The bride wore. . .

The bride was beautiful in a cathedral-length, empire-waist gown... her finger-tip veil rose above . . .

I can't believe I used to write that way for the newspaper society pages a quarter-century ago, long before Briggs Sonstegaard Rolfsrud became Mrs. Siitari. My beautiful niece was married Saturday at the Chapel at St. Catherine's College in St. Paul. She married childhood chum Bill Siitari, whose wisdom is exceeded only by his charm and excellent taste in women.

The autumn event drew gorgeous weather and a nice crowd, some with Alexandria roots, given the bride's parentage. My brother, Steve, married Nancy Sonstegaard so the entire Sonstegaard clan as well as the Rolfsrud clan was there. Shutters were clicking... no wait, digital cameras were recording the proceedings as well as the dinner and dance in the college ballroom. A few of my personal best follow, along with some facts.


The first photo is of Teri Sonstegaard, grandmother of the bride and wife of the late Buzz Sonstegaard, well-known Alexandria personage, along with Kathleen Rolfsrud and Dr. Greg Sonstegaard, a veterinarian in the Alex area. Kathleen had lots to say to Greg. The St. Paul girl went to the birthing barn at the State Fair this year and watched a calf being delivered. She had never seen such a thing before and was suitably impressed. It's all in a day's (or night's) work to Greg.


The second photo shows the groom's parents, the bride's parents, the bride and the groom, shortly after being pronounced man and wife. Steve, who by now surely knows something about marriage, gives his daughter a pat of encouragement. We used to call this a mixed marriage. She of the Lutheran tradition, he's Catholic. She's Norwegian, he's Finnish. She attended St. Cate's on a scholarship, no less. The school, and Briggs, embrace diversity. It is all very confusing. The next thing? My brother will become a vegetarian. What happened to all our traditions? My head spins.


As I mentioned earlier, the entire clan made it. From left, the trailboss; Solveig Rolfsrud Shearer, a technical writer in Silicon Valley; Steve, father of the bride and administrative law judge in Mankato; Linda Rolfsrud Letnes, in her final year as a schoolteacher in Ft. Collins, CO., before moving to Minneapolis to grandparent a yet unborn baby with the working title, Beverly; Rebecca Rolfsrud Jerdee, semi-retired former divison editor for Meredith Publishing in Des Moines; Virgil Rolfsrud, investment banker in Eden Prairie and possessor of a very fine golf handicap. Kathleen took this picture. The reason we are laughing is that she is unknowingly yet effectively blocking out the official wedding photographer who is immediately behind her, dodging and ducking trying to squeeze in a shot. Kathleen, a five-footer, showed all the skills of an accomplished papparazzi and just kept shooting away with her digital camera.