Nuptials, April 3, 2004

Where would two people who love beer as much as we do be wed? Our first choice would have been in our yard with everyone toasting us with a glass of Mike’s homebrew, but due to our house’s inability to comfortably fit more than about 10 people, we were wed in one of our favourite bars, the singular Delilah’s on Lincoln Ave, Chicago. Not only were we wed in the bar, the incomparable owner of Delilah’s, Mike Miller, was the officiant. The Rev wore zebra-striped shoes, and the ceremony brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and included these wonderful and apt sentiments...

”I kiss her, Her lips open, And I am drunk without a beer”
“Do you agree to always share your favourite beverages?” (We do!)
“I would rather have a crust of bread and a tent With You than be queen of all the world.”
“I would rather have a Bud Light and a tent With You than be king of all the world.”

And so we were wed, and our family and closest friends toasted us with Bosteels Deus. Mike and I toasted each other with Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene Gueuze, 1994 vintage. Mmmmm.

After a few beers at Delilah’s while everyone admired the artwork, (Delilah’s is host to local art exhibits, and this is what was on show the day of our wedding...Loverly!!) Art#1, Art#2, Art#3, we headed over to Mike & Louise’s Hopleaf in Andersonville for our wedding repast. We feasted on mussels and frites for appetizers, and our entrée selections were gourmet sandwiches- Smoked duck breast with greens, tomato-ginger jam & herb aioli on gilled sourdough, BLT with Nueskie bacon on grilled bread, and Nueskie ham with gruyere and apple-tarragon coleslaw on pumpernickel. Aragula salad and more frites complemented the sandwiches. Dessert was a rich bread pudding. The accompanying beverages were Etienne Dupont Normandie Cidre, De Ranke XX Bitter, Dogfish Head Au Courant (first version) and Bell’s Double Cream Stout. The evening ended at Tuman’s Tavern with pints of Bell’s porter amongst other beers.

Late next morning we reconvened at Goose Island, Clybourn, for brunch and a beer before we all headed back home to Michigan, but not before one last stop at Old Hat in Lawton, MI, where we had a couple of pints and listened to the Cats In The Hat bring the house down. A memorable weekend!

We honeymooned in New Orleans, and certainly had our fair share of great food and beers at Crescent City Brewery, Coops, Cooter Brown’s and DBA, and on our last night I ate more than I’ve ever eaten before at Jacques-Imo Café, a fine institution that luckily survived the hurricane and is still going strong. It was one of the most decadent meals we’ve ever eaten, still to this day, and included a rich crawfish cheesecake as an appetizer before a host of other mudbug dishes. We groaned our way back to the hotel, and our plans to paint the town red on our last night were thwarted by our inability to keep our pants zipped without wincing in pain.

This gustatory (and romantic) tale ends a couple of months later when summer was in full force. We had a post-wedding party in our yard and invited a host of people that didn’t attend our small and intimate wedding. Our grill was put to good use, and many fine beers were drunk including our special wedding beer, a Belgian-style strong ale that our friend Steve brewed for us. We still have some bottles and it’s still delectable. This party spawned the famous “ Allen Park burning Porta-potti incident”, and is the reason we are now black-listed from every portable toilet company in the vicinity. Honestly, we still have no real explanation as to how the Porta-potti caught fire 48 hours after the party ended. Photo of carnage