As far as traditional weddings go, Dan and Kara's was my first experience with actually attending a wedding. It is not over-exaggerating to say that my unmarried self and others I know will find it difficult to match the sense of love and community that I felt the whole weekend. While the festivities began Thursday and ended early Monday morning and each day was action- (and food) packed, I found on the seven hour trip home that I reflected most on the feeling of family that was palpable. Love was certainly in the air, and the mutual affection between the bride and groom was only a small part of it. Having infiltrated the immediate Roeming family, I already felt comfortable in their home, sharing this time with them. The thing that really stood out to me was how loving each member of their extended family and the Coddington's family was towards myself and the other guys staying at the house. The secret? Divine Love pervaded all thoughts there. For those that know Dan and/or Kara, to see them together, amidst their families and friends, one cannot but help feeling happy. I would challenge any critic of love or the necessity of love in marriage to have attended this wedding and not have their opinions reversed. Are they the perfect family? Perhaps…are they without fault? Of course not; they do, however, return to Love no matter their differences and reconnect with each other from that standpoint. They have not allowed themselves to grow apart. I found so much individuality in each person and yet the whole weekend went off with relative ease. Challenges that occurred were met with Love and resolved. I would bet that all guests left the celebration with a very good thought. I could go on at length with my observations of this tight-knit group; indeed, their demonstration of Love is a guiding light for me in this time of darkness for my family. It certainly acts as the archetype of family that I have been searching for. Some of the goodies from the weekend: tons of food, Thanksgiving proportions every meal; Brewers tailgate party and game; stretched Hummer limousine; gorgeous dresses for both the bride's maids and the bride; photo booth and chocolate fountain at the reception. A truly memorable event.