A wedding based on what counts

No shopping for expensive wedding clothes here

The cost of our marriage was $15.

And that was for the license.

No bridal gown, other gowns, tuxes, limos, flowers, receptions, wedding planners or a host of other folks with their hand out when the wedding bells ring. 

I had quit my job with Potlatch Forest Inc., in Potlatch, Idaho, and left for southern Idaho. I had met my wife Dorothy while she was at the University of Idaho for a glee club gathering. She was with the Buhl High School group.

Shortly after that, I made the 600-mile trip to see her, and then repeated that every other week, until the trip became difficult, so I resigned my position and moved to Buhl.

Dorothy was a farm girl and my first introduction to her at her home happened as she and her brother were milking 27 cows by hand.

Later the family would invest in milking machines, cutting the time in the barn a couple of hours morning and night.

This went on for several weeks. I landed a job grading lumber for a firm in Gooding, about 30 miles away.

We decided to get married, and it took a while for us to decide to elope.

This was 68 years ago.

I had checked with the state of Nevada, and there wasn’t a waiting period. You could get married the same day you got your license.

We decided to drive to Elko, Nevada, the county seat. A phone call determined that the courthouse opened at 9 a.m., and they were used to couples coming to Elko to get married.

I had correctly calculated that my future mother in law would not react unfavorably to the wedding.

And I knew her brother, Bob, would not have a problem with the marriage.

So it was time to plan the drive. We calculated that if we left the farm at midnight, we could be in Elko by the time the courthouse opened.

Dorothy was to have her suitcase packed and be at the kitchen door, which was located at the rear of the house.

She left an explanation note so her mother would know what was going on.

At midnight I slowly drove into the driveway, a gravel lane that led to the rear of the house. I drove without lights, and slowly to curb the noise.

I left the lights out and picked up Dorothy, made a wide turn and somewhat silently returned to the main road and drove about a mile before turning the lights back on.

It was a thrilling experience, one that I can recommend to anyone.

No frilly dresses, and other unnecessary expenses here.

Elko was a longer drive than I was prepared for, but we made it by the time the courthouse opened.

The clerks were very kind, and we didn’t have any problem finding a couple of clerks to stand with us and sign our license.

When we returned to Buhl, we called Dorothy’s brother to gauge what kind of trouble we might be in, and his advice was to come out to the farm and face the music.

Dorothy’s parents were at church and I weighed this as a good omen.

I had hoped that the minister might give my mother in law a sermon on kindness, or something similar.

So things worked out and my mother in law let it be known that I was her favorite among the four men that married into the family.

It just shows that it doesn’t make any difference how large a wedding is, or how simple you make it.

The endearing thing is how honest you are in taking the vows and how often you recall those vows.

So it isn’t necessary to spend big or how lavish the wedding is, that’s not what counts.

And be sure to check and see if your future father in law has a shotgun.