Lovina is taking this week off from the column to rest up after her busy week hosting Verena and Daniel Ray’s wedding. I am her “English” friend, Ruth, and I helped Lovina last week by running errands and was able to attend the wedding, so I will share a little about that.
Monday and Tuesday were spent shopping for wedding food. Lovina’s grocery list was long but organized. Some of the items on the list were 36 loaves of bread (for the dressing), eight 50-pound sacks of potatoes, 400 pounds of chicken leg quarters, 15 gallons of milk and the list goes on. On Tuesday morning, sisters Emma and Liz, who were chosen to be the head cooks, came over and wrote out the recipe cards for the dishes and checked the final quantities for groceries to be purchased.
Wednesday and Thursday mornings, the ladies came to start the food preparation. Pie crusts and fillings were prepared, strawberries were cleaned and sliced, vegetables were chopped and bread was cubed for the stuffing, butter was browned for the noodles and hundreds of cupcakes were baked. Each afternoon, Emma and Liz would prepare the workspaces for the next day’s tasks. When the men got off work, they set benches for the wedding and for the wedding meal, worked on the yard and barns, and whatever other tasks needed to be finished. Two large tents were set up, one for the cooks and the other for the guests to sit under and keep the gifts. Wednesday brought a storm in the morning and another around 5 pm. The tents stayed in place and the work continued.
The morning of the wedding, Verena and Daniel Ray were across the street by 7:30 a.m. to be ready to greet all the guests attending the 9 a.m. wedding. They sat in a row and welcomed everyone as they came in. Before the wedding began, they left to meet with the ministers, and when they came back, they sat in the middle of the shed with guests on three sides facing them. The men sit on one side and the women on the other. At 11:15 a.m., all the cooks and table waiters walk over so they can watch them being pronounced as married. Then they file out and get ready to serve the noon meal.
After the wedding, guests all wait outside the shed (pole barn) to be ushered in. First, the Bishops and Ministers are seated, then the male family members, then the rest of the men. Then the women are seated, followed by the children who are old enough to sit by themselves, followed by English guests. Even the folks who drove guests to the wedding are given a seat at the table. There is a silent prayer, and then everyone sings a song chosen by the bride and groom. They also choose whether they want it sung in German or English. Verena and Daniel chose Amazing Grace sung in English.
Verena chose different shades of blue for the cooks, servers, table waiters, moms, siblings and special helpers to wear. She had an ocean theme with cute little dolphins on her cupcakes, and décor all related to the ocean. She and Daniel did a great job preparing for their wedding and were relaxed and really enjoyed their day. They chose not to have the traditional 7 p.m. meal with the youth and instead invited them to the 5:30 p.m. meal. It was nice for all who helped to get all the clean-up done and be finished while it was still light outside.
Between the noon meal and the evening meal, some played volleyball while others visited with friends and family. Under the tent, Verena and Daniel opened their gifts while the family watched. They received many nice gifts and were genuinely grateful for all that everyone did to make their day special.
As an English guest, it was an honor to share this special day with Daniel and Verena. To see how the community gathers and works together to set up for the wedding, prepare and serve the meal, and clean and pack up when it is finished is quite an experience. There was no grumbling or arguing, but I did hear laughter and good conversations. This is Lovina’s last daughter to get married, so this is the last wedding she will host, and I think she is probably OK with that.
Congratulations, Verena and Daniel, may God bless you as you begin your life together. To see more pictures of the wedding, go to Lovina’s Amish Kitchen on Facebook.
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Fresh Strawberry Pie
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup water
3 tablespoons strawberry-flavored gelatin
Red food coloring (optional)
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 (9-inch) baked pie crust
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup and water in a large saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin and a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Let cool until lukewarm, then add the strawberries, stirring until well coated. Pour into baked pie shell. Refrigerate the pie for 2 hours before serving. Can be topped with whipped topping.
• Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, an Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, “The Cherished Table,” “The Essential Amish Cookbook” and “Amish Family Recipes,” are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, P.O. 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. She does not personally respond to emails.