Our first invitation came from the gas station attendant when we told her we'd be camping in the city park the night. She told us about the wedding happening there that afternoon and told us to come by, ensuring us that our bike spandex would be a fine outfit for the wedding.
The second invitation came after we set up our tent and went to see the decorations in the pavilion. One of the bride's brothers told us we were welcome to come, then he introduced us to the bride who graciously extended the invitation again.
The last invitation came from the man on the tractor, driving down the road. He pulled up next to our tent, told us his granddaughter would be singing in the band that night and we should come to the wedding.
After so many invitations, we had to go!
We've already missed a cousin's wedding while on our tour this year and we'll be missing a friend's wedding, too. This wedding doesn't take the place of either of those, but it was nice to see a family getting together to celebrate this occasion.
There may have been just a few differences between this wedding and the weddings we've attended in the past. The groom wearing work boots and denim was a bit different than the tuxedos I've seen back home. The make-your-own sandwich differed slightly from the traditional Connecticut choice of chicken, steak, or fish entrees on a wedding invitation. The cake topper? Antlers from a deer the mother of the groom killed. I have not seen that at weddings in Connecticut.
Opening up your wedding for the entire town to attend might seriously break the bank in Madison, but in Custer, Montana, population 100 on a good day, it was the perfect amount of people.
Inviting the two smelly cyclists who just happen to find a home in the same park you're getting married in that evening is just plain unheard of in Madison.
So even though the wedding itself was different than what we were used to, the smiles on the bride and groom's face, the laughter throughout the night, and the dancing were all the same. We may be 2,125.2 miles away from Madison, but we all know how to have a good time!
Christy and Adam are currently in Montana. To find out more, check out their blog at http://giveabike.blogspot.com/ or their Facebook Page at https:/ /www.facebook.com/giveabike. To see where they are, you can check out this map at Track My Tour. Christy will be writing occasional stories for Patch as she and her husband make their way through the U.S.