Dana and Ben's Wedding Weekend: Madison Club Reception

Ben and Dana. Photo by Andrea Paradowski.

The wedding reception was on three floors: the terrace level, where the groom's dinner was held on Friday evening; the next floor up for dining; the top for dancing. Enjoyed the conversation over dinner with "Frank Sinatra" style music in the background. We hadn't eaten since breakfast so were ready for our steak, salad and dessert. I'm not usually a dessert eater, but I loved the light, lemony cake with jam lightly spread between the layers.

we left the dance shortly after ten, when serious dancers were already warmed up and ready for a couple of hours of fun. Some of the boys were smoking cigars in the summer heat outside the front door of the Hilton. We chatted for awhile and then retired to our room.

A good end to an enjoyable day.

Dana and Ben's Wedding Weekend: Time to Get Married!

Waiting for the bride

Members of the wedding party were all lined up on the stairs from the lower level of the church. The grandparents, including me, took their spots at the entrance to the church and we were soon walking down the aisle. My usual fear of falling in the middle of a crowded church went through my mind but fortunately I made it to the assigned pew and watched the rest of the processional.

One of the two ring bearers rant to the front to join his mother but the other ring bearer, the brie's nephew  Will was not in evidence. When the bride appeared, a little figure behind us handed her a gummy worm -- the pre-determined bribe from his dad, to be received after the aisle walk. Instead, Will gave the gummy worm to his aunt. She took the gummy worm and chewed it as she completed the last few steps to the altar. Unscripted and adorable.

Married!

The love story of the bride and groom was central to the ceremony, and it was interesting to learn about Dana and Ben's relationship, now spanning about a decade. Fun to hear about Ben's proposal again, in a winter storm on a cold Chicago bridge. Vows were exchanged and the newlyweds beamed as the congregation applauded.

More pics.

Dana and Ben's Wedding Weekend: Grace Episcopal Church

We drove to Grace Episcopal Church, located just across from the west entrance to the Capitol. We had been there just a few hours earlier, but this time I was wearing the platform shoes and I couldn't imagine myself making the trek on foot. The church was so hot that staff passed out fans as we entered, not a good sign. The promise of air conditioning in a couple of years wasn't particularly helpful to the many men in suits.

The beauty of the worship space was perfect for a summer afternoon wedding. Lovely stained glass invited me to walk around with my camera, but I was able to resist that temptation until a future visit to Madison.

We sat in the last pew until we were summoned to the narthex for the processional.

More pics.

Dana and Ben's Wedding Weekend: Capitol Square and Monona Terrace

Wisconsin State Capitol, west entrance

We were on the street by 9:00 a.m., on our way to breakfast at Marigold Kitchen, recommended by the customer service rep at the Hilton desk. The "organized chaos" created an environment that was full of sensory stimulation -- a little too much for one small child who had a major meltdown at the neighboring table.

There must have been a lot of new patrons that morning, as we were not the only ones who had to be told to order food before getting a table. Turns out we ended with the same corner table near the door that we had selected when we first entered the restaurant. We each ordered the breakfast scramble, a good meal for the long day ahead of us, though more than either one of us could eat.



Inside the Capitol

The Farmers' Market on Capitol Square is busy, energetic and fun. The land around the Capitol is flat, so the grounds are very people friendly, with many benches perfectly positioned for watching Saturday morning visitors. Bob gave me a little time to myself so that I could go into the beautiful, historic capitol building. This is a lovely "people's house", a fitting monument to our long and successful, if messy, democracy.

We took a break at Starbucks and walked down the hill to Monona Terrace, on the lake next to our hotel. The gardens and tables with umbrellas welcome visitors to Lake Monona, where boaters and swimmers were enjoying the midday sun. Made me think that Saint Paul's riverfront development is a good thing ... and it has a long way to go.

More pics.