Friday, August 04, 2006

It was eleven years ago today...

That Jeff and I were married in the grand ballroom at Grand Caverns in Grottoes, Virginia. Why in a cave, you might ask? It's a fair question, given that only a couple of years before I had written an article about commercial caves in the Shenandoah Valley and, in a segment about which of those caves had hosted weddings (just about all of them), I asked "Who on Earth would get married in a cave?" Who indeed?

Some backstory: Jeff and I met in Virginia at our friend Beth's annual summer house party for her horror writer pals. I'm not a horror writer, but I'm a pal of Beth's, I was in the area visiting my parents, and I was also a writer, so she invited me despite my lack of horror credentials. Jeff was a horror writer, but he was also an animator with a fondness for the Fleischer Brothers and a sci-fi and monster movie fan from birth. He knew exactly what I was talking about when I said "Bimbo's Initiation" was my favorite cartoon of all time. I impressed him by singing a few bars of the theme song from Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster ("Save the Earth! Save the Earth!"). Clearly, it was meant to be.

A year later, we decided to tie the knot. And we couldn't think of a better weekend to do so than the weekend of Beth's annual party. My family was nearby, and many of our friends from around the country would be in town for the writers' shindig. However, where would we hold this extravaganza?

Neither one of us is religious, so the local churches were out.

Early August can be so hot and humid in Virginia, and sweltering days can produce rather daunting thunderstorms. A garden wedding was out.

Swannanoa, a mansion atop Afton Mountain with a double carrera marble staircase and a huge Tiffany stained-glass window no longer booked or hosted weddings. (Swannanoa is fodder for its own entry... what an, um, eccentric place.)

I called the Augusta County Chamber of Commerce for suggestions, and I was told by the helpful information person that if we didn't marry in a church, we weren't really married, so we should book the church of our choice. Hmmm. Back to square one.

That's when my friend Lee stepped in with a suggestion: Why don't you get married at Grand Caverns? It's cool in the cave, and it's underground--come blazing sun or pounding rain, you're covered. And it's pretty. Yeah, it's kind of kitsch. But when did that stop us from doing anything? And most of the guests are horror writers, who will appreciate the weird venue.

On a whim, I called Grand Caverns and found out that we could book the cave for $100. For an extra $50, we could have the reception in the little stone lodge on the property. What's not to like about that plan? The next thing you know, I was sending out invitations on old linen postcards of the Bridal Veil formation that I found still for sale in the cave gift shop.



So, we got married in a cave:



(I apologize for the poor quality of the picture, but at least you can see the pretty setting--kind of.)

And it wasn't kitsch at all. It was beautiful. The music resonated throughout the chamber, clear and crisp. The guests were cool and comfortable and shielded from the 95+ steaming degrees outside. It was fun and not at all stuffy. And when it was over, we all went back to Beth's, changed out of our wedding finery, and took the party to the local go-cart track. 'Cause, I mean, what's a cave wedding without the reception spiraling into a circus on wheels??

Eleven years have passed, and we're still going strong.

Here's to you, Jeff--my true countertop! I love you!!

2 Comments:

Blogger Cathy VanPatten said...

Oh lord!! Wandering Wayne!!

Last year we watched the wedding video in honor of the 10th (probably something we won't subject ourselves to again until, oh, the 20th or 25th, and the last words uttered inside the cave were Jeff's, announcing that we were all heading out to the lodge for the reception: "Wayne, this means YOU!" Har!

Speaking of Grand Caverns, apparently they have just found a mile or more of new passages within the last couple of years or so. I'm sure they will never be included on a tour, but how cool is that?

2:21 PM  
Blogger Cathy VanPatten said...

You know, we just watched that cartoon the other night, and I always forget how freakin' weird the ending is. Not just that all the guys with the chamberpots and candles on their heads turn out to be Betty Boop, but that she does that insane dance to tempt Bimbo into joining. Yikes!

7:15 PM  

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