Grooms Syndrome at a picnic

The observation tower

The larger and cuter lodge

The smaller lodge

Since Erik and I are getting married in Akron, Ohio we need to have a party here in Iowa. I've been putting off even thinking about it because I don't really know anything about the area. It's also sad because I don't have a job which turns it into how inexpensively can we throw a good party for the people we love and not be eating ramen noodles for six months.

There is one other thing.

Erik hasn't been into anything wedding related. I call it Groom Syndrome (GS) and if you are wondering if your fella is suffering from it here are some helpful ways that you can diagnose it.

Ask for him to give you a rough estimate of how many people he will be inviting. If he doesn't flinch and simply says "I don't know", you have a GS sufferer.

Have him look at photos of cakes. Show him a few that you actually like and a few that you don't really care for, make sure that there are several different shapes (squares, rounds, ovals).

Chances are this is when he will give the first little glimmer that he is actually interested in the wedding. Cake does that to a lot of people.

Bring up the topic of his wedding attire. This is a big one. My suggestion is to just ask him what he wants to wear. If he sticks to the tried and true GS answer he will say "I don't know". He may not be aware that he actually has a choice, so lay all of the options out there for him: Tuxedo, Suit, the new White button down shirt and khaki pant look, or Board Shorts and a funky bowling shirt. But this is also one where you as the bride need to tell him a little about what you are wearing and let go a little bit. You do not have to control everything, your Groom is a grown man and he will make the proper decision for himself.

But how does this swing back around to spontaneous wedding planning? Well we went on a picnic don't ya know.

That was it. I love going outside when nothing is expected of me other than sitting in nature, you throw food into the mix and I'm a happy girl. So, picnicin' we went. The location fell on Erik's shoulders and the food on mine. He picked Pinicon Ridge Park, it's about twenty minuets from our apartment complex and is simply fantastic. There is a lake, camping facilities, cabins, lodges for functions (weddings), canoes and paddle boats for rent, and many other things for people to enjoy. It is a beautiful place.

As we were driving around trying to find a picnic spot, Erik offhandedly said that the park had areas you can rent and have weddings or receptions. Since I am up for anything that has to do with weddings I wanted to look around and see exactly what these places looked like. So, after we ate lunch and climbed seven and a half stories up an observation tower (do not do it in that order you will want to throw up) we went to look at the lodges. This was when Erik broke through his GS haze and I saw for the first time what I've been dreaming about for months.

Green and brown everywhere and two cute timber and stone lodges that we want to reserve. One is larger and has more flowers and grills. The other is smaller but has a volley ball court and horseshoe area. I like them both, Erik likes the lager one. So tomorrow I'm going to be calling to park service in Marion to ask about the rentals and nail down our party date.

And I'm out!