Got Hitched--on bikes!

M. and I decided to get married after three wonderful years together. At first we wanted to keep it real small and simple--the two of us going to city hall and maybe have dinner with a few close friends and family--but we had a hard time shortening the guest list. After thinking about it for a while, we decided to have a simple wedding in Tilden Park here in Berkeley with a twist--we were to ride our bikes to our wedding site and invite people to join us. Several of our friends are also cyclists and they responded positively to the idea. I had to convince my parents but since we planned to have a more formal reception in Taiwan afterward, they were receptive to the idea.

M. and I both bought some cycling garb that fit the theme--she bought a white cannondale jersey with pink and yellow flower patterns on it, and I bought a black Swobo knicker pants. On the day, our friends Wayne and Kristine came and helped us decorate the bikes with flowers from our garden, and Shari and Tom helped us set up the camp site, and off we went, on our bikes!
Ten of our friends joined us on bikes (the rest 40 of them carpooled there). All their bikes were decorated with little plaques saying our names and flowers from our garden.

We rode from our house in downtown Berkeley, through downtown and north Berkeley neighborhoods, and up Spruce Street to Tilden. Along the way our people looked at our bicycle procession with amusement though I was surprised how little attention people paid us--i guess this is berkeley, and people are used to stranger things. We rode at a leisurely pace uphill and then through the park, and finally arrived at Fern Campground.

Dr. Verhoeven, my high school teacher and esteemed mentor, officiated a wonderful and short ceremony for us, during which we recited our vows to each other, including promises to always try our best, to remember that everything is ok, and to be happy. Our wedding and reception was really a group effort--our friends helped us carry things there, picked up catered food (vegan mexican fairs from Flacos, and vegan cupcakes from Love at First Bite), and even made vegan vietnamese sandwiches for us.

After a joyful afternoon hanging out with friends, we got on our bikes and rolled down hill--now married!

(our big date was in March)

PS. The bikes in the bike procession were: Ebisu All Purpose (groom), Serotta CRT 650b (bride), Rawland cSogn, Guru New Steel compact road, Rocky Mountain steel main triangle compact, Serotta Concous Ti, Trek 2100, Bianchi 928, Specialized Allez Triple Al, Fuji Finest steel 650c, and a Marin Fairfax (and Lauren rode it uphill with flip-flops)