hall.

The bridal party assembled and organized as the talented Ms. Christi played the ukulele.  The nine bridesmaids,  nine human groomsmen, and 9 more of Steel’s closest wheeled groomsmen walked down the aisle to the Beetle’s song, With a Little Help from My Friends and the tropical version of Take Me Home Country Roads by IZ.  My friend, Shelby, performed a very elaborate ceremony that included both Hawaiian marriage traditions, as well as some little known Ohio ones (part of an on-going gag related to introducing my Californian friends to these important, albeit fictitious, traditions).   I promised “to love and grease Steel” from that day forth, plus a bunch of other pledges.  Steel chimed in with his perky bell sound at all the appropriate moments.  We exchanged rings thanks to Sputo, our extra fluffy ring-bearing pooch.   Then Shelby had Steel and I lay on the ground for a “traditional” Ohio wedding ritual involving tatter tots.  Each member of the bridal party first jumped over Steel, then grabbed a tatter tot from a basket before hopping over me.  Then everyone formed a circle around us and with their backs turned to us, launched their tatter tots over their shoulders and onto us for good luck.  Ridiculous indeed!  I can only imagine what the bystanders must have thought. Ha!

It started getting a bit chilly as the sun set, so some of the bridal party loaded their bicycles into the back of my friend Rick’s truck.  The rest of us meandered on our bikes back along the coast to Scott’s home for the reception.

Our potluck luau reception was fun and festive.  It proved to be a great evening of nibbling, laughing, and enjoying of one another’s company.  We cut the wedding pie (I squished my piece on Steel…he was more kind and resisted doing so to me).  I tossed the bouquet.  It was a three-way catch, but Karin prevailed (watch out!).  Steel and I had enjoyed our first dance…ya know all the traditional stuff.   I am most thankful for an amazingly special day among friends…and now on to the “honeymoon” adventure!