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This is Ruth, Lovina's "English" friend. Last week, I had the opportunity to help Lovina prepare for Benjamin and Joanna's wedding. I thought readers might enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at how much work goes into an Amish wedding.
Traditionally, an Amish wedding is held at the bride's family home. Since Joanna's family lives quite a distance away, Benjamin and Joanna decided to have their wedding in Benjamin's home community where she has been living and attends church.
They also chose to simplify the day. A traditional Amish wedding begins with the service that starts around 9 a.m. and goes until 11:30 a.m., followed by a noon meal for 400 to 500 guests. Another meal is served around 5 p.m. for about 400 people, and the youth are served around 7 p.m. Benjamin and Joanna decided to serve only the noon meal after the ceremony.
They chose the CYC, which is the Amish youth center in a nearby town, for their wedding and meal. It worked well, with a kitchen, a large room for the ceremony and another large room for the meal. Using the youth center meant that almost everything needed for the wedding had to be brought in. Large kettles (pans) and other cooking supplies were brought over, along with the food, decorations and table settings. There were many carloads going back and forth! My good friend Dawn came along to help, and we were thankful to have another vehicle for hauling supplies.
On Tuesday, they received the keys to the youth center, and we took the first loads over. Bench wagons were borrowed from two local Amish churches to provide seating for the ceremony. That evening, Benjamin, Joseph, Daniel Ray, Tim, Daniel and Dustin set up the benches. The tables and chairs for the meal were set up and the "Eck," or corner table where the bride, groom and their witnesses sit, was assembled. Earlier that day, Lovina and I went to the Amish bulk food store for the last of the groceries. Most of the food had been purchased the week before, but there were still a few things to pick up.
By Wednesday, the building was beginning to look like a wedding was going to take place there. Tablecloths were placed on the tables and each setting was carefully arranged. Joanna chose beautiful plastic plates that looked almost like fine china, along with disposable silverware and glasses. Joanna's parents, Luella and Joni, and her two younger sisters, Lisa and Lori, arrived to help. Along with Benjamin's sisters, Liz and Susan, they mixed batter and baked cupcakes for dessert. They baked more than 400 cupcakes, filling the building with a sugary aroma.
Lovina and her sister Emma (who was head cook) organized the kitchen and prepared for the busy cooking days ahead. They wrote the various jobs and recipes on index cards so everyone would know what needed to be done. Joanna also baked her wedding cake.
Thursday brought another full day of preparations. Joanna decorated the tables and set up her "Eck," or corner table, a special part of an Amish wedding reception. She and her mother, Luella, made the frosting and decorated the wedding cake. Brother Joseph's wife, Grace, and cousin Ben's wife, Crystal, frosted and decorated the cupcakes in soft shades of green and pink.
Meanwhile, work continued in the kitchen. Bread was cut into cubes and toasted for the stuffing, while carrots, onions and celery were chopped and prepared. With hundreds of people expected for the noon meal, even cutting vegetables became quite a project!
By Thursday afternoon, the tables were beautifully decorated with white tablecloths, soft fabric runners of dusty rose, sage and light taupe and flower vases were arranged on the tables. The wedding cake was set in place beneath a beautiful gold ring adorned with flowers. Everything in the kitchen was ready for the cooks to arrive on Friday morning and prepare the meal. Benjamin and Joanna seemed calm and well prepared for their big day.
Unfortunately, I could not attend the wedding because of a prior commitment. Lovina will share more about the wedding day in her next column. Over the years, I have watched Lovina's children grow up, and now I have had the privilege of helping with seven of their weddings. Somewhere along the way, this "English" friend has come to feel pretty much like part of the family. I am thankful for the friendships, the memories and for being welcomed into these special times in their lives.
Benjamin and Joanna, may the love and happiness surrounding you on your wedding day follow you throughout your life together. May God bless you and keep you in his care.
On Wednesday I provided lunch for all the family and friends who were helping. It was a simple lunch of sloppy joe's, Mexican street corn pasta and chips. Here is my longtime family recipe for Sloppy Joe's. God bless!
Aunt Min's Sloppy Joes
Ingredients:
1 pound hamburger, fried, crumbled and drained
1 tablespoon white sugar (brown can be used)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup to 1 cup ketchup
Directions:
Fry hamburger and drain. Add ketchup and mix well. In a small bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. Pour over meat mixture and mix well. Add more ketchup if needed. Simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 4 to 5 sandwiches. To make a larger batch, duplicate the recipe. Optional: chopped onion and green pepper can be added when cooking hamburger
Lovina's Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina's Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email questionsforlovina@gmail.com and your message will be passed on to her to read.