I'm Ruth, Lovina's “English” friend. I had the opportunity to help Lovina with her grocery shopping, photograph the wedding preparations, and attend Daniel and Lovina's wedding on Friday 21st June. Lovina asked me to share with you all what happened in the days leading up to the wedding, and she will be sharing more details about the wedding in her next column.
Lovina and Daniel asked Lovina's sister Emma and her daughter Elizabeth to be the head chefs for their wedding. This was a special responsibility because they were in charge of preparing all the food, deciding which dishes to prepare in the days leading up to the wedding, writing out and posting the recipes in the various places where the food would be prepared, and making sure the cooks had what they needed to do their daily jobs. They also prepared and organized the lunch that the women ate together every day, and cleaned up afterwards. They were the first to arrive each morning and the last to leave. Although they had a lot of other work to do, they were always cheerful and happy to answer questions and give instructions.
Much of the food preparation was done two days before the wedding, and some on the morning of the wedding. For example, on Wednesday, a group of women came to help make fresh strawberry pie crust, then cut the berries, made the filling, and assembled the pies. They cut potatoes, carrots, and onions for the homemade dressing. They cut fresh rhubarb from the garden for the rhubarb custard pie, browned butter to mix into the homemade noodles, and carved the chicken. On Thursday, the women made fresh bread and pecan-rhubarb pie, cut fresh fruit, cut and washed vegetables for the lettuce salad, and made the homemade ranch dressing. On Wednesday and Thursday mornings, 20-25 women came to help prepare the food. They were hard workers, and most of the work was done by noon. That was nice, since it had been a very hot week with temperatures hovering in the mid-90s every day.
The bride and groom ask family, church members, and friends to help with the wedding. About 150 men and women were involved in preparing, setting up, serving, and cleaning up the food. On the day of the wedding, the staff wear dresses in the colors requested by the bride and groom. All the cooks wear one color, and the table servers wear another color. If you are asked to be a cook, server, dishwasher, or food preparer, you will work that job for the entire day of the wedding. You will start around 8 AM and work until everything is cleaned up around 8 PM. Before the noon and 5 PM meals are served, the staff sits down to eat together. After the wedding, which starts around 9 AM and lasts until noon, the busy schedule begins to get ready to serve food to the guests.
The tables in the pole barn were set the previous Saturday, along with all the plates and silverware, and covered to keep them clean throughout the week. A large tent was set up outside the second barn where the wedding ceremony would take place for additional seating and a gift table. A smaller tent was set up between the two barns to provide shade for the women preparing the food and washing the dishes.
We have a cooking wagon for rent, which is a large RV with seven burners, counter space to work with, and shelving to store pots and pans and cooking utensils. We have a refrigerated wagon to keep all the food cold, which runs on a generator. We also have a wagon with all of our dinner plates, silverware, serving dishes, tables, and racks at the end of each row to store food while it is being served. We also have a church district wagon that holds all of the benches for a regular church service, and the benches are set up for weddings.
Lovina and Daniel decorated the corner table, “Eck,” with a rustic country theme. Many young Amish couples choose to decorate with a theme that is special to them, rather than traditional décor. The traditional quilt made in her colors was left intact, and special plates and glasses were used as tableware.
As an outsider, it is always a wonderful experience to see this community come together and support one another. No one complained about work or the weather. They were cheerful and efficient at their jobs. They enjoyed each other's company and took advantage of the opportunities to be together to catch up on family updates. They made me feel welcome and switched from Pennsylvania Dutch to English when we were together so I could join in the conversation. They are deeply rooted in their faith and their determination to help one another. Daniel and Lovina, God bless you as you start a new chapter in your lives. And thank you for letting me share in your special day.
One of the desserts at the wedding was fresh strawberry pie – enjoy this recipe from Lovina's latest cookbook, The Cherished Table.
Fresh strawberry pie
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup water
3 tablespoons strawberry-flavored gelatin
red food coloring (optional)
6 cups fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1 baked 9-inch puff pastry (cooled or at room temperature)
Bring sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir constantly and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. If desired, add gelatin and a few drops of red food coloring and stir. Allow to cool until lukewarm. Add strawberries and stir to coat, then pour into baked crust. Refrigerate pie for 2 hours before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
