I sat nervously in the Draper, Utah temple, waiting for my wife of 30 minutes to emerge from the dressing room. I tried to
quietly reflect on the ceremony and the covenants I had made, but every time a
girl dressed in white walked by, I quickly jumped to my feet. And if you know
anything about LDS temples, you can probably imagine that this reaction didnt
allow for much reverent pondering.After an excruciating 15 minutes, one
of the temple matrons who had been helping my bride approached me and whispered, \"Congratulations on your marriage. I guess now youll have to find a new name
for your column.\"And so here I am, writing to you for the first time
since Ive officially shed the \"single, Mormon twentysomething\" label and become
a \"newlywed.\" My new column has yet to be named, but as far as content
goes, don't expect too drastic a change: I'll still be providing observations on
life, relationships, politics and religion. The only that will change, I
suspect, is my personal worldview. Anyway, less than a week later, the
wedding day is already blurred in my memory. I remember windblown
people cheering as we walked out the temple doors. I remember rushed photos
being taken as the line of rain crept down the mountainside, threatening to soak
the wedding party. Our bridesmaids, groomsmen and guests managed to escape
before the rain arrived, but not me and Annie. We were stuck outside with our
very determined photographer, taking about a hundred \"one more shot(s).\"
By the time we got to the reception, the once-mild rainstorm had turned
into a downpour. Rather than moving the event indoors, our parents had
mobilized a handful of ultra-helpful guests and transformed the rented tent into
a well-heated, well-lit sanctuaty.Sure, several of the guests had towels
draped over their shoulders, and yeah, my dad was wearing a Red Sox cap that
clashed with his suit in order to cover his disheveled hair, but we werent
complaining. In my deliriously happy and exhausted state, the only thought that
could register was, \"I bet this will make for a good story some
day.\"Some reminded us that rain on a wedding day is good luck. Others
offered the consolation that soon we would be honeymooning in sunny southern
California. But my favorite reaction to the rain came from a man in my parents'
ward.\"I guess the rain is appropriate,\" he said. \"After all, this is
the funeral of your single life.\"Eventually, after lots of hugs,
handshakes and congratulations, I got Annie into the car and we sped off. As
the days first rays of sun made their way through cracks in the cloudy sky, I
gave my new wife's hand a squeeze and realized I had absolutely nothing to
mourn.