I went to a wedding this weekend in Sylvester, GA. Sylvester is a small town in south Georgia between Tifton and Albany. I've been there before, visiting the bride, April, for Thanksgiving many years ago. I had gone with much trepidation, but left realizing that just because people are from a small town in the deep south, they are not neccessarily stupid rednecks. This weekend only reinforced that. I drove down Friday with Dave (from New York City) and Marisa (from Atlanta), and the first event was the rehersal dinner held at the Sylvester Women's Club. We sat down across from a very nice couple and their extremely cute daughter, Whitney, who was to be a bridesmaid. They were intelligent, funny, and very nice. They also were able to mock both their own small town existence, and Dave and Marisa'a lack of knowledge of life outside the big city. Although I grew up in Atlanta, my parents have friends in small towns who we have gone to visit before, and so I was not so completely ignorant. Marisa, who thought that cows die when you tip them, bore the brunt of the laughter, but she took it pleasantly, and the evening was thoroughly enjoyable. The food was BBQ pork and fried catfish. I stayed away from the catfish.

The next day we had to check out by 11 and the wedding started at 3. An hour at Waffle House and 20 minutes going to April's Uncle's roadside produce stand for onions and boiled peanuts left us with plenty of time to waste. We drove to Tifton (a metropolis compared to Sylvester) and went bowling. Then it was off to a short wedding at the First Baptist Church and a reception at a room in the town library. The only real disappointment was that the reception emptied out so fast. One strange incident. I was talking again to the Whitney's mother, telling her of our exciting adventures in Tifton, and then she starts going on and on about Whitney and how wonderful she is, almost like she was trying to sell me on her. The strange part is that Whitney is only 17, obviously too young for me, so I can only assume I was misinterpreting her meaning.

At any rate, I had a great time, the wedding was great, and April was stunning in her wedding dress. I wish her and Steven the best in life, and I hope that we can keep in touch as the years go by.