I have never been to a wedding in a bio dome. This was not an event originally on my "I have never..." list, but I
was happy to take up the opportunity when Rachael let
me know one of her cousins was getting married at the Mitchell Domes in
Milwaukee. Although I had never met Rachael’s cousin or his bride to be
(Rachael has a total of 20 uncles and aunts… who each have a minimum of two
kids), I figured attending a wedding at such a memorable place was an event I
shouldn’t miss. My intuition
proved correct.
Dan and Audra |
Although I had visited the bio domes in Milwaukee when I was
much younger, visiting them today felt much like the first time. Over the years I had forgotten about
the minor details of the domes, which meant much of the experience felt very
new to me. Upon arriving we spent some time wandering through the rain forest
dome. The dome itself was much smaller than I remembered, but it was full of
life. The dense foliage, the variety of colors present in the flower blooms, and the sounds of exotic birds demanded attention at every turn. I was happy to oblige as the
environment offered ample opportunity to experience new things; a cornerstone
of my ongoing “I have never…” challenge.
After taking some photos of rare plants and foreign birds in
the rain forest dome, Rachael and I headed toward the desert dome. We met her brother, Dan, and her sister in
law, Audra, as we exited the rain forest dome. After a brief conversation, the
four walked through the desert dome pointing out the stranger sites, commenting
on the interesting choice of design in some areas, and having a few
laughs. Eventually we met the exit
of the desert dome and crossed a tile hallway into a location called the “show
dome.”
The “show dome” was lined with rows of flowers on either
side of walking paths and around a pool of water. On the right side of the dome
chairs were set up in rows facing a white gazebo. We were clearly in the right location for the wedding. So,
we worked our way toward the seating area and found good vantage for the
ceremony, which was scheduled to start within minutes of our arrival.
The ceremony |
We spent a few minutes talking with Rachael’s father, his
fiancé, and other family members before the wedding started. After a few
minutes of chitchat the ceremony began and the wedding party, which included
the bride and groom’s dog, filed in from opposite sides of the dome. The
ceremony was unique in that in contained elements of the groom’s Wisconsin
background and elements of his bride’s Indian heritage. The groomsmen all wore traditional
suits and ties found in most American weddings and the women each wore the traditional
Sari dresses found in Indian weddings.
Although different from most weddings I have attended in my life, the
two seemed to balance each other well, which was a trait obviously shared by
the bride and groom.
The happy couple |
The wedding ceremony was brief but heartfelt, with the bride
and groom exchanging vows they had written for one another. Their words were
filled with humor and an apparent love for one another, which made it easy for
a stranger like me to support them in their big leap and wish them well on
their forthcoming journey together. After the ceremony the guests moved the bio
dome lobby for a few drinks as the wedding party took photos. We were treated to Indian appetizers
that were all new to me. I was
racking up new experiences with each bite I took, which added depth to the
day’s event and gave me plenty of new reasons to love Indian food. The blend of
flavors and spices was magnificent in each food that came before me, and we had
yet to eat dinner.
When the wedding party was done taking photos we quickly
transitioned to dinner, which was an Indian themed buffet full of foods I had
never tasted. Although I have eaten Indian food in the past, the available
choices for dinner blended familiar spices and ingredients in new ways. There wasn’t a single menu choice that
was bad, as I learned after trying them all. We were treated to a chocolate and
red velvet cake after dinner had ended, which was followed by a few brief
speeches and some dancing…
Dinner... So good. |
Rachael, Dan, Audra, and I took another walk around the domes prior to engaging
in the post-dinner festivities. By
this time night had fallen and the domes began lighting up with a variety of
colored lights. T Each of them was beautiful enough to be worthy of their own
entry in my ongoing adventure, but I was lucky enough to experience them all at
once.
he “show dome”
was ringed with multi-colored lights that altered the very appearance of the
flowers scattered across the ground. The desert dome was lit with a pale blue
light that rained down on the cacti, and the rain forest dome glowed blue and
green from the lights penetrating the humid air.The illuminated dome |
Once we worked our way through the domes for a second time
the four of us grabbed a round of drinks and worked our way toward the dance
floor. While Rachael opted out of the madness that was about to ensue, Dan,
Audra, and I started a tornado of goodness in a space occupied by about five
other people. For the next hour we
danced until coats were removed, buttons came undone, and ties began headbands.
We were in the zone, and nothing could stop our intense grooving. As the day
drew to a close, so did the majority of the festivities. A sweaty mess, I told
Rachael I was ready to call it a night, and we started our journey home.
Groovin' |
The night’s events are still fresh in my mind as I write this entry on the ride
home. Being able to attend a wedding in such a unique place like the Mitchell
Domes is something I never expected to do, but I know I was lucky to be a part
of such an event. Much of the
experience was surreal in many ways, yet its beauty was worthy of a couple of
John and Ferah. This event was one for the books. I just hope there are plenty more like it to come over the
next 351 days.
Heading home... |
Quite good details about Bio Dome Wedding. I enjoyed this post a lot. For our wedding reception party we also would be starting the preparations. We both love rustic things so it will be our party theme and now the next challenge is to find suitable Chicago wedding venues within our budget. Can you help regarding it?
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