Wedding season

It’s wedding season. I honestly have no idea if there’s actually a defined best time for weddings when you’d be most likely invited to attend one. I was going to Google it when my wife walked by and said June is the peak wedding season because of the availability of pretty flowers. I decided based on advice I’ve heard at many weddings that I shouldn’t argue with my wife about any matter relating to weddings, so that became the title of this month’s article.

This last weekend, I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for a friend’s wedding. We don’t get invited to many weddings nowadays, as we’re in our 40s. Most of our friends and close family are already married, and their kids are not quite to that age yet.

I was pretty excited to go to the wedding. There aren’t many opportunities to get together with a bunch of my college friends at the same time in the same place with everyone so busy with children and jobs.

This was one of those opportunities, as the guy getting married was a college fraternity brother of mine. Even though the wedding required a flight or full day of driving to get there, there were sure to be more than a few guys going. Unfortunately, it’s also baby season in my family with my sister and sister-in-law both due to have babies the same weekend as the date on the wedding invitation. That meant Emily and I couldn’t attend the wedding together as my parents wanted to help by watching our nephew while my sister was having the baby. Someone needs to run the farm, and Emily offered to be that person so I could take a weekend off in Atlanta. Apparently, Emily loves me even after nearly 20 years of marriage and farming together. I don’t remember her agreeing to that kind of thing in our vows.

I booked my plane ticket a month ago when I decided they probably weren’t going to get any cheaper and all the employees didn’t simultaneously put in for that weekend off. I had never flown Spirit Airlines Inc. before, but it seemed like I might as well as I didn’t need more than a change of clothes that would fit in a small bag to be in a city for only 48 hours. Their luggage fees didn’t matter much. It didn’t hurt that they were a third of the price of Delta Air Lines Inc. even if I had needed to check a bag.

It turned out flying Spirit Airlines was a great experience for the most part but booking the cheapest rental car wasn’t. I had to wait three hours until Thrifty Car Rental had a car returned so I could use it. They considerably oversold cars that weekend so that a whole line of people had to wait hours to get a car. Eventually, I got a car and found my way through the heart of Atlanta during rush hour traffic to have dinner with a friend and his wife.

The wedding the next day was beautiful, and I’d like to wish the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Olson a long and happy marriage. There was a sizable turnout of college friends there, and it was great catching up with them. Looking back on my college years, I learned useful knowledge there, but some of the most valuable things I walked away from the University of Minnesota with were the friendships I formed. Even though I hadn’t seen some of my college friends in quite a while, we were back to chatting with each other about life, family and agriculture — the same as we did in college. There was a lot more talk of children than there was in those days, but otherwise, it had the same vibe.

Until next time, keep living the dream, and don’t forget to check how you’re expected to dress before you pack to head to a wedding. You may leave behind an important coat and have to debate running to Goodwill in the morning before the ceremony.

Tim Zweber farms with his wife, Emily, their three children and his parents, Jon and Lisa, near Elko, Minnesota.