The Royce Files

Enter the worship circle By far this had to be the best put together wedding of all time. Quite a production. Maybe if we had a trough of water that was miraclously turned into wine then.....nah. Thanks Mark and Anna! Will there be a sequel? Yes! 10 years later. But that is a blog post for another time. Not many weddings have matched this one for shear uproar. But every wedding is different in its own way.

Dancing brothers The dancing was pretty popular. Most of my Christian friends were enjoying themselves since the anti-dance squad stayed away from this reception. Hurray! Mark's DJ friends then finished off the night by spinning the hits. None of which I knew although P.O.D. was familar. The crowds began to dwindle after 10pm but the music kept going until after 11pm. Only the most dedicated and sleep depraved stayed. Anna and Mark escaped to the solitude of someplace and I just kept joking around with a multitude of people.

Uproar of Swinging Music After the worship band finished, Andrea Rooney presented a special dance to the song "We Are One." Then Mark and Anna took the spotlight and had the first dance. Mark was a wildman on the dance floor with dips and twirls. I wonder how Anna felt? It just happened that the real spotlight was bleeding unto me. Perhaps the video will show my antics being spotlighted. Faux Pas and MTI took the stage thereafter and entertained the crowd with bluesy swinging music. Quite a few people enjoyed a dance or two. Although some may consider me a dancer, I chose to sit out this one. Fact: I was at the Valentine Swing Dance in 1998 and I did dance! [There was quite a real uproar concerning the music being played that evening since the venue for the event was a church building. The pastor was unhappy with some of the musical choices from the above referenced bands...

An uproar of worship Following the stories, (most were about Mark's unusual habits), a video narrated by Mark and Anna was presented that expressed their gratitude to the individuals in the wedding party and their parents. Well done! Jeremy Erickson and a band then took the stage for a time of singing and worship. This group was amazing. I enjoyed the professionalism and the fullness of sound they exhibited. If they only had a bit of continuity to the songs they would have been phenomenal. [To the left of the fellow with the big guitar is Jeremy Erickson who passed from this life to eternity on 06/10/2012 . This large worship band reminds me of one I was in this weekend for Cindy and Matt's wedding.]

Guys at Uproar After the church cleared out I began a sojourn to the Hosanna Worship Center, about a mile away, for the reception that was entitled UPROAR. I struggled to bring my unwrapped wedding gifts into the large auditorium. It looked like the academy awards! There was a stage that was totally decked out with lights plus there had to be seating for nearly 500. I don't know why I didn't eat much, but Coco's catering spread was right on. I should have had seconds. After I had my fill people began to tell stories about Mark and Anna. [ Added bonus celebrity sighting: 2 members of Children 18:3 , Seth and David, appear in the adjacent photo- they were at the Uproar celebration reception but did not play. The guy in the white shirt was once part of an earlier incarnation of the band]

 Oleary, usher.  Once Neil finished I bolted out of the church since I noticed my car headlights were on. I totally missed Jeremy's 1st song because I was running around the building getting my coat and then my keys. Bernie Wing addressed the couple and the audience with a poignant sermon on marriage and the bride of Christ. Unfortunately I did not take notes. Things went well until the saying of the vows. Some microphone problems arose then Mark decided to start his vows over again. I thought we memorize those. Then the ring part came. The ceremony ended after a time of prayer for Anna and Mark. The newlyweds then greeted their guests while I hid on the sides and spoke with Aaron O'Leary.

Mark and Anna greet more guests A large crowd was on hand to witness the event. The whole sanctuary was nearly filled with guests from near and far. I sat patiently and silently waiting for the ceremony to begin. I glanced over the program which listed the whole wedding entourage. A few friends of mine were involved. David George was a sound technician. Shortly after 4pm the ceremony began. A small chamber ensemble including strings played a song from Copland's Appalachian Spring. Carefully avoiding the pillar at the rear of the sanctuary, the bridesmaids, groomsmen et al, strolled to the front of the sanctuary. I forgot the next few minutes until Neil Thielke spoke a word of encouragement over Mark and Anna.

It has been a busy wedding season for myself and my MFS (Mostly Finnish Spouse)- we have 3 down and 1 more to go. In honor of the wedding season, I am re-posting the much sought out wedding posts of the The Anna and Mark's Wedding Revue from 2001. They have floated around the far reachs of the nets for a while since the orginal site was lost- RIP Geocities and Xoom.  Mark & Anna greet guests  January 13, 2001- Mark Haugen married Anna Oglesby in an illustrious ceremony in Morris, MN at Faith Lutheran Church. The ceremony was presided over by Bernie Wing and Neil Thielke with music by Julie Goos and Jeremy Erickson. At 3:30pm I started for the church, stopping only at Benson drug to buy a card and other stuff. I arrived at Faith Lutheran at 3:50 and was greeted by Anna's younger brothers. Being modest and a bit on the elusive side, I decided to sit at the rear of the sanctuary in the overflow seating.

Guest blogger Cindy concludes her charming account of the Royce4 and MFB conjugal. S ometimes the time went swiftly and other moments dragged on. But then suddenly it was time to take the MFB from hiding to her place of prominence. When it was time to get ready to greet her, I saw the Groom nearly jog to his place and look steadfastly ahead. It is hard to describe an honest look of joy so deep it touches the soul. The aisle walk was only a moment, but a lifetime of emotion flooded through the room. I was so proud of the Groom in that moment has he received the hand of his MFB. The ceremony was like any other and like no other. There were vows and rings, but also there was such wonderful music! And the Groom and his MFB took the stage to play together---their voices so uniquely matched as if designed as such---and their looks toward each other like Johnny Cash and his June. Not a dry eye in the house then. The Groom and his MFB said their vows with such confidence! And in true for...

Guest blogger  Cindy continues the story of the Royce4+MFB wedding. The next morning I was off to the hairstylist and then to the sports store for a cowbell. Turns out they only sell them when the marathon is upon us, so I was out of luck. But the customer service at that giant Fargo sports conglomerate is top notch, and they suggested, why not run over to Fleet Farm and pick up some cowbells as such as used by real cows? I said, My! Why not?! (I had remembered the Groom had made a wish for cowbells at his reception clear---in the way he makes things clear, mind you--- in the past.) So I and the writer/music director the Groom thinks highly of dashed for the cowbell emporium. And off to the show we went. Upon my arrival, so began GroomWatch. The Groom is a traditional man, you see, and chose to see his fair MFB first only at the most important moment, as she walks down the aisle. But all of us were preparing for the big event in the same relatively small space, so it took s...

It has been a busy few months and the blog has been rather sparse with content. But I have good excuses. I got married. Yep, tied to the knot too, although it should be more likely entwining the rope. But that is all I will write for now. Instead I will enlist the aid of a guest blogger to fill in the details of the momentous day. You've heard from her before when we wondered about the underwear recall a pastor had down south . We'll be seeing this in parts. So without further adieu, here's Cindy. I had the distinct pleasure of witnessing a beautiful nuptial recently. It was that of the author of this blog. I know he would rarely say anything kind about himself, so I have offered this guest post to provide a revue. Most often when the author refers to “a friend”, that’s me. I thought I would offer because I had a front row seat. Overall the weekend was full of surprises. My role was one in the background and yet nearby, so I was able to witness nearly all of the i...

M any of you may know James. He's the guy behind the " butt load " blog entry and also an associate of mine at the navigation place. Well, as it turns out, he decided to get married in a zoo wearing a kilt. My picture does this no justice. All you can see is a merry go round. The father of the bride did wear a kilt too as did James' father and groomsmen. James shared his conjugal with Katie- basically he married her and invited me and numerous others to watch. Later we celebrated by eating Scottish foods. It was an enjoyable time. I, however, found myself more of an observer because I knew very little of the people attending. The Captain and Gecko, other navigation place colleagues, showed up later a the reception. Nevertheless I enjoyed some scrumptious victuals . Here's to James and Katie- to boldly go....somewhere. [I need to also note that later I will report upon an event I attended that featured the illustrious Phil.]